Anton Janda

We will remember Tony laughing, smiling as he made you feel special, listening and sharing your concerns, enjoying a party, and relishing the telling of his stories that revealed how well he observed human nature. He loved watching the humming bird at the feeder, sitting in the sun, and reading New Yorker magazines. He showed us that he loved us by sending items of interest to us from the newspaper, or a cartoon he knew we’d like, or a hand crafted card.

Tony achieved four degrees and was invited to join Mensa but he remained a humble man, as proud of being a handyman, a “fix it” man as he was of his PhD in Psychology.

Tony Janda, the second child and only son of Mathilde and Anthony Janda was born in San Rafael, California July 10, 1931. He attended St. Raphael’s parochial school until 4th grade when the family moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1941. He finished elementary school in Carmel under the tutelage of the Notre Dame Sisters. He attended high school at Bellarmine College Prep in Santa Clara, California.

He attended the University of Santa Clara where he attained a B.E.E. in Engineering and was immediately hired by General Electric Company on the day he graduated in 1953. He worked for GE at Moffett Field in San Francisco and also worked for GE in New York. From 1954-1956 he was a U.S. Army field officer stationed with the occupation forces in Austria. While there he had the opportunity to travel and to splurge on a prized green Mercedes. Following his tour of duty he returned to the U.S. and was once again employed by General Electric.

From 1958-1968 he was a Jesuit Seminarian, California Province of the Society of Jesus with six years of study including the attainment of a Masters of Arts degree from Gonzaga University in 1964. He wrote his thesis on The First Principle Of Morality According to St. Thomas Aquinas. He also spent three years teaching math at Brophy high school, and worked with the deaf in Spokane, Washington. He went to the San Joaquin valley to work as a welfare worker which led to his interest in Social Work.

From 1968-1970 he was a student at San Diego State University School of Social Work graduating with a Master’s degree. He completed the requirements for licensure as a California Clinical Social Worker at Gifford Mental Health Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego and continued to work at Gifford Clinic until 1981.

He then worked at UCSD hospital as a Medical Social Worker and retired in 1991 although he continued to work at Catholic Charities as a Clinical Social Worker part-time, and was a presenter for the Catholic diocese Pre-Cana Program. He enjoyed helping young couples learn how to communicate and reinforce positive behaviors in their relationships.

Tony was an engaging and encouraging friend, a neighbor ready to help with any problem, and a devoted husband and caring brother and uncle. Surviving Tony are his wife, Anne Janda, and his sister, Joan Belza, her husband Janusz Belza and their children, Mark, Basia, Paul and Krysia.