Janie Mae Wilson Tippins passed away peacefully on September 28, 2025,
at age 95, surrounded by her loving family in her home in Viroqua,
Wisconsin.
Janie was born on April 17, 1930, to Sumae DeLoach Wilson and Rembert
Wilson in West Palm Beach, Florida. She attended Florida State
University, where she earned a teaching degree. While there, she met
Robert Meredith Tippins and they were married in 1952. While he
pursued a career in the Air Force, Janie became an elementary school
teacher in San Antonio, Texas, where she encouraged many first-graders
to become lifelong readers and advocated for bilingual education for
the children of Mexican migrant parents. She was also a passionate
supporter of the effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment for women.
She later went on to earn a master’s degree in library science, and
after moving to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, worked for many years as an
elementary school librarian. During their life together, Janie and
Robert had three children: Rankin, Sherill, and Prudence Tippins.
Following her retirement, Janie moved to Viroqua, Wisconsin, where she
lived in a cabin built especially for her on the farm owned by her
daughter Prudence and son-in-law Steve. There, she volunteered for a
number of years as a librarian at Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School, which
her grandson Nicholas attended. In addition to her volunteer work,
Janie greatly enjoyed kayaking, bird-watching, hiking the Driftless
hills, and generally being in nature, as well as reading and writing.
She also loved sailing to many exotic locales with her son Rankin and
daughter-in-law Sandy.
Janie was predeceased by both parents, her three brothers, and her
former husband. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Rankin
Tippins and Sandy Hollis; her daughter and son-in-law Sherill Tippins
and Bob Mecoy; and her daughter and son-in-law Prudence and Steve
Tippins. She is also survived by her grandchildren Vincent Polidoro
and his wife Betty Yang; Dash Mecoy; Nicholas Tippins and his wife
Victoria, and their children, Sequoia, Thomas Sage, and Wren.
A graveside service was held at the green burial section of the
Viroqua Cemetery on Monday, September 29, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu
of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Reading Is
Fundamental, an organization that shares her mission of opening worlds
of opportunity to children through books.
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