Mary Jane “Janie” (Laughlin) Wood

Mary Jane “Janie” (Laughlin) Wood succumbed to her longtime illness and passed away in the early hours of the morning, Tuesday, November 26th 2019. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, aunts and uncles, her mother and father, John and Betty Laughlin, and one grandson, Avery Maxwell Weaver.

She is survived by her sister, Suzanne (Laughlin) Heard. She is also survived by her 3 children, Sara Jane Wood, Michael (Marie) Wood, Eric (Stacy) Wood, 6 grandchildren, Brandon Rossiter, Caiden Wood, Bobby Wood, Addison Wood, Andy Wood, and Ellie Wood, as well as her nieces and nephews, who lovingly referred to her as “MJ”.

Janie was born and raised in Jewett, OH by parents who were small business owners in the community. Through Fairview Gardens, a floral shop the family ran for 47 years, Janie inherited her parents’ love of horticulture. She was always taken aback by the beauty of any flower and loved to use her green thumb to grow almost anything. Her parents also taught her about nature, and she shared their enthusiasm for birds most of all. She knew the names of all of the birds at her feeder, and she would mimic their calls for you, usually without having to ask her to do so. She was known to exclaim “HAWK! HAWK!” and point out the window of the car. She passed this love of nature on to her children as well.

Janie was involved in the arts throughout her life, and she was extremely talented. In high school, she was in the school plays. She loved to play the piano and sing. She was in the Cuyahoga Falls Community Choir for many, many years, and was always involved with the music or choir at church. Every day at the nursing home where she resided, they play the National Anthem prior to lunch, and every day, even near the end, she would sing it at the top of her voice for all to hear. It became a ritual with the residents and staff, and they treasured it.

Janie also loved people. As a Registered Nurse, she worked in various avenues of that profession. She was employed by Akron General Hospital for most of her adult career, where she earned a few awards for nursing excellence, but how she touched the lives of others meant most to her. All of her patients cherished her and always had good things to say about her. She would always greet them with a smile, and she took the time to make them feel as comfortable as they could be in that setting.

The world lost one of its’ angels on Earth with her passing. After speaking to many that knew her, no one could come up with the name of any one person who may have wished her ill-will over the span of her life. She truly lived by the golden rule, “Do Unto Others”, and it shown in every smile, every hug, and every kiss she bestowed upon those lucky enough to receive it.

Those who knew her are invited to join her family and friends to share memories during an informal celebration of her life on Friday, December 6th from 4-6 pm at Paquelet-Falk Funeral Home, 303 S Chapel Street, Louisville, OH. Her ashes will be interred in Jewett, OH, at Fairview Cemetery on Saturday December 7th with immediate family and close friends in attendance. Flowers or cards with a shared memory may be received at the funeral home or memorial contributions may be made in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Association of Ohio.