Some people leave a legacy through what they accomplish. Others leave one through the way they treat people. Jana Cross Gobble did both.
Jana passed away on August 7, 2025, at just 37 years old after a courageous battle with colon cancer. Her life was far too short, but the impact she made as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, coach, athlete, and woman of faith continues to be felt throughout our community.
For many in Loretto, Jana will always be remembered as #41.
A 2006 graduate of Loretto High School, Jana was one of the greatest basketball players ever to wear a Lady Mustangs uniform. She scored 2,136 career points, and Loretto retired her No. 41 jersey in November 2006.
Nearly two decades later, her remarkable athletic career received another well-deserved recognition when Jana was inducted into the Lawrence County Sports Hall of Fame in 2025, forever placing her among the outstanding athletes who have helped shape the sports history of Lawrence County.
Her basketball career continued at Freed-Hardeman University, where she became one of the most accomplished players in Lady Lion history. From 2006 through 2010, Jana was an NAIA All-American and first-team all-conference selection in each of her four seasons, and National Player of The Year her senior year. She finished her college career with 2,222 points, averaged 18.1 points per game, and shot 57.3 percent from the field.
She also excelled in the classroom, earning numerous academic honors during her college career.
Those statistics tell you how talented Jana was.
They don't come close to telling you who she was.
Former teammates remember a fierce competitor who pushed everyone around her to be better while remaining incredibly humble. She never needed to be the loudest person in the room or the center of attention. She simply led by example.
Her accomplishments at Freed-Hardeman were eventually recognized with one of the greatest honors an athlete can receive: her No. 41 jersey was retired and now hangs in the rafters of Brewer Sports Center.
But basketball was only one part of Jana's story.
She earned her bachelor's degree in middle grades education from Freed-Hardeman in 2010 and later completed a master's degree in Instructional Design and Technology from West Texas A&M University in 2014, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
Jana spent many years teaching seventh- and eighth-grade math at Leoma Elementary before returning to South Lawrence, where she taught seventh-grade math. She also coached volleyball and spent time helping coach basketball at Loretto.
Her former students remember much more than math lessons.
They remember a teacher who listened, cared, and made them feel seen. They remember her humor, her patience, and the feeling that she genuinely wanted the best for every student who entered her classroom.
Athletes remember much the same thing.
Jana wanted her players to improve, but she cared even more about the people they were becoming. Former players have described her as someone who made the gym, the classroom, and the people around her better simply by being there.
That quiet influence is a common theme in nearly every memory shared about Jana.
She was kind.
She was humble.
She was dependable.
She rarely had a negative word to say about anyone.
And she had a way of making people feel important.
Friends remember someone who always took time to speak, listen, encourage, and smile. Many have said they became better people simply because Jana was part of their lives.
That strength became even more evident during the most difficult years of her life.
Jana had already battled Type 1 diabetes for years when she later faced cancer. Through treatments, difficult days, and physical struggles, she refused to allow her circumstances to define the way she treated others. Those closest to her say she rarely felt sorry for herself and continued showing up for the people she loved even when doing so became incredibly difficult.
Especially her family.
Jana and her husband, Wesley, spent 21 years together after becoming best friends as teenagers. Their greatest blessings were their children, Maizy and Grayson.
Being their mother was one of the greatest joys of Jana's life. She loved watching them play sports, taking family trips, being at home with them, and making memories from the ordinary moments of life.
Her family can already see pieces of Jana continuing through them — her quiet demeanor, kindness, toughness, determination, and love for others.
Her sister, Mandy, remembered Jana as strong, steady, beautiful, kind, faithful, trustworthy, fearless, and protective. Jana was the big sister she could always look to for guidance, advice, and strength.
Above athletics, education, and every other accomplishment, however, Jana's faith may be the part of her legacy remembered most.
She was a devoted Christian and member of Southside Church of Christ. She helped with children's classes, Vacation Bible School, youth activities, and countless other opportunities to serve.
Her faith wasn't something she simply talked about. It could be seen in the way she treated people, raised her children, handled adversity, and lived every day.
Even during her battle with cancer, that faith remained.
Following Jana's passing, the words used to describe her were remarkably consistent:
Kind. Humble. Strong. Faithful. Genuine.
A great athlete.
An outstanding teacher.
A caring coach.
A loyal friend and teammate.
An incredible wife and mother.
And someone who made her little part of the world better simply by being Jana.
When she passed, an entire community grieved alongside Wesley, Maizy, Grayson, her parents Dwayne and Sheila Cross, Mandy, and the rest of the family she loved so dearly. The prayers, cards, messages, donations, and countless acts of kindness showed just how many lives Jana had touched.
It would be easy to call Jana a legend because of the points she scored, the awards she earned, the Hall of Fame honor she received, or the No. 41 jerseys hanging in gyms.
She certainly earned every one of those honors.
But her greatest legacy isn't found in a record book.
It's found in former students trying to become the kind of teacher she was.
It's found in athletes who became better people because she coached them.
It's found in friends who still remember how Jana made them feel.
It's found in Maizy and Grayson carrying pieces of their mother with them every day.
And it's found in a community that continues to feel the influence of someone who never needed the spotlight to make an unforgettable difference.
There may never be another #41.
But there are countless people who are better because there was a Jana Cross Gobble.
And that is a legacy worth remembering.
Jana Cross Gobble — forever a Lady Mustang, forever #41, and forever a Loretto Legend.

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Do you know someone whose life and legacy deserve to be remembered? Help us continue honoring the people who have made Loretto a better place by submitting a nomination for a future Loretto Legacy Monday feature.
Nominate someone here: https://weareloretto.com/loretto-legacy/submit.php

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