Janice Ann (Mongardi) Smalling

Janice Ann Smalling of Walden, NY, passed away on Tuesday March 11, 2025, in Walden. She was 80.
 

The daughter of the late Bruno Mongardi and Rose Szucs Mongardi, she was born January 5, 1945 in Hempstead, New York.
 

Janice graduated from Cairo High School in 1962.

Devoting much of her life to dance, she studied and began to teach dance in Long Island in 1967, before moving to teach in Catskill, NY for a year.

In 1974 she opened The Smalling School of the Arts in Walden. Serving as the owner/director she taught dance here for over 40 years, before retiring in 2019. She was affectionately known as Miss Janice to all her students. Janice served as the director of the Little Miss Walden Contest for 26 years.

Before teaching dance, she studied modeling and worked some modeling jobs in Albany. She later taught modeling for Barbizon in Westchester from 1972-1974. Janice also worked as a cosmetician for Flah’s in Orange Plaza for a few years.

She was a retired Board Member of Dance Masters of America and was a member of the Professional Dance Teachers Association.

She is survived by her

Husband Joe Smalling

Sister-in-law Charlotte Fitzpatrick and her husband Jim

Nieces Eileen and Joe Meisner, Karen and Randy Meyers, Sheila and Jamie Patterson, Kelly and Mark Hassett, Nora Mongardi

Nephew Dan and Alix Fitzpatrick

Visitation will be Friday, March 14, 2025, 4pm-6pm at Millspaugh Funeral Home, 22 Bank St., Walden, NY 12586.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 11am at the funeral home. Fr. Tom Colucci will officiate.

Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
 

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

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