Cruising Prescott in a Red Corvette: Jan Works Is ‘In Charge’ – Jill Keller, PhD and Stefan R. Sanford, MFA

Photo: Jan Works and her car “Red”

On Saturday, June 20, the Prescott Vette Sette Corvette Club held a special event at Touchmark at The Ranch. One Touchmark resident and club member, Jan Works, at 81, shared just a glimpse of how she fills her days and maintains an active lifestyle.

Jan’s car is a beautiful, shiny red Corvette that she purchased 10 years ago with her husband, Pat. Together, they shared a love for Corvettes, first as members of the California Corvette Club and later in Arizona. Jan refers to her special 2016 C7 Torch Red Corvette as “Red” and enjoys driving around with her friends. Jan entered “Red” in the Golden Gears Car Show & Family Fun Fest at Touchmark at The Ranch on Saturday.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association’s “Do What You Love to End ALZ” fundraising campaign.

When Jan is not driving “Red” to special events and club drive-outs, she can often be seen in her Jaguar. She is a busy woman, proving that 80 is the new 50 when one has an abundance of energy, hobbies, and interests. Jan shared that she loves to stay active, work out, she belongs to a writing group, and she enjoys living in the moment.

Jan and her husband, Pat, moved to Prescott from Orange County in Southern California. She describes Prescott as wonderful and loves its beauty and vibrant artistic community. Jan is currently writing her memoirs and a historical fiction novel, and she takes classes through OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at Yavapai College. OLLI offers non-credit, university-quality courses, social events, and travel experiences for adults aged 50 and older (OLLI, 2026).

Flying high and free is another passion of Jan’s. Jan and her husband shared a love for skydiving. Pat Works was well known in the skydiving community and is a member of the International Skydiving Museum Hall of Fame. In addition, he has authored several foundational books on freefall, formation skydiving, and the history of the overall sport. Jan also co-authored United We Fall with Pat.

Jan shared that there is a unique sense of freedom in skydiving. “I’m in charge,” she said, when describing the experience of flying. Although you are 12,000 feet in the air and descending rapidly, skydivers refer to it as “flying” because of the ability to move and maneuver through the air. When asked whether it is scary, Jan explained that there is no time to be afraid because you are concentrating on your freefall. Once the parachute is deployed, you are focused on guiding the canopy and preparing for a safe landing.

Jan emphasized that skydiving requires regular participation to maintain proficiency. She made her last jump in 2025 as a tandem skydive and recently decided to stop as she entered her 80s.

Keeping active and busy is a blessing that Jan certainly knows how to embrace. Whether skydiving, driving her Corvette, or writing and editing books, chances are she will never be wondering what to do with her time.

References

Yavapai College (2026) OLLI

https://www.yc.edu/v6/lifelong-learning/olli1/olli-prescott-membership.html

Works, Pat (1978 / 1988) Parachuting: The Art of Freefall Relative Work

The Art of vRW: The Way of Freefly / United We Fall (Pat Works, co-authored by Jan Works)