It is with the deepest sorrow that we have to say goodbye to our beloved mother, grandma, wife, sister, aunt, and friend. Janene Diane Morris left this world on November 24, 2025. She was loved beyond words and will never be forgotten. She lives on in her children and grandchildren, who have all inherited her loving nature and resilient spirit.

Janene was born on August 31, 1963 in Santa Cruz, California to Pamela Joan Holden Walsh and James Walter Morris. As a teenager, her first job was at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which she enjoyed because she got to ride the rides for free and spend time on the beach while working. After that, at the age of 19, she moved on to her second job at Seagate in San Jose, California where she met the father of her four children, James. They connected over a shared love of music, nature, and free-spiritedness. For our mother, it was love at first sight. Our mom would later move to Humboldt County where she attended College of the Redwoods and attained an associate degree in nursing, as well as an LVN license. She went on to work as a nurse for a number of years, as well as working for IHSS later on in life. Through these jobs, she helped those in need, as well as assisted the elderly and disabled in their homes. Her career was guided by her compassionate heart and tireless drive to help others, and she made a difference in countless lives.

To her children, she was known as “Mom,” “Mommy,” “Mama,” “Mamoo,” and sometimes “Mother.” Our Mom’s greatest joy in life was being our Mom. She used to make up little songs for each of us, and never missed an opportunity to take a quick picture that we’d inevitably complain about. She’d always tell us we would appreciate them when we were older - and she was right. The picture taking saga continued into adulthood, and turned into a tradition her grandchildren would endure as well. Like Janene’s own kids, her grandkids would complain about taking “a” picture– or a million. We remember how she would tell her grandkids “picture time”, and they would respond with the same exaggerated tone - “grandma, not another one”– the same moan and groan her own kids gave her. But our mom, as the kindhearted person she is, would just carry on, not be irritated and say “you’ll appreciate it later”– and mom– we’re so glad you did, because now your kids and grandkids can look at those pictures, videos, and memories and remember the wonderful mom and grandma that we had.

Mom was always there for us– long after we were adults… to talk to, to cry to, to lean on. She showed up - rain or shine, good day or bad, she’d be there with a fresh tray of brownies, a warm hug, a cathartic singalong session in the car, or most often– just someone to talk to who understood and would listen without judgement. She would have done or given us anything and everything if she knew we needed her. We knew that with each laugh or cry, every goodnight kiss, every burrito wrap to tuck us in, every mud pie you pretended to eat, every slide and swing you gave us a gentle push on, every boo-boo you would fix with your magic mom touch– we had a mom who wanted to be a mom. Her children knew with every bad dream, every bedtime story or morning wakeup, every dance and song we shared– that we had a mother that loved us deeply. Despite every time our mom was giving us her love and one of us kids would say “MOOMMM!… come on” in an exaggerated tone of voice– we knew that we were lucky to have a mom who loved us so completely. Our mommy also never missed a chance to watch one of her kids in a performance, whether it be a recital, play, or even a school project us kids waited until the last minute to do– even though she had been repeatedly reminding us to do it. She would be there - no questions asked. We got to experience it all. Another thing our mom would do to nourish us in the make believe realm is allowing us to perform numerous plays for her at the house; she never complained, she just enjoyed watching us be happy. When we were kids, we begged for the game Tales of the Crystals– if you know, you know. The game required us to take over the entire apartment so that our imaginary land could replace reality– and our mom happily allowed us to do that… even when the “land” had to stay that way for multiple days. Even when we wanted to build forts that made parts of our house unreachable. Our mom just wanted us to be happy and feel loved. To be free and to be children. That we could always count on. Thank you for letting us explore the world with you and showing us what adventure and family really is.

Janene has always loved good music– she loved rock– especially 70s acoustic rock. She loved folk, country, and sometimes music that was on the heavier side just so she could dance to it– music like Rihanna or Pink. When her children were younger, as a family, we would listen to artists such as John Denver, Eagles, Garth Brooks, Tim Mcgraw, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton, as those were some of her favorites. She also loved listening to her husband James play guitar. Our mom would love to sing along with her eldest daughter while James played guitar and joined in on the singing. Our mom loved music, singing, and dancing– and made sure her kids knew what good music was.

Janene loved the ocean, the mountains, and being in the trees. She always wanted to be in and with nature– that is just the environment where she felt the most herself. She loved art, photography, the beach, and enjoying coastal vibes. She would spend a lot of her time hiking, sun bathing, swimming in the ocean or river, lovingly nurturing her garden, and generally being out in nature. Due to our mom’s love of nature and water she would often refer to herself as a mermaid. When we would ask what she meant by that, she would say that she both loved the water and being a free spirit. When she briefly moved away from Humboldt, she said that the air felt too dry. When she came back, she was so happy to see the ocean and feel the sea spray again. She used to love to collect seashells, river rocks and agates, and likened herself to a myna bird because of her love of shiny things.

She also loved the forests, especially our local redwoods, and often took us all camping in our youth. She’d set up the outrageously large tent– we’d roast marshmallows, take hikes, go swimming, cook food, and just laugh and enjoy each other’s company. Our camping trips only ended in narrowly avoided disaster two times– once when we had to flee from a nearby mountain lion in the middle of the night. Still fun. On the other tiny mishap camping adventure, there was a sudden storm that involved buckets of rain entering our tent. We woke up to a flood, and retreated to our car to spend the night. Scary and uncomfortable, yes, but we all knew we were loved and safe together as a family who loved each other. Nothing made us feel more loved and protected than to know we were safe in our mother’s warm caress. Our other outdoor adventures we would have with her were dancing in the rain, building a snowman in the cold winter months, sledding and finding our family christmas tree, swimming at swimmers delight, bike riding and hiking as a family, and most of all going to the beach and looking for agates for hours, even though we barely found any. Our family was just glad we were enjoying each other’s company. We love you mom, more than one could ever know.

Janene also had a deep and profound love for animals– all animals… although her love for dogs was always the deepest. Our mom used to tell us stories of all of the stray animals she used to bring home growing up– and that continued as a tradition in our family. When she was little, she’d beg her parents to keep every little creature she found - from kittens to wild bunnies. She loved horses, and always dreamt about having a chance to ride again. Our mom used to speak of her sweet childhood dog Fifi– a dog she never forgot. When her children were young, we had a Malamute named Wima and Priss the cat. Later on we got our family dog Lily, and then when her kids grew up and became adults she adopted Yuki– who had a litter and our mom kept two of the pups– Oddie and Embry. Oddie and Embry were like her children after her children no longer lived at home. She used to say to them, “I will never hurt you, and you will never hurt me”. She was incapable of doing any creature harm, and wouldn’t even crush a spider. If she found one on the edge of her bath, she’d get out just to usher it to safety, all while gently scolding it like it was misbehaving. She considered pets to be part of the family, and treated them as such.

Her younger brother describes her as follows while they were growing up: My sister always had a strong love for animals. Our Dad lived in Texas for most of my life. I remember a time when he was coming to visit us in Santa Cruz and Janene (like many young girls), wanted a pony. So when my Dad came to visit us he actually bought her a Shetland pony. Lucky for us, we lived in a house with a backyard at the time. She was so happy that she had a real pony. She had to be around 13 or 14. She would always bring stray dogs and cats home as she got older. And my mom could never tell her no, so we had a lot of pets growing up. My favorite pet I’ve ever had was one she gave me when I was 12 or 13 years old - a Springer Spaniel dog named Bogart. I loved that dog so much. Janene had such a big heart and cared about people and animals. We used to fly together to Texas every Summer to visit our Dad. I miss those days– we had so much fun together riding horses, camping, fishing, and visiting family. There were a few times in my life when I needed a place to stay until I got back on my feet– and she always had a spot for me to stay. I can’t believe she’s gone. Time flies by so fast. But I’ll never forget her or the good memories in my heart and mind. Love you and miss you sister.

Her eldest daughter would like to say the following:

My mom is my best friend. No one can ever replace her and I am so grateful that I got to know what it feels like to be truly understood and loved for all of me. My mama is the most loving person I have ever known and she has taught me how to love. My mom is the reason I am kind, loving, forgiving, and deeply loyal to my family. My life has not been an easy one and I honestly cannot imagine how I would have made it through without my mom. She never gave up on me and always made me feel like I was perfectly loved and always forgiven– without question. I have never felt love without regard or judgement like my mama gave me. Everything about my mom reflected love and kindness– she used to tell me that “everyone’s fancy, everyone’s fine” – something she learned from my grandma that was meant to mean– be kind and loving to everyone, even when they are different from yourself. I truly believe that I am who I am because of my mom. I am so much like her and I am grateful for that beyond words. I do not know if I will ever heal from losing you mom– but you have taught me so much and I know you are always with me. I can feel you and your love in me when I think of you and when I am near my siblings. We will try to do what we know you would want us to do– to love each other and not give up. I hope you are at peace mommy– swimming with the mermaids. Trunkateers for always- your Bumbo sure will miss you. You know how much I love you- forever and a day.

Her second eldest daughter would like to say the following:

As the second oldest daughter, I got to experience the undying love our mother had for each of her children. Our mom was our security blanket, our friend, our mother, our mentor and teacher, our companion in life and we were hers. Our mom taught us how dangerous people in this world can be, but she also taught us to respect them, and to know they’re acting a certain way based on hardships or disasters in their own life. Thanks to our mother I have a love of life, a love of animals and nature, a love for photography and a loving spirit, yet a spirit to never give up no matter what life throws at you. We are resilient because of her. She had the most nurturing, kind hearted soul I ever met. She taught all of her kids to be strong and confident human beings. But most of all, she taught me that being unique is not a bad thing but a trait everyone wishes they have. My momma’s other greatest joy in life and proudest moment was getting to be a grandmother to her five grandchildren. She would not interact with her grandchildren as a whole but interact with them as the individual person they are, supporting them through whatever they needed at that time, whether it would be playing, talking with them, or just being there to offer a hug and kiss, she would be there just like she was there for us. No one could ever take that love and joy away from her. Our mama was sadly taken from us too soon. But mom, we want you to know you’ll always be a part of us. Your legacy lives on in your children and grandchildren. Thank you for always tucking us in at night, checking our room for monsters, letting us entertain you with our recitals, styling our hair when we were having a bad hair day, always believing in us, and waking us up in the morning with your warm wake up and smiling embrace.

From her son:

Grief is not a series of boxes to check off. It is not something that can be outrun. It is a sign that someone existed, and continues to exist. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write anything because I’m still so sad, and so angry, and there are no words to express any of it. My mom was a beautiful, kind, flawed person, who left us far too soon. I will remember her for her smile, for her gentle singsong voice, for the way she carried herself, and the way she made me feel loved. She cherished peace, and she never once made me feel like I didn’t belong. So I grieve her. And I will carry my grief, just as she carried me, and nurture it. I will always love you, Mom, and I hope to join you again one day. Until then, you will be in the beautiful gardens, as my journey continues in your memory.

Her youngest daughter would like to say the following:

As the youngest daughter, I was always her baby, and she was always my mommy - even when I was very much an adult. When I was little, she used to call her arm a wing when she was snuggling me, and me her baby owlet. She always made me feel safe. I always knew she loved me - that was a constant in my life that I never had to question. She gave me her love of video games - she had a particular fondness for horror games like fatal frame and silent hill. She also gave me her love of reading; she especially loved mysteries and Steven King novels. And, of course, she gave me her love of animals. I vividly recall the time we thought it was a good idea to try to ride a couple of random horses that we found bareback. She insisted that she go first - as was her responsibility as the mom, naturally. It ended as one would expect. But I’ll never forget that side of her - the wildness, the zest for adventure, the unwavering trust in animals and the humor to laugh about being thrown from one that weighed about 1,000 pounds. She taught me to see the good in everyone, to never wish anything harm, and to never give up. And even though the world wasn’t always kind to her, she was always kind to the world. I’m who I am today because of her, and I’m infinitely better for it. I just want to tell her thank you - for chasing away every bad dream, never complaining when I “borrowed” your makeup, teaching me what kind of mom I wanted to be, and showing me how to look for the light in the darkest of places. I love you, mommy. Sweet dreams.

Janene is preceded in death by her mother and father, her brothers David, Mark, and Larry, and her sister Star. She is preceded in death by her dogs Fifi, Wima, Lily and Yuki, and her cats Momo, Haru, and Tibbleton. She is survived by her four children– Darrah, Breanna, Jesse, and Juliet. She is survived by her husband, James. She is also survived by her grandchildren– Clover, Luna, Thea, Korra, and Leo. She is survived by her brothers Jimi and Michael and her sister Pamela. She is survived by her many nieces and nephews– Shay, Sara, Danny, Justin, Adam, Malia, John, Allen, Ariel, Gabriel, Elijah, and Jake– as well as their children. She is survived by her two dogs Oddie and Embry and her cat, Katie. Those that remain wish they never had to say goodbye.

To that we say we love you mommie, to the moon and back, forever and a day, always and back again. Although you are no longer with us, you are not gone. You’re in the ways that we love each other. You’re in the smiles of your grandchildren. You’re in the smell of falling rain, and the sound of cresting waves. You’re in every deep sigh and even deeper laugh. You’re in lessons you’ve taught us and how much we know how to love. You’re why we know that we will always be accepted for whoever we are. You’re in the little acts of kindness, every bug we can’t bring ourselves to squish, the late night snacks and early morning coffees, and the way we hold each other just that little bit tighter now. You’re in the way that we know we will be ok someday. You’re not gone– you’re everywhere. And we love you, always. Thank you for teaching us how.