Janice Edwards Cates

One of Jan’s proudest accomplishments was serving in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1961, during a time when military life was especially challenging for women. She often reflected on that experience with pride and resilience. Her first husband also served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and their life together took them to many places, including Illinois, Great Lakes Michigan, California, Hawaii, and various parts of North Carolina.

Jan studied Police Science at Carteret Tech in Morehead City, N.C., and later transferred to Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., where she continued her pursuit of a career in public service. One of her earliest roles was as an EMT with the Apex Rescue Squad, where her passion for helping others truly shined.

Throughout her life, Jan worked for a variety of organizations, including the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), Texfi Industries, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Scottie’s Building Services, North Carolina State University (NCSU), the Cary Kiwanis Club, and later retired from the Cary Senior Center. She was known for her professionalism, dedication, and strong work ethic—her colleagues were truly like family to her. Jan always went above and beyond in everything she did.

She was a woman of many passions. A master of all trades, she loved fishing, sewing (often hand-making clothes and Halloween costumes for her children), cross-stitching, gardening, canning, baking (especially her legendary pumpkin cheesecake), solving crossword and jigsaw puzzles, reading (her favorite book was the dictionary), and spending time outdoors. She had a unique love for guns, snakes, and motorcycles—her first bike was lovingly named Hilda.

Jan was also an avid Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, an exceptional proofreader (forgive us if there are still a few typos!), and a music lover with a fondness for Andrea Bocelli and Hall & Oates. And she hated shopping!

She was known for her warm personality, glowing smile, and the kindness she showed everyone she met. She spoke often and lovingly of her daughter and granddaughter, and her friendships were deep and lifelong. Her best friend, Kathy Jenkins, was like a sister to her. They raised their kids together, and Jan adored Kathy’s daughters, Nicole and Melissa, as if they were her own.

Jan’s life was defined by love, strength, and service. She was truly inspirational, never did anything halfway, and lived each day with purpose. Jan was stubborn and hardheaded in all the good ways. She prided herself on being an independent woman and never wanted to be a burden on anyone. Her strong will and dedication to everything she did in life will forever be remembered.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Ruby Markley Underwood, and father, Charles Monroe Edwards.

She is survived by her beloved daughter, Heidi Lorraine Hicks; cherished granddaughter, Heidi Richardson Hall; and her sister, Diann Edwards Arbuthnot.

The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the Barbour Court Spark Unit and the staff at Transitions LifeCare for their compassionate care in Jan’s final days.

A celebration of life service will be held at Apex Funeral Home, 550 W. Williams St., on Sunday, April 27th at 2:00 PM. Per her final wishes, Jan will be cremated, and her ashes will be scattered at sea at Atlantic Beach, N.C., in a private family ceremony.

A hui hou kākou, or until we meet again everyone.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jan’s honor to one of the following organizations she supported:

The Center for Volunteer Caregiving - (919) 460-0567 - www.volunteercaregiving.org

Kiwanis Club of Raleigh - https://www.raleighkiwanis.org

A live stream for the service can be found here: https://youtube.com/live/Ni9_i_70KhA?feature=share

Former names:

Janice Marie Edwards Hicks

Janice Marie Stone

Janice Edwards Stone