Jeff Mordock

The News Journal

Funeral services are planned Thursday for Johnny Janosik, a World War II veteran who was the force behind Laurel-based Johnny Janosik World of Furniture, one of the 100 largest furniture retailers in the nation.

Janosik died Friday. He was 90.

A native of Hopewell, Virginia, Janosik started his business in 1953 as a television repair shop in downtown Laurel. He grew the operation to include furniture, and eventually made tens of millions of dollars in annual sales.

Today, the company operates two stores in Dover and the original showroom in Laurel, a sprawling 180,000-square-foot space at 11151 Trussum Pond Road billed as the largest furniture store on the Eastern Shore.

"From an industry perspective, he was very well recognized as a visionary and someone who had a dominant market share in the furniture business in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland," said David Koehler, the company's CEO.

Because of failing health, Janosik had not been active in the business over the past decade, Koehler said.

Koehler said he doesn't expect any changes to the business in the wake of Janosik's death beyond a previous announced plan to consolidate the two Dover stores. The Dover locations will be combined into a new, 60,000-square-foot store in southern Dover, near Camden. Between 10 to 15 new employees will be hired to staff the new location, Koehler said.

Before settling in Laurel, Janosik served in the Navy during World War II. He was injured when a suicide bomber crashed a plane into the USS Louisville. After the war, he graduated from Valparaiso Technical Institute.

In Laurel, residents remembered him for charity work and commitment to the community. Janosik was dedicated to several charities including the Laurel Public Library, The Laurel Redevelopment Corp., Hope House, which provides transitional housing for homeless and domestic violence victims, and Good Samaritan Aid, a thrift store serving low-income families.

In 2005, he was honored with the Thomas C. Maloney Civic Award by the First State Gridiron Dinner & Show, a state philanthropic organization.

"There were so many things that he did that most people do not know," said Donald Dykes, executive director of the Laurel Chamber of Commerce and a friend of Janosik's for more than 50 years.

Dykes recalled Janosik buying and repairing used cars and then giving them to people who had no means to get to work.

A few years ago, Hope House's annual fundraiser did not raise enough money to cover some of its initiatives, said Janosik's grandson, Kevin Christophel. He said that Janosik and his wife, Mary, made up the difference with their own pocket.

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Christophel said some of his fondest memories were when he was a little boy and would accompany his grandfather picking up trash left over from Laurel's Independence Day Parade.

"He was the best man I've ever known," Christophel said. "I really feel as though he wanted to give back because the community helped him succeed. He constantly gave back every chance he possibly got."

Both Christophel and Brian Shannon, property manager for Laurel Redevelopment Corp., recalled the dedication of a downtown park named after Janosik. They said Janosik would get on his hands and knees to help workers install metal benches and lay bricks.

"This is a huge loss for Laurel," Shannon said. "He was a real hands-on person who knew how to get things done."

Janosik's daughter, Lori Morrison, called him "a good, loving father." She said people may never know all the contributions he made to the community.

"He never told people what he did," she said. "He didn't do it for the glory, but just to help others."

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Our Lady Lourdes Catholic Church in Seaford. A life celebration is 3-6 p.m. at the Laurel Fire Department Hall.

In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to the Good Samaritan Shop, P.O. Box 643 Laurel, DE 19956

Contact Jeff Mordock at (302) 324-2786, on Twitter @JeffMordockTNJ or jmordock@delawareonline.com.