Jane Latshaw

Name: Visitation
Start: 01/03/2025 09:00 AM
End: 01/03/2025 11:00 AM
Location: Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home

October 16, 1937 — December 27, 2024

DECATUR, IL, December 27, 2024—Surrounded by family, Jane Latshaw passed away early Friday morning at Decatur Memorial Hospital. She was 87.

Jane was born in Decatur, Illinois, on October 16, 1937, to proud parents Clyde Wheeler and Helen Wheeler. Clyde sold and serviced Farm Implements and the agricultural community for decades in Central Illinois. Helen had a distinguished career as a Registered Nurse.

Jane attended Oakland, Washington and John’s Hill Junior High. She always had a great love of music and remembered with fondness seeing Gene Autry at the Lincoln Theater. While attending Decatur High School Jane was a gifted clarinetist in the band. In later life, she also played guitar and sang and shared those talents with her children.

Jane graduated DHS with the Class of 1955. She would remain active in DHS Class Reunions throughout her life.

An avid swimmer, in the summers she served as a Lifeguard on Lake Decatur. And she was very proud of having been a Past Honored Queen of the International Order of Job’s Daughters.

Continuing a family tradition started by her mother Helen, she attended the Indiana University School of Nursing and graduated in 1958. That same year, she married Donald Dean Latshaw and began a five-decade career as a registered nurse, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur.

A gifted chef, she never met a cookbook she didn’t like, loved creating incredible meals and had a rare talent for making every recipe perfect, first time out of the gate. She was a great reader, consuming books on a wide variety of subjects, but with a special fondness for historical fiction and mysteries. She traveled the world and instilled in her children her own passion for discovering history in the places where it happened. Summer vacations were legendary adventures; armed with Triple A Travel Guides annotated with her notes about the most amazing places to visit, she’d lead her family on an annual quest to experience every state in the union, their unforgettable landmarks and uniquely delightful cuisine. It was only on these trips that she actively discouraged her kids from reading as the family car barreled crossed the country, smiling and saying, “Get your nose out of that book and see what you’re missing!”

Her hobbies always involved friends and family. She played Bunco for many years, frequently socialized with co-workers from St. Mary’s and was very active in schools and her kids’ activities. She also volunteered every year at the Decatur Fun Fair, representing the Candy Stripers from St. Mary’s, serving treats like Corn Dogs to hungry fairgoers.

She loved to nurture and maintain herb gardens and proudly grew her own vegetables. A highlight of her mornings was filling her bird feeder and watching the flood of bird and animal visitors flocking to feed as she enjoyed her coffee.

Always heavily involved with Central Christian Church, after retirement (though, like Marines, Nurses never retire, they just step away from Active Duty), Jane served as a Church Deacon, Parish Nurse and became heavily involved in annual Missionary work in Central America.

She also continued to travel the United States and world tirelessly, with memorable adventures in Greece, Italy, Rio De Janeiro and the United Kingdom. As recently as 2021 she completed a trek to the headwaters of the Mississippi River and visited the baseball diamond built for the film Field of Dreams. And she continued annual treks to visit friends in New England, Florida and the Carolinas.

Throughout the years, as her family faced countless challenges like all do, she remained their Rock of Gibraltar, their advisor, matriarch, guide and inspiration.

Their Mom.

Jane is survived by her 3 children, Steve (wife Tiffanie) Latshaw of Burbank, CA, John (wife Jennifer) Latshaw of Decatur, and Anne (significant other Jason McCann) Latshaw of New Berlin, IL; 5 grandchildren, Ryan (wife Rissa) Latshaw, Caitlyn (husband Spencer) Garner, Travis, (wife Sierra) Latshaw, Tim Freeze, and Hope (husband Cory) Ananias; 9 great-grandchildren, Jayden, Parker, Zeppelin, Evie, Theo, Rylan, Knox, Hattie Mae, and Luca.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister Lee Cohen.

Arrangements are under the direction of Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home, Decatur. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 3, 2025 from 9 am until time of the funeral service at 11 am at Central Christian Church, Decatur. Burial will follow at North Fork Cemetery, Decatur.

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