Jan Margaret Wickham

Jan Margaret Magee Wickham, 67, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2026.

Born on May 21, 1959, Jan was raised in Lakehurst, New Jersey, as the middle child of five siblings. She remained connected to the communities that shaped her throughout her life, including Lakehurst, Jackson, and Manchester.

Jan was loving, caring, spunky, and full of personality. She had a big heart and a presence people remembered. She could make a friend almost anywhere, and many of those friendships lasted for decades. Jan had a way of making people feel welcome, whether they were family, an old friend, a neighbor, or someone she had just met.

Jan shared 46 years of marriage with her beloved husband, Kenneth “Kenny” Wickham Jr. Together, they built a life centered around family, hard work, and plenty of activity. Jan and Kenny owned and operated their family business, and much of their life was spent working side by side, raising their family, and enjoying the people around them. Their home was often full of family, friends, food, laughter, and plenty of noise.

Jan loved staying busy and finding new things to do. She was active in the PTA, taught CCD at St. John’s Church, and even became a minister and wedding officiant, marrying several couples throughout the years. It was just another way Jan found herself becoming part of people’s lives and being present for some of their most important moments. She enjoyed bowling, clamming, golfing, traveling, water activities, hanging out at the AMVETS, and trying new things. She loved going out to restaurants, had an adventurous palate, and never seemed afraid to order something she had never tried before. She also enjoyed a good drink, singing, dancing, and getting together with family and friends.

She was an incredible cook and baker, and her baking was spectacular. Holidays and parties with Jan were never small or quiet. They were big, loud, and exuberant, with plenty of food, decorations, stories, and gifts. Christmas was especially memorable, with presents filling the house and Jan’s homemade cinnamon buns becoming part of the tradition. She loved to read, too, and could just as easily be found settled in with a book as she could be in the middle of whatever was going on around her.

Jan had a playful side that came out especially with the people she loved. She would make up songs and sing them to her grandchildren, turning ordinary moments into memories that stayed with them. Her home was often full of people, food, toys, dogs, laughter, and whatever was happening that day.

Family was at the center of Jan’s life. She and Kenny adopted their daughter, Victoria, and together they raised their family. Jan also helped care for and raise Vanessa V. and Donna D., who became important parts of their family.

Being a grandmother was one of the roles Jan loved most. She adored her grandchildren, Jade, Kendra, and Isaiah. Jan and Kenny raised Jade and Kendra as their own, and they were a huge part of her life. She was their biggest cheerleader and encouraged them to sing, dance, bake, create, read, and try whatever they were interested in. She wanted the people she loved to feel supported, celebrated, and cared for.

Jan was her family’s biggest cheerleader. She showed up, she supported her family, and she was not going to miss the things that mattered to them. School events, sporting events, birthdays, holidays, and all of the little moments in between were important to her because the people she loved were important to her.

Isaiah, her youngest grandson, came into her life many years after Jade and Kendra and brought his own special place in her heart. Jan loved watching him grow and getting to experience each new stage of his life. He was the youngest of her grandchildren, and she cherished every moment she had with him.

Jan was also the person you could call when you needed someone. It didn’t matter what time it was, where you were, or what had happened. If her family was scared, in trouble, or simply needed her, Jan answered the phone. She had a way of making people feel like they were never alone and that there was always something she could do to help. She was generous with her time, her home, and whatever she had to give, and she rarely hesitated to show up for the people she loved.

Jan loved her pets fiercely and treated them like her children. They were spoiled, cared for, and very much part of the family. Her pets brought her tremendous joy and anyone who knew Jan knew just how seriously she took her role as their mom.

And being “Grams” was never limited to her own grandchildren. In her hometown, Jan was known simply as Grams. She looked out for the kids around her and became someone people knew they could count on. She had spent much of her life caring for the people around her, and that instinct to nurture and protect was simply part of who she was.

Jan was predeceased by her beloved husband, Kenneth “Kenny” Wickham Jr., and her parents, Leonard and Joyce Magee; and her mother-in-law Gladys Wickham.

She leaves behind her daughter, Victoria Wickham; her grandchildren, Jade, Kendra, and Isaiah; and niece Vanessa, whom she helped care for and raise as part of her family. She is also survived by her siblings, Gary Magee and his wife, Beth; Dale Magee and his wife, Sally; Diane Harvey; and Jill Lewis and her husband, Tom.

She also leaves behind her nephew Patrick and his wife, Susan; her niece Kary Beth and her husband, Andrew; her nephew Troy and his wife, Cathy; her nephew Steven and his wife, Melissa; her niece Shannon and her husband, Chris; her niece Corey and her husband, Kevin; her niece Kelly and her husband, Patrick; her niece Nicole and her husband, Chris; her goddaughter Megan; and her niece Kathryn and her husband, Lou. She is also survived by her lifelong best friend, Susan Carpenter.

Through her 46 years of marriage to Kenny, Jan also became part of the Wickham family, and those relationships remained an important part of her life. She is survived by Kenny’s father, Kenneth Wickham Sr.; his brothers, Keith Wickham and Kevin Wickham and his wife, Sue; and their nieces and nephews, Lissette Malek, Jessica Wickham, Lea O’Brien, Brooke Franciosi, Keith Wickham, Kenneth Wickham, and Rob Wickham, as well as many great-nieces and great-nephews, extended family members, and lifelong friends.

Jan will be remembered for her spunky personality, her big heart, her love of family, and the life she made around the people she loved. She will be remembered for her spectacular baking, her enormous holidays and parties, her love of reading, her adventurous palate, her love of travel, her singing and dancing, and the way she showed up for the people who mattered to her.

Jan Margaret Magee Wickham lived a life full of family, friendship, laughter, food, celebrations, and love. She touched many people’s hearts throughout her life, and the memories she created will remain with the people who were fortunate enough to share them with her.

She will be deeply missed and forever remembered.

A Celebration of Jan’s Life will be held, where family and close friends will come together to remember Jan, share memories, and celebrate her life. Those interested can inquire through the family.