Janice Maccarillo

Janice Marie Maccarillo (Larson), 73, passed away peacefully on Jan. 1, 2015, at Ivy Place Assisted Living in Boise, Idaho.

Janice was born Sept. 20, 1941 in Idaho Falls, ID, to Claus Roland and Melvia Mildred Larson of Firth, ID. She was raised on the Firth homestead, which was settled by her paternal grandparents Claus and Hannah Larson of Sweden.

The farm provided many rich memories – bird watching, ice skating, learning to drive a tractor and truck, riding on the old work horses, helping with hay, grain and potato harvest, 4-H club, the “Polly Pigtail” club, singing and playing the piano.

After graduating from Firth High School, she attended ISC in Pocatello, obtaining her certificate from the College of Cosmetology. She was also very involved in the ISC Music Program, singing in the concert choir and women’s trio “Coeds”.

It was there that a Swede met an Italian musician named Joe Maccarillo, Jr. Love was in the air.

They were married at the Lutheran Church in Firth, ID in 1962, and made their home in Hailey, ID. They had three children Tina, Joey and Gino. Joe worked at the Sun Valley Lodge Dining Room playing Bass with his Sun Valley Trio.

Janice did hairstyling throughout the years and also worked at the Hailey Sage Shop, Sears Catalog store, and later on managed the Hailey State Liquor store. She enjoyed crocheting, skiing, being an organist at Valley of Peace Lutheran Church, musician union picnics, trips to Hawaii, Sweden, Seattle, and Italian cooking.

Janice and Joe were residents of Hailey except for venturing to Phoenix, AZ in 1968 - 1969 Joe played Bass with the Biltmore Hotel orchestra and Janice sang with the Phoenix City Chorale.

She was diagnosed with Stargardt eye disease in her 30's which led to legal blindness. The afflictions of memory loss also took a heavy toll on her quality of life. After Joe’s death in January 2006, Janice resided at Safe Haven in Bellevue, ID. In late 2014, she was moved to Ivy Place Assisted in Boise, ID. She found great peace and joy there with the wonderful care and fun she had with their music therapy program. Janice was a very loving, caring person and will be deeply missed by her family and friends.

She is survived by her daughter Tina Hathhorn (Brian) and their children Haley and Nicholas of Boise, ID; son Joe Maccarillo III (Robbi) and their children Kristi Olsen (Tony Bowling), Robert Olsen and Brittany Dunn and great-grandson Lennox Bowling of Bellevue, ID; son Gino Maccarillo of Hailey, ID; sister Karolyn Larson-Phippen (Gary Ford) of Pocatello, ID; brother Richard Larson (Karen) of Firth, ID; sister-in-law Carol Jackson (Carl) of Vernal, UT; brother-in-law Bob Maccarillo of Las Vegas, NV; sister-in-law Jeanie Higbee (Rocky) of Meridian, ID; sister-in-law Chris Maccarillo of Meridian, ID; brother-in-law Anthony Maccarillo (Vi) of Boise, ID; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents Roland and Melvia; her beloved husband Joe; brother-in-law Jay Phippen, and nephew Henry Jackson.

Janice’s family would like to give a special thanks to all the care givers at Ivy Place Assisted Living in Boise, ID, who helped to make her last three months a very happy and loving time. Also a thank you to Janice’s doctor of the last several years, Dr. Julie Lyons.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 14, 2015 at Valley of Peace Lutheran Church, Hailey, ID. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to a charity of your choice.