Janna Louise Whitton of Allen, Texas, peacefully passed away on October 4, 2023 at the age 66. She was born on March 11, 1957, to Frederick William Gordon, III and Carol Lynn (Jenkins) Gordon in Pampa, Texas.
Janna had a passion for knowledge and for helping others. She was a 1975 graduate of Miami High School in Miami, Texas. She then went on to pursue a career in Speech Language Pathology, earning a Bachelor degree from Texas Tech University. She later attended North Texas University's Graduate School to further enhance her skills with a Masters Degree in her field. Janna was an esteemed member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (A.S.H.A.), where she actively contributed to the advancement of her beloved profession.
On December 27, 1980, Janna married her college sweetheart, Stephen A. Whitton, in Miami, Texas. Their bond lasted over four decades, filled with love, companionship, and shared dreams. They traveled extensively with Steve’s work for EDS and relocated a total of 9 times in the US and abroad before returning to Texas in 1996.
Janna also found immense joy in learning the art of Tai Chi and QiGong. Tai Chi and QiGong came to Janna after working as a speech language pathologist for many years and after raising two outstanding young men. She referred to Tai Chi/QiGong as her "second time around" but by far it was definitely her life passion. She studied with some of the leading Tai Chi masters in the country and got her certification to teach. Janna joined one of her master instructors and classmates to a three-week trip to China in 2017 to visit the province where Tai Chi originated. There she trained with some of the family members with a lineage back to the start of the Tai Chi movements centuries ago.
In her free time, Janna loved to indulge in reading, boating, enjoying their lakehouse with friends and traveling with her family and friends to various destinations around the world. Janna's light and energy will be dearly missed by her loved ones, her Tai Chi community and all who got to know her if only for a brief time; everyone loved Janna.
Janna is survived by her beloved husband, Stephen A. Whitton of Allen, Texas; sons, Matthew C. Whitton, M.D. of Amarillo, Texas and Jonathan T. Whitton of Dallas, Texas; sister, Lynda G. Skellenger and husband, Paul of Austin, Texas; brother, Bill Gordon and wife, DebBee of Aledo, Texas; and numerous other loving family and cherished friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, October 7, 2023 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013. The service will also be live streamed at TJMfuneral.com on Janna’s obituary page by clicking on the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/janna-louise-whitton. After the service, the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location. Following the service, a procession will make its way to Ridgeview Memorial Park for a committal service.
The family will receive friends during a visitation on Friday evening from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
Flowers will be appreciated. If you would like to make a donation in Janna’s honor, then the family has requested a gift be made to the Dallas Meditation Center in her name.