01/04/2026
Jane Walters Caldwell departed this life peacefully in Bedford, VA, on January 3, 2026. She was 94. Jane was born on August 7, 1931, in Premier, West Virginia. The daughter of a coal miner, she was raised in a coal camp for the majority of the Great Depression.
She lived as one half of a 7-decade, Disney-should-probably-take-notes marriage to her best friend and soulmate, Johnny Caldwell. They met when she was 14 years old at a Welch High School basketball game. Excited for an extended chance to get to know her, he offered to drive her home, not knowing she lived just three doors down the street. Thankfully for all of us, a limited drive didn’t stand in the way of true love.
The same year, Jane lost one kidney and spent weeks recovering in a Bluefield hospital. Johnny came home from basic training, learned what happened, and spent $10 on a cab fare to make the one-hour trip to see her. It was the last $10 he ever happily spent in his life. They were married four years later, on May 29, 1949. He was late but she married him anyway.
At 18, she became a secretary for Mr. Belcher at the Welch Vocational School. Eventually, as Johnny's career progressed, she devoted herself to the wellbeing of her family. She supported him through his initial service in Guam, his service during the Korean Conflict, and his time with multiple telephone companies. Because of this, they moved 18 times between 7 states. Following Johnny's retirement, he and Jane were valuable part-time employees at Updike Funeral Home & Cremation Service for over twenty years. They would do almost anything they were asked - at anytime.
They had three children, surely the foremost prides of her life, whom she raised in a wealth of love. They retired in 1984 and spent the next 33 years as snowbirds, summering in Bedford, Virginia and wintering at Grandma's Grove in LaBelle, FL. In 1989, they tragically lost their daughter Nancy in a bicycling accident.
She had a repertoire of idioms for any feasible circumstance. In 1956 she joined the Beta Sigma Phi sorority and remained an active member for 69 years. She had more friends than there are people in Wyoming. She was whip-smart, deeply funny, and would happily talk the ear off any soul on earth. When it came to card games, she once remarked that she’d “rather win than eat.” Her legacy includes a vast collection of household trinkets and costume jewelry, an outrageously accurate Eeyore impression, and truly countless instances of kindness and compassion. Even when she passed, at 94 years old, she was the toughest human being her family had ever known. After nine decades, she was mostly made of metal and didn’t need glasses to read.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Theodore and Hattie Walters, her sister, Delores Hornbuckle, her daughter, Nancy Caldwell Raney, and her husband of 71 years, Johnny Caldwell.
She is survived by her sons, David and Mark Caldwell; her daughters-in-law, Tersa and Sarah Caldwell; her son-in-law, Paul Raney, and her grandchildren, Jonathan Caldwell, Theodore Caldwell, Emily Caldwell, and Julie Dembo.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Bedford County Fire and Rescue, 1185 Turning Point Road, Bedford, VA 24523.
The family will receive friends beginning at 12 noon on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at Updike Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Bedford and a funeral service will follow at 2 PM in the chapel with Rev. Wayne Murphy officiating. Interment will follow in Holy Land Cemetery.
Arrangements are being handled by Updike Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Bedford.
