CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Joanne Jaeger Tomblin, sitting on a couch inside the Governor’s Mansion, says it’s hard to believe her time as First Lady is coming to an end.
“It’ll be the first time in our lives that we’ve been home and not been involved in politics,” she said of her and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, who has served in elected office for more than 40 years.
The First Lady called it “a new journey” for the couple as they pack up their belongings this week and head back to their Chapmanville home. The Tomblins have lived in the Governor’s Mansion since 2010.
“It’s a beautiful home. It’s the state’s home. We have always opened it up to people of the state. It’s just a delightful place to be. We’ve been honored to serve West Virginia and have the opportunity to live here,” Jaeger Tomblin said.
Education has been the focus of the First Lady’s initiative during much of the same time she served as President of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College from 1999-2015. She was at Southern for more than 30 years.
In 2011, Jaeger Tomblin introduced the Our Babies: Safe and Sound program to educate new parents and grandparents about how to keep children safe while sleeping. She’s been an advocate for education at all levels with emphasis on obtaining certifications and college degrees.
The First Lady also promotes arts and culture, gardening and volunteerism. As a military advocate, she formed the statewide initiative “Serve West Virginia Military” that encourages citizens to find ways to give back to military personnel and their families across the state.
“The Governor and I have been through many disasters during his tenure here,” she said. The most recent disaster was the June 23, 2016 flood. “The National Guard has come to help us out without asking anything in return — every time we’ve had some kind of disaster.”
Jaeger Tomblin, a native New Yorker, met then-Delegate Earl Ray Tomblin before graduating from Marshall University. The couple was married in 1979. They have one son, Brent.
Governor-elect Jim Justice will be sworn into office Monday at the state Capitol. Jaeger Tomblin said she’s been able to talk with incoming First Lady Cathy Justice during the transition.
“I have talked with her, yes, oh sure,” she told MetroNews. “You want the incoming family to be successful when they get here so I think that’s very important.”
No future plans are scheduled yet for the Tomblins. The First Lady said they’ll take some time off, but still want to remain active in the community.
“We will do something where we’re active people and we want to participate. We’ll be around to help people to do something for our state,” she said.
Getting to meet the people of West Virginia is what she’ll miss most.
“You really get a taste of how talented the people are in our state — how intelligent the people are in our state. To me, that’s the part I think I’m going to miss, is being out there and seeing our state as a whole,” she said.