Janilyn Elizabeth Baird Tesar passed away peacefully in her sleep at home with her family on August 31, 2026.

Jan was born in Waco, Texas in 1935 to Mellon and Katherine Baird, the second of four children and the only girl. A proud Waco resident, Jan elected to remain there and live with her best friend to finish her senior year of high school, after her own family moved to Fort Worth. Jan vividly recalled being in downtown Waco during the historic tornado of 1953 and would frequently tell stories of her experiences that fateful day.

Jan attended North Texas State University, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She was a member of Delta Gamma sorority and worked in the biology department lab. A friend from the lab asked her to join her on a blind double date, and it was this date where she met the love of her life, Louis John Tesar.

Jan and Louis married in December, 1960 in Fort Worth, Texas. That same year, Jan moved to Galveston and enrolled at The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, to obtain her medical degree. One of only two women to graduate with their class of 119 medical students, Jan graduated with honors and was the recipient of the Johanna Blumel Memorial Scholarship, the Isabella H. Brackenridge Scholarship for Women, and the American Medical Women’s Association Award. She was a member of Alpha Epsilon Iota, Mu Delta Honorary Society, and Alpha Omega Alpha.

After completing her internship and residency in internal medicine at St. Paul Hospital in Irving, Jan moved with Louis to Tulsa, Oklahoma. She began her medical career there as Project Chief of the North Tulsa Comprehensive Health Center, a clinic established with Great Society funding to deliver healthcare to underserved communities. Jan devoted herself to the mission, and her commitment and hard work played a key role in establishing the center as a trusted community resource.

During Jan’s residency in Irving and her early work in Tulsa, she and Louis welcomed their two children, Michael and Jennifer. At a time when few women were building medical practices while raising young families, Jan forged her own path, growing her career with determination while remaining an active, loving, and engaged mother. With Louis’s steady support at home, she created a life where her patients and her children both felt her full devotion. She shared her love of fishing and travel with her family, and their early years were filled with trips to Rockport and Ruidoso and long, memory‑making journeys across the country.

Driven by their shared love of the Gulf Coast, Jan and Louis left Tulsa in 1972 to start a new life with their young family in Corpus Christi. Jan opened her private practice in Corpus Christi in 1973, quickly growing her practice and establishing herself as an outstanding internist and diagnostician, and most importantly as an extremely compassionate and caring physician. Jan maintained her commitment to providing healthcare to those who needed it, regardless of their ability to pay. Jan and Louis’s house was filled with homemade gifts and cards from her patients, and Jan cared for her patients as if they were members of her own family. Though she had hoped to continue her practice for many years, her medical career was cut short by an unexpected case of lymphedema, and she made the difficult decision to retire early and say goodbye to her beloved patients and practice.

Jan transitioned into this new chapter of her life with the same resilience and grace she had shown throughout her career. She and Louis bought their cherished cabin at the Land Cut in the Laguna Madre, heading down in their boat to stay there for months at a time. They treasured their time together, fishing, exploring the coastline, watching the birds and wildlife, and introducing family and friends to their new, unhurried, peaceful way of life they so enjoyed.

When not fishing together at their cabin, Jan and Louis discovered the world of fine wines. They joined a local wine group in Corpus Christi and took many trips with the group to the California coast and wine regions, enjoying gourmet meals and sharing lots of fun times and laughter. They also traveled extensively in Europe, heading abroad for months at a time to explore historical treasures, eat local foods, drink local wines, and visit with Jan’s family in Spain. Their favorite trips were to visit their children and grandchildren, looking forward to spending time with them most of all.

In their later years, Jan and Louis sold their cabin and home in Corpus Christi and eventually moved back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Jan lovingly cared for Louis as he battled a terminal neurological disease, remaining at his side until the very end. After Louis’s passing, Jan moved to be closer to her daughter and her family, spending as much time as possible with her children and grandchildren, watching Texas Rangers baseball games, and keeping up to date with the latest medical advancements.

Jan was a devout and faithful Catholic. She and Louis were active in their local parish and she provided healthcare to many Catholic faithful in Corpus Christi. Even when her health left her unable to attend Mass, Jan continued to receive weekly Communion at home and prayed and read the Gospel every day.

Jan was preceded in death by her parents Mel and Katherine Baird, her brothers Bud and Phil Baird, her niece Lynette Winchester, and her beloved husband, Louis. She is survived by her son, Michael (Amy) of Knoxville, TN, daughter Jennifer (Geoff) of Virginia, grandson Hunter (Hayley) and great-grandson Harrison of Anna, TX, grandchildren Jordan, William, and Joshua of Knoxville, TN, grandson Nicholas of Denver, CO, brother Charles (Jean) of Missouri City, TX, nephews Kirk and Larry, and grand-nieces Alexandra and Lainie.

Jan was a true trailblazer, a dedicated physician, a loving wife, and a generous and proud daughter, sister, mother, and grandmother. She was greatly loved and will be deeply missed.

The family offers their deepest gratitude to the loving and dedicated caregivers and staff at Isle of Watercrest in Mansfield. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Lymphatic Education and Research Network, or to Catholic Charities of Fort Worth.