Jane Elizabeth Urquhart Stern

Jane Elizabeth Stern (Nee Urquhart), 89, passed away peacefully on Sunday May 13 at Heartfields Assisted Living facility in Cary, NC. Jane was survived by Stuart Stern, her loving husband of 64 years, her two sons, William (Teresa), of Apex, Steven (Ellen) of St. Michael, Minnesota, and by grandchildren Elizabeth, and Jason. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Edna Urquhart.

Jane was born In St. Louis, Missouri. After schooling she had employments in St. Louis, as an Executive secretary at the YMCA, a Dental Assistant, and at the St. Louis Zoo.

In September 1953, on a family vacation, Jane visited Biloxi Mississippi. While there she met an Airman, Stuart Stern. This brief meeting blossomed to the point that they were married in St. Louis in April 1954.

With Stu still being in the Air Force they returned to Biloxi where they lived in off base housing. At end of Korean War Stu was transferred to Travis AFB in California. They settled in Vallejo, CA which is about 30 miles from San Francisco and 26 miles from Travis Air Force Base. They made friends there and enjoyed being close to San Francisco. They rode the cable cars, visited China Town, the Fisherman’s Warf, and were able to hear Count Basie and his band in one of the clubs, etc. Being very daring, Jane agreed to fly in Stu’s Sargent’s open cockpit navy trainer. She enjoyed their doing barrel rolls, loops, power dives, and flying under a bridge. Their first son, Bill, was born in St. Louis.

Upon his discharge from the Air Force in September 1956 Stu took a job with Magnavox in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They drove there in an old Nash automobile with Bill riding in the back seat in a Porta-Crib. They rented a house in Huntertown, Indiana. Steve, their second child, was born in Ft. Wayne.

In the Summer of 1959 they moved to West Lafayette, Indiana where Stu, with the help from Jane, finished his electrical engineering education at Purdue University and graduated in June 1961. Upon graduation they joined IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY.

In July 1965 they were transferred to Raleigh, North Carolina and settled in Cary. Jane did much of the child rearing due to Stu doing a great deal of business travel. Jane increased her studies of Egyptian history and enjoyed knitting and painting.

Jane was able to join Stu in travel to Europe. They visited Nice, France, Rome, Paris, and London. While in the UK they visited Jane’s ancestral home in Inverness, Scotland. While there Jane claimed her ownership to the remains of the Urquhart castle on Loch Ness. They also had a 6-month assignment in England in 1991. They lived in a beautiful flat in Odium, a small town between London and Winchester. While there Jane took Helicopter Rides, Flew in Gliders, and did lots of touring. At a later time they fulfilled Jane’s dream by taking an extensive tour of Egypt.

In February 2014 Jane fell ill while in Florida. On her return to Cary she came to Heartfields where she remained until her passing.

We want to thank the people at Heartfields Assisted Living of Cary for their loving care. The staff often came by just to see Jane’s smile. We especially want to thank the Transitions Lifecare Hospice staff who provided loving care for Jane and for the help that they provided to the family to understand the process of passing and to adjust to our loss.

Jane was a warm and wonderful wife and mother. She was adored by her family and had a sister like relationship with her daughters-in-law. She had lifelong friends wherever she lived. She will be missed but she will be with us for the rest of our lives.

Visitation will be at the Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 SE Maynard Rd in Cary on Wednesday, May 16 from 5PM to 7PM. Funeral service will be held at the Peace Presbyterian Church, 1777 West Chatham St, in Cary on Thursday, May 17 at 1PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jane’s name to the ASPCA, Eastern NC Alzheimer Association, or to Transitions Life Care 250 Hospice Circle Raleigh, NC 27607.