Janet (Jan) Whitney was born in Singapore in 1939, to Tan Heng Tin and Low Gee Wah. Her parents were Chinese immigrants to Singapore, a small island at the tip of Malaysia surrounded by water. She grew up during the hardships of the Japanese occupation and began working from a young age to help support the family and attend convent school.
A job with an English family continued her education and led to a job in London in the late 50’s. Jan returned to Singapore after a couple of years, to take care of her ailing father and family. It took two jobs to pay medical bills, rent and food, but as she reminded us, ‘GOD HAD BEEN THERE FOR ME ALL THE TIME, I was never alone’.
Jan met her husband, Bud, during the Vietnam war, while he was in Singapore between tours. They stayed in Singapore while Bud moved on to work in the oil fields across south east Asia, until they retired to the Texas hill country in 1983. They built a home on a hilltop in Wimberley, where Bud could enjoy his amateur radio and Jan became involved with her new church. Jan was a fixture in volunteer works at the Wimberley library and Thrift Store, and also taught Chinese cooking class and Tai Chi. She lost Bud in 2011 after over 40 years of marriage, and in 2015 moved to McKinney to be closer to her son Stanley and his wife Su. She enjoyed sharing their adventures with their home in the country and being a grand mom to their cats, dogs, and horses.
She will be remembered for her bright smile and open heart, full of love and caring for all around her. For all, she sends a heartfelt wish - God Bless you, and be good to your neighbor.
Janet was preceded by her husband Bud in 2011, and brother Simon in 2018. She is survived by her son Stanley and his wife Su, of Pilot Point, TX, and her nieces Aggie Michael of London, and Tan Mei Yoke of Singapore.
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