Jon David Vrana

Jon David Vrana, 71, died at home on Sunday, February 1, 2026. Jon was a true Virginian at heart although he was born in Seward, Nebraska and loved living in North Carolina. He graduated from Virginia Tech (Bachelor’s of Science in Agronomy, 1977) and George Washington University (Master’s of Science in Information Systems Technology, 2004). At Tech, he met Mary Helen Miller, the daughter of a colleague at the USDA Agricultural Research Station. Luckily, that went well both personally and professionally, and the two went on to have two children and make many, many memories together over nearly fifty years of marriage. He worked for the USDA for 43 years. Jon was a passionate and driven man, devoting his life to work and a series of hobbies, from historical interpretation to volunteer rescue squad, Challenger Little League Baseball to just about any musical instrument he cared to pick up. He loved to sing and tell stories. In Franklin, NC he played in the house bluegrass band Southbound and Down at the world premiere of the Foxfire play. He was a Boy Scout and a science guy who loved soil science, agronomy, computers, and wetlands. He valued conservation (environmental) and preservation (historical). But he did not totally live in the past. He wanted the land and our human stories to be carefully kept for future generations. In later years, he took a keen interest in Ireland and Irish-American history, a way of connecting with his own genealogy. A licensed soil scientist and management analyst, he won too many awards to name comprehensively, but he was especially proud of a few: Soil and Water Conservation Society Berg Fellowship, the USDA Secretary’s Award, and the USDA Chief’s Award. He celebrated local Virginia history at Burke, Vienna (where he wrote a short play to celebrate the town’s 1890 incorporation and was Volunteer of the Year in 2015), Sully Plantation, Pamplin Park, and the Silas Burke House. He co-created numerous programs and displays with the Burke Historical Society, Historic Vienna Inc., and the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum. He performed twice at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Jon is preceded in death by his mother, Elaine; father, Verlon; brother-in-law, Ben; and Dr. John Miller (father-in-law) and Frances McCollum (mother-in-law). He is survived by Mary (wife); Heather and Anna (children); siblings Verlon, Tim, and Carolyn; Laura Wyatt (sister-in-law); nieces and nephews Julie, Tony, and Maggie and their families; and hundreds of friends. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you donate to your favorite environmental conservation or local historical organization. May his memory remind us to live life fully and loudly.