Obituary of Janice W. Bracey

Janice W. Bracey was born on January 11, 1948, to the late Catherine Worthington and the late Herbert Jones. She was born in Greenville, North Carolina. Janice was raised by her grandparents, the late Lizzy and Ben Green. Her grandmother was near and dear to her heart! She was strict, orderly and loving. Janice would later exhibit the same parenting style with her own daughters. She would give Janice just about anything she wanted. Janice grew up with her cousin Dennis Vines and she loved playing with her dolls. Janice attended Fleming Street Elementary School in Greenville, North Carolina. She relocated to Newark, New Jersey when she was a teenager and lived with her favorite aunt Gladys. The late Gladys Green was more like a mother to her. They were close. Janice spent a short time at Weequahic High School but eventually graduated from Southside High School, A.K.A. Malcolm X Shabazz High School. She furthered her education at Essex County College. Janice married the late Alonzo Mitchell in 1971 and the late Robert Lee Bracey in 1991. Janice was blessed to become the mother of 3 daughters, Latonya Green, Kesha Bacon and Arlener Abdul-Aziz. She loved to dress them alike, just like they were her dolls. Janice also loved the sport of bowling. She has been a part of a bowling league for as far back as her children can remember. When she was bowling and it wasn’t a school night, she would bring her girls along to watch and enjoy the sport with her. She enjoyed bowling so much that she often watched it on television. Bowling is where she met her Special friend, James Johnson. She was still an active member of a bowling league up until her passing. Janice worked for Bell Telephone, A.K.A. Verizon, as a 411 operator. She retired from Verizon at the age of 55. In 2017 she moved to South Jersey to be closer to her youngest daughter. She enjoyed exploring a new place and meeting new people. She also loved the opportunity to help her grandchildren with their children. She often babysat her great grandchildren. She loved attending family events and just being amongst her family. She loved shopping for clothes and home decor! She always had the best bathroom décor, curtains and comforters. By the time you got to say, “your bathroom & bedroom look nice”, she would change it up. She loved shopping for her great grandchildren’s birthday gifts as well. Janice loved to listen to loud music and dance. She will be forever remembered for her signature dance move, which consisted of her dancing with one finger in the air! Janice leaves loving and everlasting memories, to be cherished by her 3 daughters, Latonya Green (Wade), Kesha Bacon and Arlener Abdul-Aziz (Jamal); 8 Grandchildren, Jasmine Walker, Shanira Elam (Rejean), Kajunia Walker, Shaquan Hall, Ardell Aeriel, Mercedes Waiters Bacon, Styshaan Frisbey and Erwin Bacon Jr.; 12 Great Grandchildren, Jamir Green, Noah Hall, Raymond Gonzalez, Lola Hall, Luna Hall, Alani Elam, Faith McCullough, Calliope Hall, Nasir Elam, Jayce Wright, Nova Elam and Shaquan Hall Jr.; 4 Siblings, Bing Worthington, (pre-deceased) Mary Worthington, (pre-deceased) Michael Worthington and Derrick Worthington; she also leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, family and friends. Our Beloved Janice, peacefully returned to her creator on April 17, 2025. Although words cannot fully capture the depth of our loss, Janice will be remembered by her loved ones for dancing to the beat of her own drum! When asked what she was up to, she often answered, with a smile, “Just Doing Me”!