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Jana Siman, a long-time Madison resident, passed away in her home in Twinsburg, Ohio, on Nov. 8. She was born on Sept. 7, 1950, in Ludwigsburg, Germany, to her Czech-born parents John and Jerri Siman, and moved with her parents to the United States that year.

She graduated from Kenston High School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in 1968 and in 1972 with honors from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio (BA in political science). During these years, her love of culture and travel took her to Harrismith High School in the Free State Province in South Africa, and the Beirut College for Women in Beirut, Lebanon. She earned her MBA at the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management in 1974.

Her first career took her to New York City, where she worked for nearly a decade as an international marketing executive for Avon International, Estee Lauder, and International Gold Corporation.

After a move to Madison in 1985, she earned an MS in nursing from the Yale School of Nursing in 2000 and embarked on a second career as an Adult Practice Nurse Practitioner (APRN), while raising two children. She thrived as a medical professional as well as an educator, using her knowledge and practical experience as part-time lecturer and preceptor at the Yale School of Nursing.

Jana found solace in nature, reading under trees on her parent’s farm as a child, and as an adult, tending to her prolific garden. She was an avid reader and a lifelong learner, traits she instilled in her own children as she encouraged their education, exploration, and appreciation of the world and its unique cultures. In addition, she volunteered extensively in Ecuador, Uganda, and India.

She is survived by her mother Jerri Siman of Chagrin Falls, Ohio; brother John Siman (Joan Siman) of Mantua, Ohio; daughter Dr. Molly Snow Brady (Jeff Russell) of Los Angeles, California; and son Andrew Siman Brady (Ben Fishel) of Washington, DC. She is also survived by granddaughter Dorothea Snow Russell, grandson Henry Wilder Russell, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her father John Siman.

The family held private remembrances. In keeping with Jana’s life-long commitment to expanding opportunities for women and girls around the globe, her family asks that you consider a donation in Jana’s name to the Malala Fund to help support access to education and basic women’s rights in the developing world.

Condolences can be shared with the family online at www.heritagecremationsociety.com.