Janet “Jan” K. Reger-Nash was born on Dec. 15, 1943 in Pasadena, Calif. She was the only child of Bill Nash and Helen Krames Nash, both deceased. Jan is survived by her husband, Bill Reger-Nash and daughter Emily Anne Jewson, both of Morgantown. Jan passed on April 16, 2022, after being wonderfully cared for by the staff at the Sundale Nursing Home in Morgantown.
Jan attended Pasadena High School where she was a proud member of the elite PHS drill team. They practiced for at least one hour daily and performed in the Rose Parade and elsewhere. Coincidentally, while her high school was undergoing reconstruction, her high school football team played their games in the Rose Bowl. She maintained strong ties to her long-time and forever Sunshine Sisters, friends from elementary school whose bonds lasted until her death.
Jan graduated from high school in 1961 after which she attended Occidental College for three years. She finished her undergraduate degree in psychology at San Francisco State University. She worked as an outreach social worker in the Oakland area, offering services to the unhoused population then living in abandoned warehouses. She earned her master’s degree in social welfare from UC Berkeley in 1971. In 1972, she moved to Duluth, Minn. where she continued practice as a social worker and learned how to drive in the snow.
Jan’s career in Morgantown was rich and varied. In 1974, she joined the Valley Community Mental Health Center, where she specialized in the care of children with developmental disabilities. Five bright, hardworking and talented women who started working at the Health Center at about the same time became the O5 Group that still meets regularly. Jan also had a private practice, Holistic Counseling Services, which used Dream Catcher as its professional logo.
Curiously, Jan lived on Dream Catcher Circle for the last 18 years of her life. She truly walked the talk, realizing that personal wellness is fundamental to working effectively with others. Jan team-taught graduate courses on Foundations of Wellness and Personal Lifestyle Management for 23 years at West Virginia University with her husband Bill. She also taught mindfulness meditation at WVU and at other health institutions across the State.
Jan was both spiritual and a true lover of nature. Nothing gave Jan greater pleasure than mindfully communicating with the trees (literally she was a tree hugger) while walking at Cooper’s Rock State Forest or at Blackwater Falls State Park. She considered herself a member of the local Zen Sitting Meditation Group and participated in the Universality Unitarian Morgantown Fellowship. She loved reading and was an active member of the No Name Book Club. As a member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), she combined spirituality with support of women’s development throughout the world.
Jan loved cycling the local rail trail with her husband, Bill, and daughter, Emily. She also sought adventures such as biking the entire Great Allegheny Passage as well as the trail along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In addition, Jan and Bill enjoyed several cycling trips in Europe. For a change in scenery, Jan and Bill traveled annually to Hawaii where they sailed with friends, including participating in yacht races.
A memorial service honoring Jan will be held at Cooper’s Rock State Forest on May 28th, 2022. Those interested in attending should contact her husband Bill at billregernash@gmail.com for details.
Jan enthusiastically supported Morgantown Princess Sarah Culberson in her efforts to assist in the rebuilding of schools and providing opportunities for women in the Bumpe Fiefdom in Sierra Leone (West Africa) that was devastated by their civil war. Donations can be made to http://www.sierraleonerising.org.
Smith Funeral & Cremation Care of Westover/Morgantown is providing care and guidance to the family.
Condolences:
www.smithfcc.com
