One of the FM Family has passed

As bad as I hate to be the bearer of sad news I thought that I should inform everyone that Jan aka Tbirdchic has passed away. I don't know the details of it all yet. Only that she wasn't feeling well when she got up yesterday and went back to bed and just never got up again. I will let you all know as I learn more info.

Happy motoring where ever you may be Jan.


Deb

Holy $h1T she just posted like two days ago. She wasn't even that old was she?!?! Wow.... my condolences to her family. I didn't even know her and I'm blown away by the suddenness of this, I hope they're all getting through this ok.

Thanks for letting us know Deb, My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. She will be missed. Please keep us advised as you find out what happened and if there is anything we can do.

Keith/Bumble

very saddened by this news... my condolences to her family


Chris

Holy**** Deb...

Jan was on helluva lady, I for one will miss her fiery attitude and give em hell outlook on life. I hope theres dirt tracks up there...

If you hear more news, I'd like to know even if its not FM friendly, send it via PM. Im also available for any help her friends and family might need.

just looked up Jan's final post:

Well, here's my take on the past, the present and what we'll be facing in the future. My dad didn't use credit cards but went to the bank for a loan if he needed or wanted something. He was very proud of his good credit rating. He bought a new XL every two years, but his mileage allowance..he worked for a steel hauling trucking company as a salesman paid for much of it and made a decent living. Our home was modest and paid for, but we had a boat, a camper, took nice (but not lavish) vacations, had a Model A and he bought my mom a couple of late model Mustangs back in the late '60s-early '70s. This was the American Dream in action. Due to the company he worked for being sold. loss of a job along with his pension and having to take a lesser one before he wanted to retire, what savings my parents had was pretty much drained when my mom died. His financial position had become bad enough that he had no life insurance on her. My dad retired on just Social Security but I know that he wouldn't have changed a thing in his life.

The present.... My friends Jeff and Lisa own a home in Cleveland. They refinanced a few years ago at a reasonabe interest rate, then took out a home equity loan to make some repairs. Lisa *is* an accountant and the interest rate was good a value for what the property was appraised at the going rate at the time.. The improvments were aimed at selling this home and buying a restored farm house in the country, their American Dream. They found such a home at a VERY reasonable price, bought it and moved in in late '06. A few months later, the foreclosure crisis began, suddenly the house in Cleveland wasn't worth nearly what it was appraised at. Even with renters over the past year, the Cleveland home cost them an extra $15K. Jeff works as a trucker, Lisa does her accountant work for a good firm and though their combined income is very strong, they couldn't pay for both homes. They were forced to max out credit cards to live and are presently filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy..it was never really eliminated by the Wubya Republicans to make their Cleveland and credit card disaster go away. These people did nothing wrong other than listening to a bank and it's appraiser.

The future... I have my 9 year old granddaughter Waldo who is bright enough to go as far as she wants education-wise.. I honestly don't care if she wants to be a topless dancer, a garbage collector, be a starving artist or get a doctorate in Asian Studies....and we're not Asian.. I want her to be happy. But whatever she decides upon in 9 years, further education beyond HS will be a must if nothing more that something as a backup, whether University or trade school. But what kind of job will she be able to get in 11- 13 years. Certainly nothing worthwhile in our area...or perhaps anywhere. Where will be Waldo's American Dream?

Jan

some hard truths in there...cool that her 'last words' in here were concerns for her granddaughters future- hope that little girl knows that...

Deb- sorry to hear this news, you guys seemed pretty tight even if thousand miles or so apart...are you gonna keep the WOF site going?
WOF/FM folks gonna go together to send flowers, something to her granddaughter, etc...

Deb, You have a PM. This is sad and unexpected news. The staff would like to know more when it's appropriate, perhaps you can help. A homepage tribute or bio would be nice IMO.

Thanks,
Jon

Very sad news. I only spoke with Jan a few times here on FM but my impression of her was that she was down to earth and liked to have a good time. My kind of human.

Her presence here will truly be missed.

Originally Posted by BlueOvalBandit

Holy $h1T she just posted like two days ago. She wasn't even that old was she?!?! Wow.... my condolences to her family. I didn't even know her and I'm blown away by the suddenness of this, I hope they're all getting through this ok.

You know, she has told me her age several times and I can't for the life of me remember. Other than it's between 52-56. Show how much I concern Myself with ages. She was an great lady and friend. I was going to call her wednesday too darn it.

Definitely a shock!

Deb

Very shocking, my prayers to the family.