Janice Carolyn Tucker Widrig Lafon, 79, of Blacksburg, went to glory on Sunday, March 7, 2021, and is dancing with the angels in Heaven.
Jan was born in Detroit on March 21, 1941, to her parents, Gerald and Laverne Tucker. Her brothers include Jerry Tucker, Ronald Tucker and Ted Tucker. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Richard and Tom Tucker.
Jan was 56 years young when her youngest started college. She was the second female paramedic in the state of Virginia. She started running at age 47. She started biking and biked the coast of California at age 60 and started ballroom dancing at the age of 68 and danced for 10 years.
Jan received her nursing degree from Wytheville Community College and had worked caring for and loving each patient over her long nursing career of 39 years. A patient she cared for over 20 years ago said, “I may have only got to meet Jan once, but she sure did leave a great lasting impression on me. I’ve been in all of our local hospitals and LewisGale multiple times over the last 20 years since my illnesses first started. I’ve had so many nurses, but there’s only a handful that I can remember, and she is one of them.”
Jan studied and became a nurse while raising six children. Her nursing career led her to caring for patients at Princeton Community Hospital in Princeton, W.Va., and LewisGale Hospital, Salem. Her compassion for people was one of her best gifts. She cared for her patients and worked full-time right up until she retired at age 78 and never missed a step. She could outwork nurses who were half her age. She also had a great love for politics and had a great knowledge of America’s political landscape.
Her children and grandchildren were her life. Sadly, Jan was preceded in death by her son, Dan Widrig, and a grandson, Reagan Widrig. Her children include son Scott Widrig and his wife, Annette; daughter Jerie Anne Whitehead and her husband, Jeff; sons, Jamie Widrig, Chris Widrig and Amanda Musick, and B.J. Lafon and wife, Nicole.
Jan’s pride and joy were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her grandchildren are Sarah Vaught and husband Dale, Wes Widrig and wife Kim, Kiva Troise and husband Joe, Grant Widrig, Joseph Widrig, Cody Whitehead and wife Chelsea, Levi Whitehead and wife Kelsey, Autumn Snider and husband Logan, Journey Widrig, Jordan Widrig and wife Kaitlyn, Savannah Poff and husband Andy, Tristian Widrig, Emma Sullivan, Micaiah Widrig and Paul Osborne, and Penelope, Genevieve and Cleo Lafon. Her great-grandchildren are Olivia Vaught, Mya Gustafson, Landon, Laithan and Selah Lankford, Octavia, Charlie and Daniel Widrig, Julia Whitehead, and Hallie Snider.
Large family gatherings at her home brought a smile to her face like nothing else, and summer beach trips were her specialty. She had hoped to make at least one more trip to the Outer Banks this summer, but God had another plan. She made us promise to carry her ashes to the beach to be near her son, Dan. Describing Nana Jan Lafon is done best by granddaughter, Kiva, who said, “I can’t imagine a world without her in it. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her,” and grandson Cody, who said, “We lost our foundation, our CEO, our chief, our leader, our best friend, our everything. She was the rock we all stood firm on. She loved us harder than humanly possible. She was everything for all of us. I hope she’s dancing in Heaven right now.” Son B.J. said, “Mom has her angel wings now and is watching over all of us.”
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to: a GoFundMe: “One Last Gift of a Mother’s Love for Her Son” https://gofund.me/d37ac929. Due to the pandemic and COVID restrictions, a private family service will be held.
Friends may attend a Zoom service at the following link on March 27, 2021, at 1 p.m. After the service, the family will also be live on ZOOM at 5 p.m. to share stories about their hero. Please join at the link below for her service at 1 p.m. or share your story with the family at 5 p.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pfu6pqz8vHdWhQO1jyuRVJk3rOMzYdbHJ Meeting ID: 894 9715 4571 Password: love.
The family would love and request those who are willing to share stories or memories of Jan in the virtual guest book on the funeral home page to do so as well. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg.
