TAFF

Jana Luann Taff, age 70, passed away on November 16, 2025, following a valiant and private battle with a rare cancer. She was born on December 8, 1954, in Clarksville, Tennessee.

As an “Army Brat,” Jana moved frequently in her youth, living in Tennessee,

North Carolina, Germany, and Grand Forks, North Dakota. She was always incredibly proud and honored by her adopted father’s service during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. She graduated from East Grand Forks High School, where she met her first husband, Berdell Hagen. Together, they embarked on potato farming and, more importantly, her lifelong dream of becoming a mother.

In 1978, Jana followed her parents to Colorado to raise her family. Always vibrant and known for being meticulously “put together” – with her makeup and hair flawlessly in place – Jana was never one to stand still. Her professional life was as varied and adventurous as her travels; she worked in cosmetics at Joslyn’s, served as an airline stewardess, and later became an over-the-road truck driver.

Jana found her soulmate in 2000, marrying Rick Taff. They made their home in Johnstown and built their trucking company together. When they weren’t on the road, they cherished time with family and friends, enthusiastically decorating for the holidays, and cheering on the Colorado Eagles and Denver Broncos.

While she was a devoted mother to her daughter and son, being a grandma was truly her “jam.” She loved her granddaughter Lauren dearly, and often joined her on long car trips to Children’s Hospital during Lauren’s cancer treatments, helping to make those difficult days brighter. Jana was a constant, supportive presence in the stands for her grandsons, Caleb and Conner, attending as many of their football and hockey games as she could. As the boys got older, she loved traveling with her daughter to cheer them on in exciting places like Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota.

Jana had a remarkable gift for making people feel special. She extended warmth, compassion, and hospitality to everyone – human or animal – she met. She did this through cooking and inviting others to their table, canning, and baking for neighbors. She was an incredible “cheerleader,” especially for those considered outsiders or underdogs, always offering extra support and love exactly when it was needed most. She simply had a way of knowing.

Her life was a beautiful, living example of the Bible verse, Matthew 25:40 – “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Jana is survived by her loving husband, Rick Taff; her children, Heidi Pickett and Corey Hagen; her stepdaughter, Amanda Taff; and her beloved grandchildren, Caleb Pickett, Conner Pickett, and Braxton Taff. She is also survived by her siblings: brother Larry Wooten and his wife Ruth, sister Jo Mattson and her husband Tim, and sister Dona Benson; her Taff family in-laws: John Brookman, Ronnie Taff (Daphne), Kenny Taff, Jerry Taff, Nancy Sosa (Kim), Deb Jordan (Bud), and Erin Brookman; her many nieces and nephews; her friends of 58 years, Cheryl Storbakken, Linnea (Torch) Couture, and Linda Brown; and her faithful pets, dogs: Elly, Mae, and Roxy, and cat: Olivia.

She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Jeff Pickett; as well as granddaughter, Lauren Pickett; her mother, LaVerne Joubert; her fathers, Forest Wooten and Donald Joubert; and her mother-inlaw, Carolyn Brookman.

Messages of condolences may be left for the family on Jana’s obituary page at howemortuary.com.