Jan Jordan

After a life well-lived and full of love, Janet Elaine Parsons Jordan passed away in the early morning of January 6th, 2019 with her husband and her son by her side. She was born on January 7th, 1958 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, to Rebecca and Dudley Parsons. The family moved to Livingston, TN shortly after her birth. At age seven, she and her siblings moved into Happy Haven Children's Home. Though her early life was marked with hardship, she learned quickly how to better her own life and the lives of those she encountered. She attended Cookeville schools in her youth, until graduating from Livingston High School. As a cheerleader and member of the debate team, Jan never missed an opportunity to make her voice heard and her opinion known. She married Robert Huddleston shortly after high school, and attended Tennessee Tech University, where she earned a degree in Chemistry. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where she also earned a nursing degree from the University of Oklahoma. She returned to Cookeville with her newborn son in 1985. She remarried in 1986, and Jan's brightest days were spent with her husband, Charles ‘Chuck' Jordan. In him she found her match in biting wit, humor, and joy in seeing the world. After the birth of their son in 1988, the two spent their time raising children and giving to their community. Jan could never give enough to those around her. She served at First United Methodist Church as a Sunday school teacher, and was a board member at the YMCA, the Mustard Seed Ranch, Cookeville Cityscape, and Community Work Rehabilitation. She was a founding member of the Magnolia Garden Club and the Cookeville Collector's Club. She rarely met a stranger, and when she did, they weren't strangers for long. She is survived by her husband Chuck Jordan of Cookeville; her sister, Dawn Hubbard; her brother, Gregg Parsons; her daughters, Kelly Valen and Jodi Jordan; her sons, Ward Jordan and Spencer Huddleston; her children by marriage, Gus Valen and Nikki Huddleston; her grandchildren, Anthony Valen, Katherine Valen, Wyatt Huddleston, and Lucy Huddleston. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Scott Parsons. Jan would have seen no coincidence in the fact that her granddaughter, bearing her likeness, came into the world less than two weeks ago. She saw the goodness and light in this world as a finite resource, and one to be recklessly shared. As her light faded, she would have found immense joy in seeing it grow brighter in others. She will be dearly missed. A memorial service for Jan will be held 12 p.m. on Saturday, January 12th at First United Methodist Church Cookeville with Rev. Rob Wheeler officiating. Her family will be receiving friends at Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home on Friday January 11th from 4pm to 6pm and again Saturday from 11 a.m. until service time at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the TTU Foundation in name of the Dawn Parsons Hubbard and Janet Parsons Jordan Scholarship Endowment. Checks can be mailed to the TTU Foundation, Box 1915, Cookeville, TN 38505 or you may give online at www.tntech.edu/giving.