Janis Z. Caune "John"

John was born near Riga, Latvia. He immigrated to America in 1950 through Ellis Island at the age of 24. At the time Latvia was behind the Iron Curtain so he could not have any contact with the family he left behind. John came to Little Washington NC where he lived with a Christian family. He studied architecture at NC State University. He was employed by Roses for a few years but spent most of his professional career at Belk Store Services overseeing store upfits. While there he met John Belk and felt honored when he was asked to design a playhouse for the Belk’s daughter Claudia. John loved both natural and structural beauty. He often spoke of his trips to the Biltmore House, Colonial Williamsburg, Key West-FL and Calloway Gardens in GA. When his children were involved in CYAC athletics he shared his penchant for photography by spending hours recording football, basketball, baseball, softball and cheerleading activities. John would splice together highlights of the sports season and play the productions he created at year-end banquets. Besides photography his other hobbies were coin collecting and calligraphy. Often the hand-addressed envelope you would receive from John was more beautiful than the card it contained. For so many years he worked long hours but in the last years of his life he enjoyed spending time with his family. John loved homemade meals and accepted all invitations to break bread. He even attended Rachel’s family reunions every June long after the end of their marriage. John kept his quirky sense of humor to the end joking about his loss of memory and sometimes pretending not to know your name. However if you showed up with pizza, fried chicken, cherry turnovers or graham crackers you could bet that he’d greet you by name.

John is survived by his three children, Jean Spicer (Ronnie), Chris, and Tom (Suzette), his grandchildren: Camille, Chris, Mike, TJ, Jonathan, Charlie and Ellie. He is also survived by his former wife Rachel. John and Rachel could be seen on most Fridays shopping together at Walmart after having breakfast at the Landmark Restaurant. Their son-in-law Ronnie was their chauffeur each week and sometimes the referee when they argued about which route to take to complete their errands. John and Rachel’s friendship was a testament to the love within his family. John’s son Tom was his primary caregiver and brought many smiles to his dad’s face when he showed up at Five Oaks serving pancakes with Strawberries and whipped cream. John’s family deeply appreciates the loving care their dad received while living at Five Oaks Nursing Home. The nurses loved listening to his stories about coming to America and called him Johnny “Angel”.

A memorial service will be scheduled at a date to be determined later. In lieu of flowers or donations the family requests that friends and co-workers honor John by spending time with their own families especially older loved ones who have amazing life experiences to share. Record this time together.