Obituary

Jane Hall Shuman, 81, of Charleston, WV, passed away on June 5, 2025, after a difficult fight with cancer. She approached her diagnosis and treatment with the same dignity, humility, and tenacity with which she overcame each hurdle in her life.

While Jane was born in Washington, D.C. on May 17, 1944, to Grant P. Hall, Jr. and Nina S. Hall, she was a lifelong resident of Charleston. She graduated from Charleston High School in 1962 and from West Virginia University in 1966 with a degree in economics.

On June 17, 1967, she married the love of her life, James W. Shuman. They would have celebrated their fifty-eighth anniversary this month. Together, they welcomed five boys into their growing family. Jane and Jim instilled in their sons the same values passed down from their parents — hard work, honesty, and integrity.

Jane loved being a mother. She was at home in the hustle and bustle of raising five boys. Most days would find her crisscrossing Charleston to drop one child at a practice, pick up another from an activity just ending, and repeating the process. She attended countless baseball games, soccer games, tennis tournaments and many other events, both locally and ultimately throughout the country. Some of her favorite moments were long trips with her children to far-flung places for sporting events, particularly when her youngest son, Willy, began to climb the ladder of national junior tennis players.

Jane always made sure that birthdays and holidays were special events. She was happiest when her family, which continued to grow, were all together under one roof. Jane was overjoyed to become a grandmother. She loved to talk with her three grandsons and hear about their interests, hobbies, and achievements.

Jane was also very active in the Charleston community, and she gave freely of her time. She served as the Finance Committee Chair for the Junior League of Charleston, WV, a member of the Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee, treasurer of the Kanawha Valley Soccer League, treasurer for the West Virginia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), among many other positions. Notably, Jane had sons who attended Holz Elementary School over the course of four decades, and she was very involved with the school’s Parent-Teacher Association for twenty years.

But it was tragedy that spurred the work that would come to highlight both her passion and strength. On June 20, 2009, Willy lost his life as an unrestrained passenger in a car crash just four days before he was scheduled to leave for the United States Air Force Academy to play Division I tennis and serve our country. Jane refused to let his passing be in vain. The surviving members of the Shuman family formed a 501(c)(3) named The Willy Foundation. It is more than accurate to say that she was the heart and soul of the Foundation’s work.

The Foundation’s logo was Wear A Seatbelt, with the first letter of each word corresponding to Willy’s initials. She travelled to schools throughout the State both alone and with the Governor Highway Safety Program to present Willy’s story and urge students to always wear a seatbelt, not to drink and drive, and not to ride in a car with a driver who was impaired. She and her family still run into students who remember her talks and took her message to heart.

Throughout Charleston and many schools in the state, there are signs bearing the Foundation’s logo as a reminder to buckle up.

Jane was also integral, along with teachers and administrators at John Adams Middle School, George Washington High School, and others, in developing a curriculum for a school-day incubator wherein young teenage students would purposefully hone and grow their citizenship and leadership skills under the nurturing care of first-rate, proximate twelfth grade role models. This program came to be known as The Willy Shuman Leadership Club. Her work in the community was recognized by the United States Congress and the Kanawha County Commission.

Tragedy struck again when Jane’s oldest son, Wilson, passed after his own battle with cancer on April 1, 2016. And once again, the Foundation responded by creating The Wilson Project, which continues to support programs he held dear. It is no understatement to say that Jane led her family through its darkest days through her strength, love, and commitment to continuing the work of her fallen sons.

Apart from her work with the Foundation, Jane also lobbied for enhanced penalties for impaired drivers who cause an injury or death. After several years and with the assistance of the staff of the West Virginia Legislature and many others, the Legislature passed “Willy and Andrea’s Law,” which codified those penalties in West Virginia law.

Jane was blessed with wonderful friends, who she seemed to make wherever she went. She maintained close friendships with people she had known her entire life. She looked forward to the meetings of the “Dinner Group,” which is a group of friends who meet once a month for dinner for over forty years. Members of that group were among her closest friends. And if Jane was your friend, there is nothing she wouldn’t do in times of both joy and sorrow.

While Jane was born into and was married in Christ Church United Methodist, she was a member of First Presbyterian Church of long-standing. After Willy’s passing, she trained as a Stephen Minister with the Church’s former pastor, Paul Douglas (“Doug”) Heidt, to provide one-on-one care to those experiencing a difficult time in life.

Jane was her family’s North Star. It is impossible to imagine our lives without her. She will be missed dearly. But we will march on. She taught us how to do that with grace and compassion. We just need to follow her lead.
Jane was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Grant P. Hall, Jr., her sister, Pamela Hall Lukacs, and her sons, J. Wilson Shuman, Jr. and William Albert Shuman. She is survived by her husband, James W. Shuman, and her sons, Grant P.H. Shuman, Jonathan S. Shuman, and Edward S. Shuman, his wife Elizabeth Shuman, and their three sons, Nathanial, Samuel, and Erik Shuman.

Jane will be laid to rest at a private, graveside service.

A Celebration of Life will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Edgewood Country Club.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Willy Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 11544, Charleston, WV 25339.

Condolences may be sent to Jane’s family at www.barlowbonsall.com.

Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangement.