Jane Whitaker's Obituary
Jane Theresa Whitaker, age 79, of Huntersville, NC, passed away on Friday, July 12, 2019. She was born in Cincinnati, OH, the daughter of the late Omer Spencer Whitaker and Katherine Elizabeth (nee Schaulk) Whitaker.
Jane grew up in Mount Airy, OH near Cincinnati. She attended Little Flower Elementary and Our Lady of Angels High School in Saint Bernard. Jane excelled at athletics and greatly enjoyed both softball and bowling. She graduated high school in 1958 and married Jerry Stephenson in 1961. Jane and Jerry had four children, daughter Debbie (deceased), daughter Laura (1963), son Kelly (1964), and son Michael (1968). Jane and Jerry divorced in 1976.
Jane raised her three children as a single working mother on a modest wage in tireless support of the family. She was an exemplary model of perseverance, courage, and thriftiness. She worked at United Dairy Farmers until her retirement and relocated to Charlotte, NC to be closer to her daughter and enjoy warmer weather. Jane loved boating with the Minogue’s on Lake Norman in addition to many hours of volunteering at the local animal shelter and the nearby hospital.
Jane also enjoyed the outdoors and loved physical adventures to include camping, biking, hiking, parasailing, zip lining, or snorkeling during many vacations with her sons and family members. Jane was also a huge pet lover and gifted gardener seen most days in North Carolina working in the yard or on a walk with her dog Daisy.
For the past five years she fought a ferocious battle with cancer. Her strength, courage, and fierce independence left her family in awe. Jane is survived by her three children Laura (Pete), Kelly (Julie), and Michael (Laura), six grandchildren (Roland, Grace, Katie, Clare, Audrey, and Silas), and four siblings, Myrna, Don (Kathy), Kathy (Tom), Carol (Jake), and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Jane was a parish member of St. Mark Catholic Church. A Memorial Mass will be held for Jane at 11:00 am, Tuesday, July 30, 2019 at St. Mark Catholic Church, 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville, NC, 28078. The family will hold a reception immediately following the service at the Doyers Clubhouse in The Hamptons neighborhood.
Doyers Clubhouse
15800 Doyers Drive
Huntersville, NC 28078
Memorials in Jane’s memory may be made to the Cornelius Animal Shelter, 19110 Meridian Street, Cornelius, NC 28031 or https://www.cornelius.org/266/Donations.
James Funeral Home is serving the family and condolences may be sent to them through our website at www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com.
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