Janice Edwards Jones

Janice Edwards Jones, aged 55, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 11, 2025, at Community Hospice & Palliative Care in Jacksonville, Florida after a nearly 6-year battle with Primary Progressive Aphasia and Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. She was born on October 21,1969 in Plant City, Florida, to David Ernest Edwards and Andrea Lee Edwards. She was a 27-year resident of Jacksonville, Florida at the time of her passing and a prior resident of Lynn Haven, Florida and Plant City, Florida.

Janice was a 1987 graduate of Plant City High School with high honors and a member of the National Honor Society. She went on to earn her Associate in Arts degree from Hillsborough Community College in 1989 where she was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Fraternity. She subsequently attended the University of South Florida where, in 1991, she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree (Summa Cum Laude) in Elementary Education and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Janice worked for 16 years in the student loan industry, first with Sallie Mae Servicing Corporation in Lynn Haven and later with Nelnet, Inc. in Jacksonville. She was known for her outstanding work habits, exceptional teamwork, friendly and helpful demeanor, excellent problem-solving skills and customer focused attitude. She later applied these attributes to her final position as a Customer Service Representative for CTI Resource Management Inc., a United States Navy contractor, where she spent 10 years and continued to earn routine recognition for her job performance and work ethic.

Janice’s dedication to her employers was only surpassed by her devotion to her faith, family and friends. She freely shared her deep-rooted belief in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and was a long-time member of Mandarin United Methodist Church in Jacksonville. As a member of her church, she assisted with Sunday school classes, Upward youth activities and taught faith-based curriculum for the Cub Scouts of Pack 268. She married Stephen Jones on February 12, 1994, in Panama City, Florida and they shared a beautiful 31-year marriage until the time of her passing. Her son, Griffin, and her daughter, Morgan, were the center of her world and she never missed an opportunity to participate in or view their activities. She had many friends and those who were blessed to know her routinely remarked about her sweet, warm, generous and genuine personality.

Janice loved sports, particularly football and basketball, and was a quintessential fan of the Florida Gators, USF Bulls and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She also loved spending time with nature, both in the mountains and on the water, while enjoying many activities including hiking, camping, kayaking, snorkeling, and bicycling. She was an animal lover as well, particularly manatees, turtles, horses, llamas and most of all, her spunky fox terrier of 14 years, Nemo.

Janice is preceded in death by her father, David Edwards. She is survived by her husband, Stephen Jones; son, Griffin Jones; daughter, Morgan Jones; mother, Andrea Edwards; sisters Robin Sill and Melissa Thompson (Jared); and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Family, friends, and others are invited to a Celebration of Life Ceremony at Spring Glen Methodist Church, 6007 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida, at 4pm on Saturday, May 3, 2025, to reminisce and honor the life of Janice. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Janice’s name to either: Community Hospice & Palliative Care (https://thefoundationcares.org/give), or; The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (https://www.theaftd.org/get-involved/ways-to-give).

The family will have a livestream of the service available for those that can't make it, https://www.youtube.com/@springglenmethodistchurch/streams