Jane Carolyn Jones Vardiman

Jane Carolyn Jones Vardiman

November 13, 1933 – August 10, 2022

Jane Carolyn Jones Vardiman, 88, died in Amarillo, Texas. Her home for many years was West, Texas after growing up in Belton, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jane’s memory may go to any Planned Parenthood organization or to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) of McLennan County, 1208 North 5th Street, Waco, TX 76707.

Jane was preceded in death by her parents D. Wooten (DW) Jones and Verlie Norene Gist Jones, sister Jan Elinor Jones, daughter Deborah Ann Vardiman, granddaughter Taylor Carolyn Mosley, and husband Boyce Arnold Vardiman of Killeen, whom she married in 1954.

Jane graduated from Belton High School and Mary Hardin-Baylor College in Belton in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science in Speech. Having married in 1954, Jane earned some of her last college credits at Southern Methodist University, where Boyce was attending Perkins Seminary while serving United Methodist churches in Mertens and Irene, Texas.

Jane and Boyce lived for 3 years in Denver, Colorado while Boyce served in the US Air Force as a Chaplain at Lowry Air Force Base. After returning to Texas, they moved several times while Boyce served churches in Central Texas and Dallas, retiring from West United Methodist Church in West, Texas.

While her children were young, Jane gave private speech lessons. Later she began a long and varied career of substitute teaching, enjoying all age groups from kindergarten through high school. Jane’s favorite substitute teaching method was to quickly dispatch whatever lesson the teacher had planned, select a wonderful book for the age group, and read aloud to the students.

Jane was also an active partner in the family business enterprises, keeping books and managing payroll for Har-Vard Construction, Inc., through which scores of homes were built and remodeled in West and the surrounding area. Jane and Boyce also owned, developed, and managed the Waco/West KOA Campground north of West from 1972 to 1977.

Jane had a passion for supporting women’s reproductive rights and volunteered for many years with Planned Parenthood of Central Texas, including working to support “Nobody’s Fool: Dating, Love, Sex, and AIDS”, an annual nationally recognized conference for boys and girls, fifth through ninth grades. She also volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in the foster care system in McLennan Country. Along with Boyce, she was active in the Waco Friends of Peace organization for many years. Both also were devoted blood and plasma donors. Jane was an avid reader and Scrabble player. She loved to travel and enjoyed various crafts and needlework, particularly counted cross-stitch.

Jane is survived by daughter Rebecca Vardiman and her partner Regina of Clarendon, TX, daughter Harriet Vardiman Smith and her husband Dr. Phil Smith of Alton, IL, grandson Dean Kusler, granddaughters Valerie Martin and Rebecca Mosley, nieces Anne Harris, Carmen Burghardt, and Rose Billingsley, and nephew Dr. Arnold Vardiman.