Jane Culp Cress

On Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at the age of 82, Jane Culp Cress of Mount Pleasant, NC, passed away with her husband, Lewis, by her side. She is survived by Lewis, her beloved husband of 60+ years; her two cherished children: Lauren Cress Hill and Brad Austin Cress (Mary Manus Cress); and her brother, Glenn Daniel Culp (Nancy Miller Culp) of Winston-Salem. She was also the loving and proud grandmother of 3 grandchildren: Isaac Lewis Hill, Lydia Marie Hill, and Ty Fisher Cress, as well as a dear Aunt to numerous nephews and nieces. Jane was born to Glenn Bradshaw and Jessie Austin Culp in Gold Hill, NC on March 26, 1939. She grew up actively attending Bethlehem Methodist Church and graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School. She continued her formal education at Pfeiffer University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, obtaining post-graduate degrees in Christian Education and Elementary Education. Jane married Lewis Walker Cress on August 14, 1960. She spent her entire teaching career, spanning 30 years, at Beverly Hills Elementary School in Concord, NC. She loved and was loved by many there - students, coworkers, and administrators - and she cherished many of those friendships all the way through her retirement years. In addition to her work in education, Jane was also very active in her church life at St. John’s Lutheran, serving as a Sunday School teacher for 46 years, along with holding many other positions of leadership and responsibility. She was an active member in the St. John’s Grange, serving in many different capacities at both the local and state levels. Funeral service will be 11:00am Saturday, July 17, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Concord, officiated by Rev. Dr. Mark Ericson and Rev. Ruth Ann Sipe, burial will follow at Bethlehem United Methodist Church Cemetery. The Cress family will receive friends from 6-8pm Friday evening at Gordon Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant. Jane leaves behind a lifelong legacy of love, joy, nurturing, education, service, and commitment to all who knew her, family and friends alike. At her request, memorials may be sent to either: Music Fund at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 100 St. John’s Church Rd, Concord, NC 28025 or Cemetery Fund at Bethlehem Methodist Church, 3401 Bethlehem Church Rd, Gold Hill, NC 28071.