Jayne Baker | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Ms. Jayne Baker, age 79, of Washington, NC went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on Monday, January 27, 2025, at ECU Beaufort Hospital in Washington.

    A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday at Paul Funeral Home & Crematory in Washington, officiated by Rev. Scott Setzer. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Greenville. Serving as pallbearers will be Walton White, Jackson White, Neil Woolard, Tony Smith, Brad Simons, and BJ Foreman. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 1:00 p.m. until the funeral hour.

    Jayne was born in Washington on September 17, 1945, to the late Frank Newton Baker and Mary Lorene Cayton Baker. She was a twin, and together they were affectionately known as the "Candlelight Twins." Their unique nickname originated from an article in the Washington Daily News, which recounted their remarkable birth at Tayloe Hospital during a storm. When the electricity failed, the twins were delivered by candlelight.

    A 1963 graduate of Washington High School, Jayne pursued higher education at Beaufort Community College earning her associate's degree and continued her college career at Mount Olive College, earning her bachelor's degree in business management -becoming the oldest member of her graduating class. She built a successful career working at Hamilton Beach for thirty years as a credit manager and then as an accounts payable supervisor at DSM Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Greenville until her retirement.

    Jayne was a longtime member of Second Baptist Church and dedicated member of the Golden Card Ladies of Washington. She also volunteered at the Washington Senior Center library, where she shared her love of reading and learning.

    She is survived by her children: Kathy Mata of Chocowinity; Leigh Ann White and husband, Mike, of Greenville; and Thomas Dall Goodwin II and wife, Elin, of Greenville. She is also survived by her twin brother, Wayne Baker, and wife, Joan, of Chocowinity; her brother, Robert F. Baker, and wife, Paquita, of Jonesboro, GA; her grandchildren: Joyner Mata, Eleanor White, Walton White, Jackson White, Piper Goodwin, and Gunnar Goodwin; three great-grandchildren: Ella Grace Mata, Aria Katherine Mata, and Luna James Mata; her niece, Anna Pavon of Jonesboro, GA; and her life-long best friend, Betty Lou Holder.

    She was preceded in death by her husband of thirty-five years, Thomas Dall Goodwin; brother, Frankie Ray; both parents; her grandson, Jordan Alexander Carr and her nephews, Jonathan Baker and Frank Baker.

    Our family would like to extend our sincere gratitude to River Trace Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility, ECU Beaufort Hospital, ECU Pitt Hospital, Cadie Cowin, FNP and Staff at Washington Women's Care, and all her caregivers and friends for their loving care and compassion.

    Flowers are welcome and appreciated or memorial contributions can be made to [The "Jayne Baker Scholarship Fund"] at Beaufort Community College.

    Online condolences may be shared with the family by visiting [www.paulfuneralhome.com]www.paulfuneralhome.com.

    Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Baker family.