Janeen Nichole (Smith) Piotrowski died on March 3, 2025 in Tallahassee, Fla., from complications with breast cancer. She was 45 years old.

A few short paragraphs could never capture Janeen’s generous, joyful, complex and loving spirit. She lived and led with her heart, always seeking to build human connection.

Janeen was born on August 21, 1979 in Orlando, Florida to John and Charlene Smith. After graduating from Seminole High School in 1997, Janeen earned degrees from University of Florida in 2001 (B.A. in Public Relations) and Santa Fe College in 2008 (A.S. in Graphic Design Technology).

While studying at Santa Fe College she met Mark Piotrowski. They fell in love, sharing a love of live music, design and travel. Their first “date” was a road trip to see The Avett Brothers on three consecutive nights across Florida. Janeen and Mark were married on December 31, 2010, surrounded by friends and family.

In 2012, the couple moved to Tallahassee, Fla. and on February 9, 2012 welcomed their son Avett — the love of their life — into their family. He has rarely sat still since.

So many things brought Janeen true happiness and joy. And to see her enjoy them or — better yet — participate alongside her was to witness love in action.

Janeen loved the outdoors, especially hiking, kayaking and biking. With a group of women friends she completed sections of the Appalachian Trail, in addition to hundreds of miles of trails throughout north Florida. An avid plant lover, she brought the outdoors into every home with a luscious collection of greenery.

Janeen loved music — it fed her soul and was a constant companion in her life. Dancing and singing filled her heart up. She sang show choir as a teenager and later attended hundreds of shows and music festivals across Florida and around the country — with friends, with Mark and more recently with Avett. For the past two years, she was a proud member of the Tallahassee Community Chorus.

Janeen loved her friends fiercely and believed in building community. She served on neighborhood and community boards, promoted electric vehicles at community events, and participated in local and international moms’ groups, along with Moms Demand Action.

Throughout her professional life Janeen used her love of words and ideas to help others. As a freelance designer she worked with small businesses and non-profits she cared about. She worked as a communications and marketing professional for FloridaWorks, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and NAI Talcor. Most recently she served as the Chief of Staff and Marketing Manager for the FSU Institute for Justice Research & Development and as an Advocacy Specialist at Disability Rights Florida, an advocacy organization for individuals with disabilities in the state of Florida.

Janeeen is survived by her son Avett and husband Mark of Tallahassee, FL; brother Nick Smith (Teri Stanley) of Macon, GA; father John Smith of Franklin, NC; in-laws Linda Piotrowski Lavery Coughlin and Rob Coughlin of Beverly Hills, FL; and brother-and-sister-in-law Eric Piotrowski and Diane Farsetta of Stoughton, WI. She was preceded in death by her mother Charlene (Flemming) Williams and grandmothers Sadie Smith and Madeline Norman.

Janeen’s joyful spirit, commitment to human connection and the constant love and devotion she displayed for her family and friends is unforgettable. May her memory remind us to love fiercely and compassionately.