OBITUARIES
Jane Ann Martin Jesson, Devoted Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Woman of Faith and Compassion, went to be with the Lord on March 29th, 2026. Jane passed suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 90. She was born December 23, 1935, in Marietta, Ohio, and grew up in Elkins, West Virginia. In 1957, she married the love of her life, Darreld “Jess” Jesson, at Fort Holabird in Baltimore, Maryland, where Jess was stationed and Jane was completing nursing school. After the Army years, the family settled in Missoula, Montana, where Jane founded the Western Montana Cat Club in 1973 and spent twenty-two years breeding and showing championship silver and golden Persians. She was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a knitter, a reader, and a devoted genealogist.
In 2000, Jane and Jess put down roots in Enterprise, Alabama, and it proved to be the most fitting place they had ever landed. Jane became a beloved member of Enterprise First United Methodist Church, singing with the Hallelujah Choir, serving in the church circle, and rising to lead the local John Coffee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution as Regent from 2009 to 2011. Jane was not a woman who slowed down easily. A double hip replacement ten years ago made her a walking enthusiast, and she recovered fully from a serious broken leg in her later years.
Jane was preceded in death by her beloved husband Jess, who passed in August 2020; by their stillborn son Jess Joseph Jesson, on July 16, 1973; her natural mother Leona Alberta (Nieding) Martin, her father Joseph E Martin, Jr., M.D., and her stepmother Rose G. Martin. She was also preceded in death by her twin sister Mary E (Martin) Schneider and by her brother Joseph E Martin, III. She is survived by her son J.R. Jesson and his wife Tara; her daughter Leah Wilson and her husband Gordon Wilson; her grandchildren Sienna and Collin Jesson, Paul Hiniker, Susan Little and her husband Joey, Noah Wilson, Mandy Hilger, and Larisa Wilson; eight great-grandchildren; her brother John Martin and his longtime partner Hope Rierson; and her niece Abbey Martin. She is also survived by the many lives she touched — quietly, consistently, and without need for recognition. Jane Ann Jesson loved her family, her cats, her faith, her history, and the people in her care. She did not do any of it halfway. Jane will be laid to rest beside her beloved Jess at the family plot in Missoula, Montana — returning together to the place they called home.
