Jan Coombs

Jan Gregoire Coombs died on September 24, 2025, having led a full life devoted to her family and her community. She was co-founder and first president of "Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy" in Middleton, helping restore and preserve a natural area treasured by nature lovers in the greater Madison area. It was the capstone to a long career of volunteering.

Jan was born in 1933 in Springfield, Mass. to Stephen and Eunice Gregoire. She earned a nursing degree from the University of Rochester, and was working as a visiting nurse when she met Guerdon Coombs, a medical student who would become her beloved husband of more than six decades.

The young couple moved to Los Angeles and Seattle, then settled in central Wisconsin where Guerdon practiced endocrinology at the Marshfield Clinic before retiring to Middleton.

While raising their three children, Jan helped establish Marshfield's first free-standing nursery school for working mothers, a Planned Parenthood clinic, and the community's first art fair. She was active with Head Start, the League of Women Voters, and the state library board.

Jan's publications included journal articles and books on topics such as medical history, suicide prevention and assisting loved ones with disabilities. She enjoyed entertaining, skiing, traveling, and the arts.

Survivors include her children, Lisa and Seth (Nina); cherished grandchildren, Brenna, Madison and Zac (Shelley); and great-grandchildren, Owen and Isabelle. At Jan's request, no memorial will be held, but she will be long remembered.