Obituary: Janice Tava, 78, of Ludington

Obituary: Janice Tava, 78, of Ludington

Janice M. Tava, 78, passed away peacefully Friday, January 6, 2023, with her family by her side. 

Born in 1944 to Frank and Leota Haslip, Jan grew up in Essexville with her older brother, Ken. She attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where she met Ed Tava, to whom she would be married to for 39 years before his passing in 2008. Together, they would live in Kalamazoo, Stockton, Cali.; and Manistee before settling down in Ludington, where they raised their two children, Alex and Kirsten. 

Jan’s career was as varied as her passions. From teaching marketing classes at West Shore Community College to needlepoint classes at the Silver Unicorn, sales for a custom door and woodworking company and managing the independent telephone directory (WMDI). 

When she retired, she couldn’t sit still so she explored a new career that tapped into her deep love of gardening, doing landscape design and spent her later years as a fixture helping at the garden center downtown. She loved spending time with her hands in the dirt, building a beautiful garden and landscaping around her home. It was not out of the ordinary for her to find strangers several times each summer wandering through her garden after walking by, to which she was always happy to stop and talk about her work. 

She spent hours giving back in the community. Donating her time and talents to the Ludington Central Bark Dog Park, the Ludington Youth Sailing School, and Sandcastles Children’s Museum to name a few.

She also loved antiques and hosting parties, but more often the stories that came with both. She was a strong, independent woman who could do anything she put her mind to and left an impression on everyone she met. Above all else, she was a loving wife, mother, and proud grandmother to her grandchildren. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and brother. She is survived by her son Alex (Joyce) Tava, her daughter Kirsten (Joe) Borgstrom, her grandchildren Kate, Jack, Hailey, Kyle and Zach, and her dog Singer.

A celebration is being planned for later this summer. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Jan’s name to the Ludington Youth Sailing School or Sandcastles Children’s Museum. Arrangements have been entrusted to Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington, www.oakgroveludington.com.