Longtime Trib employee Janet Beresik remembered for friendliness, dedication to family

Janet Beresik never went searching for the next career opportunity once she started working in sales and marketing for her hometown newspaper.

“My sister had wonderful people skills, so when she started working at the Valley News Dispatch (now the Tribune-Review), it really was the perfect job for her,” said Kent Shoemaker of Oil City.

“Not everybody is cut out for that job, but she found her niche,” he said. “She really enjoyed it because she loved meeting people and getting to know them, and they felt the same way about her.”

Janet L. Beresik, who was born in Harrison and lived most of her life in Brackenridge, died Aug. 9, 2023, at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh following a brief illness. She was 69.

“Janet was a beloved team member at Trib Total Media until her retirement,” said Jennifer Bertetto, the company’s president and CEO. “She always had a smile and a positive attitude.

“Even after she retired, she would stop by the office and spread joy to everyone she would see. We will deeply miss her and extend our deepest condolences to her family during this difficult time.”

Ms. Beresik was one of nine children born to Harry and Louise Shoemaker and took on the role of the family matriarch after their mother’s passing, Shoemaker said.

“Families grow older and move in different directions, but Janet knew that it was important to our parents that we stay connected,” he said. “So she was the one who called everybody to check on them and organize the family gatherings. She was the uniting force for this family.”

Shoemaker said the importance of maintaining strong family ties led his sister to pass on the responsibility of being the “organizer” to younger members of the family who came to refer to her simply as “Auntie.”

A 1971 graduate of Highlands High School, Ms. Beresik continued to meet monthly with her classmates.

She was a member of Generations House of Worship in Brackenridge and enjoyed visits to casinos, cooking and baking.

“No matter what the gathering was about, family members always asked Janet to make sure she brought her ‘dirt’ for dessert,” Shoemaker said.

He said she started making the concoction of crushed Oreo cookies, pudding and other ingredients, garnished with gummy worms, when many of the family members were still children.

“It became a family tradition because the nieces and nephews kept asking her to make it after they were adults,” Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker said, while his sister’s death is a great loss to the family, they are consoled by the fact that she “lived life to the fullest.”

“We would have loved to see Janet live longer, but we’re happy that she enjoyed the life she had,” he said.

In addition to Shoemaker, Ms. Beresik is survived by brothers Clark, Jay and Barry and sister Karen Malinoski.

She also is survived by her fiance, Fred Sherick of Oil City, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Ms. Beresik was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers and her husband, William Beresik.

Friends will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday at Duster Funeral Home, 347 E. 10th Ave. in Tarentum. A funeral service will follow starting at 4 p.m.