Janice Kay Osborne

Janice Kay Solomon Osborne, 86, passed away on Tuesday, April 16 after a long battle against Alzheimer’s. She was an incredible woman with a uniquely wonderful way of touching the lives of everyone she met. If you knew her, you were blessed. She was a strong Southern woman, the bless your heart kind, who could do it all; family, career, and home while still serving the community with her huge servant’s heart. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, and friend, who also influenced many young people in her 33 years as an educator.

She was born to Theodore Solomon and Fannie Mae Solomon on July 5th, 1937, and spent her youth in Wilmington and Kannapolis. She met her true love, Murphy Osborne, at High Point College and they married.

Janice and Murphy shared a wonderful life together full of family, friends, travel, and faithful devotion not only to each other but also to their faith. Their love for each other was immeasurable and they faced the joys and the challenges of their lives hand in hand. They were married for more than 67 years and never tired of sharing each other’s company. They completed each other. To her daughters, Janice was the perfect example of a Christian servant, showing them how to be women of character, faith, and strength by example. To her grandsons, she was magical! To her friends, she was loyal and helped share the burdens and joys of life. To her students, she was the favorite teacher, leaving an impression far beyond what she taught them academically. If you were one of her “projects”, you were blessed immensely. She was involved with many organizations, often in a leadership role but some of her happiest memories were the years spent as the Co-Chairman of the First Baptist Church Clothing Ministry, where she touched many lives with her compassion, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ for more than 30 years. She will be truly missed by everyone she loved and served.

Janice is survived by her devoted husband, Dr. Murphy M. Osborne, Jr.; daughters, Cindy Jones (Skip) and Lisa Blackwood (Geary); grandsons, Street Jones (Ashton), Blake Painter, Liam McGeever, Daniel McGeever: brother Ted Solomon (Melanie); great grandchildren, E Jones and Wells Jones; sister-in-law Jean Wheeling: lifelong friend, Lorraine Griffin.

Janice was predeceased by her father, Theodore Solomon; her mother, Fannie Mae Solomon; her brother, Ed Solomon; her stepmother, Lucille Solomon.

The family would like to thank the Springmoor staff and Hospice for the loving and tender care that was given to her.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: The Clothing Ministry, First Baptist Church, 99 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27603 (https://fbcraleigh.org/give/onlinegiving/).

A Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at First Baptist Church, 99 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27603 at 11:00 AM.

Services are in the care of Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC 27605.