Janet Madori

Ms. Janet Madori of Sedona, AZ lost her heroic fight against cancer in her home on July 18, 2018, surrounded by the love of family, dear friends and the red rock vistas that had nourished her spirit for the last 8 years. She was 68 years young.
Janet was preceded in death by her parents John and Hilda Madori of Fox River Grove, IL; her sister, Susan Madori of Plantation, FL; her son, Stuart Sweeting of Nassau, Bahamas and her sister-in-spirit, Sharon Maxey of Chicago, IL.
Janet is survived by her brother, Daniel Madori of Oswego, IL; her sister, Lois Kyle of Lombard, IL; her children, Diallo Minns and Kinny Madori of Phoenix, AZ; her four nieces, one nephew, and two grandchildren. In addition, her spirit also lives on in the thousands of lives she touched through her generosity, kindness and expansive love.
Janet was born on February 17, 1950 in Fox River Grove, IL to John and Hilda Madori, and was the youngest of their four children, preceded by Daniel, Lois and Susan. Janets intrinsic sense of integrity and acceptance was evident early on as she is still remembered by classmates at Cary-Grove Community High School for always being inclusive and rooting for the underdog - defending classmates against bullies twice her size. This was the start of her lifetime commitment to helping others. A beautiful woman both in character and appearance, she was voted Miss Fox River Grove in 1969.
An entrepreneur at heart, Janet decided against college, and built administrative and financial skills through early positions in personnel agencies, advertising firms and construction companies, while discovering a natural talent for sales along the way. In 1979, she combined her joyful spirit and savvy business sense to launch Personal Preference, Inc. (PPI) - a company with the primary purpose of empowering women to be financially independent. Fearless in her enthusiasm and passion for the business and her people, she was notorious for leading her annual conventions in a variety of guises to build excitement " including football captain, pirate, and western regalia, riding a real horse onto the stage. With her core values of love, hope and encouragement, Janet led PPI to employ over 2,000 sales consultants, managers and staff with $30 million dollars in annual sales, all the while personally encouraging her employees to find and become their best selves in both work and life. PPI was recognized twice as Americas top 500 Women-Owned Businesses by Working Woman magazine, and ranked 22nd in Crains Chicago Business list of top women-owned firms. Janet was an invited speaker for the Distinguished Entrepreneurs Guest Lecture series in the College of Business Administration at the University of Illinois, Chicago and was recognized as one of 100 Women Making a Difference by Todays Chicago Woman, a finalist in the Illinois/Northwest Indiana Entrepreneur of Year Competition (1998) as well as being inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 1999.
After closing her art business in 2010, she expanded her lifetime philanthropic efforts, with a special interest in programs benefitting victims of domestic violence, abuse and neglect. In retirement as with work, she promoted love, acceptance and healing through her contributions to multiple charitable organizations across the world.
Throughout her life, Janet perpetually pursued self-improvement, choosing one personal development goal annually starting as a teenager. In her most recent reflections, she expressed her greatest personal growth was in internalizing a model of non-judgmental love based on the teachings of Jesus: Care of Others, Trust, Safety, Honesty, Responsibility, and Acceptance. She became an ordained minister through Unity of Sedona in 2013, further enhancing her lifelong commitment to supporting her friends, family and spiritual community through one-on-one exploration sessions, helping individuals find harmony and balance in their relationships and their lives.
A Celebration of Life service is scheduled for Saturday, July 28th at 11:00am at Unity of Sedona in Sedona, AZ. Michael Mirdad, Unitys spiritual leader, will officiate the ceremony. Condolences and, in lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Little Angel Foundation at PO Box 21173 Sedona, AZ 86341.