Jane Burks Forbes, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, died on October 11, 2019 at The Laurels of Chatham. She was born Helen Jane Burks in 1942 to the late Woodrow and Helen Burks in Lawrence County, Alabama. Her brother, David Woodrow Burks, preceded her in death.
Jane grew up on a farm in Lawrence County, Alabama and graduated from Lawrence County High School in 1960. She earned a BS in Pharmacy from Samford University in 1964 and an MS in Clinical Pharmacy from the University of Florida in 1973. She also earned a JD, graduating with honors and becoming a member of the Law Review from the University of Florida in 1977. Jane was licensed to practice law in Tennessee and Florida and licensed to practice pharmacy in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Florida.
Jane established her own law practice in Franklin, Tennessee in the early 1980s, becoming one of the first successful female lawyers in the area. She later became a Bankruptcy Trustee for the Middle Tennessee Bankruptcy Court and held her practice until 1994. She went on to practice pharmacy in the Franklin area until her retirement in 2011, when she moved to the Chapel Hill, North Carolina area. Throughout her time in Franklin, she held various other positions of service in the community including serving on the vestry at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, President of the Lion’s Club, and was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
Officially retired in 2011 and living in Chapel Hill, Jane continued to be active in the DAR and volunteered in various positions with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, including the Division Public Affairs Officer and Flotilla Commander for Virginia. She supported several DAR-sponsored scholarships and led many community services with DAR, supporting the military, students, and veterans. Jane coordinated efforts to get the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary at UNC approved as a Cadet Unit, which is now the only one in the country that is recognized by the DAR.
Jane was a hard-working and actively engaged woman throughout her life, never giving less than her best on everything she touched and always expecting the best out of others.
She is survived by husband James Tuck Forbes of Chapel Hill; daughter Shannon Forbes Holmes and husband Bratton of Chapel Hill; son James Burks Forbes and wife Lori Moskal of Redondo Beach, California; and grandchildren Mary Holmes, Robert Holmes, and Iris Forbes.
A memorial service will be held at the Church of the Holy Family, Chapel Hill, NC on October 24, 2019 at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (https://events.ovarian.org/nocc/Donate).
