Whitworth, Victoria Lynn (a.k.a. Nana Banana) is finally in Heaven with her best friend Jesus. On February 16, 2020, Nana left this “crazy earth” behind, and though her genuine smile and infectious joy will be greatly missed, we couldn’t be happier for her. Nana crammed a lot of living into her short, sixty-six years, but really all you need to know, you can learn by how she died.
As the brain cancer took over, words and memories began to fail her, but the one thing she never forgot was Jesus. As she died, Nana made it her mission to tell as many people as she could that Jesus loves them. We watched caregivers, nurses, doctors and friends come in and out of her room and comment on how special she was and what a light for Jesus she was. Nana was definitely one of a kind, but she made sure everyone knew the difference in her was Jesus. As we worried about her diagnosis and weakening body, she reminded us that what she was dealing with was God’s problem, not ours, and our only responsibility was to figure out what God wanted us to learn through her “brain thing.” And, I can tell you, we learned a lot.
We learned that God uses everyone’s life for good, even if they are nearing the end of it. We learned to love people well, no matter who they are or where they’re from, that everyone has a story and deserves to be heard. We learned that sometimes all people need is a smile and a hug to make it through their day or to change their life. We learned that some days can be really heavy, so when you can, you should make them fun. We learned that when it comes down to it, most of the things that we stress about, worry about, hold grudges about don’t really matter when faced with death. Just let it go. We learned that life can change quickly, so say it now, do it now, be it now. And most importantly, we learned that even when faced with death, there is hope in Jesus. And hope in Jesus is what keeps us going.
Nana was born on October 18, 1953 in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is survived by her parents Robert and Venita Jones, her daughter Allison Akers Sinclair (Jerod), her four favorite humans ever, her grandkids Connor, Jennings, Jeb and Collins, her brother Barry Jones (Chellie) and brother Kenny Jones (Jackie). A celebration of Nana’s life will be held Thursday February 20, 2020 at Double Oak Community Church in Mt. Laurel. Visitation at 3:00 and service at 4:00. In lieu of flowers, Nana would love for you to make a donation to Lifeline Children’s Services or Birmingham South Young Life so they can keep sharing the hope of Jesus.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18