Coleman Funeral Home of Oxford
Jane Patterson Boykin of Oxford passed away February 11, 2020, at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi. A memorial reception and interment ceremony will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Oxford at 11:00 a.m. on March 28, 2020.
Jane was born on September 21, 1948, in Durhan, NC, to the late Alton and Pearl Patterson. She graduated from Tupelo High School in 1966 and the University of Mississippi in 1970. She was a member of the Delta Rho chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at Ole Miss, where she made many lifelong friends whom she adored. A highlight for Jane was when her daughter was initiated into KKG many years later, a special bond for both.
Before retirement in 2012, Jane spent the majority of her career serving as a child advocate and champion for Mississippi’s children and families through her tireless work and dedication to early childhood care and development. She served as a registered lobbyist at the State Capitol and as the President of the Mississippi Forum on Children and Families, a Jackson-based non-profit organization which provided services through grants that focused on child advocacy, child care, child health education, early childhood initiatives, parent education, and the overall well-being of children and families in our state. Jane’s family was honored that, on the afternoon of her passing, the Mississippi House of Representatives and Mississippi State Senate both adjourned in her memory.
In recent years, Jane devoted all of her energy to loving her grandchildren, spending time with her friends and family, enjoying her affection for reading, traveling to the beach, and all things Ole Miss. She will be remembered as a compassionate, caring, and kind woman who blessed her friends and family with her presence and love.
Jane is survived by her son, Smith (Lorraine) Boykin of Madison, and his daughters Ella, Mary Laurel, and Lucy; her daughter, Anna Susan (Zim) Trulock of Augusta, GA, and her children Crighton, Zimmer, and Jane Gertrude “Trudie”; and her daughter-in-law, Stephanie Brooks Boykin of Oxford, and her daughter Olivia. She is also survived by her sisters, Susan (John) Lentz of Nashville, TN and Anne (Bill Heffernan) Patterson of Hickory, NC; cousin Mary Lillian Smith of Chattanooga, TN; lifelong friend Gail Eastland of Greenwood; and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends whom she loved dearly. She was preceded in death by her beloved son, Reynolds Boykin, and her parents.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jane’s memory can be made to the First Presbyterian Church Pastor’s Discretionary Fund (924 Van Buren Avenue, Oxford, 38655).
Celebration of Life
MAR 28.
11:00 AM
(CDT)
First Presbyterian Church of Oxford
924 Van Buren Ave.
Oxford, MS
