Mrs Janice B Martin

August 13, 1954 - February 13, 2020

Obituary for Mrs. Janice B. Martin As the sun rises each day and completes its cycle before sunset, so to – on the evening of Thursday, February 13, 2020 – Janice Berry Martin completed her cycle of life on this earth. Janice was born to the late Thomas J and Dorothy W. Berry on August 13, 1954 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the youngest of six children. Preceded in death by her two brothers, Fredrick Wright and Thomas J. Berry, Jr., she leaves to mourn her memory Stephen Berry (Diane), Linda McKeiver and Bernice Allen (James). Janice graduated Eli Whitney Vocational High School in Brooklyn, New York. While attending Business College she worked as a secretary for a renowned clothing distributor of the time. Janice was employed as a clerk for the United States Postal Service. On April 18, 1975, Janice married Edwin Martin remained so until his death in 2003. Erica M. Best (Russell), Eric Martin (Sharon) and Eddie Martin (Lissette) were a product of that union. In 2018, Janice was blessed to be reunited with her son Timothy Evans (Jill). Always one to reach for more, she went on to serve as a secretary for, then New York State Governor, Mario Cuomo during his two terms in office. Those who knew Janice were not surprised by her next career move. She successfully fused her famous love of cooking with the courage and fearlessness she was known for to become an entrepreneur. When she opened Janice’s Kitchen, she brought the dishes her friends and family loved to the whole of Brooklyn. In 1990, she decided the City was no place to raise her teenage children and relocated to Middletown, New York. There, as her children thrived, she also made an impact on their peers and friends in the neighborhood with her open heart and welcoming manner. After her children left home, Janice began to long for place she grew up and moved back to Brooklyn, New York. Once there, she went to work for the Prospect Park Zoo. When she was offered a role at the Norfolk Zoo, her adventurous nature led her to accept a job as Coordinator of Educational Programs. She jumped at the opportunity to be near her daughter/niece Charlene and moved to Virginia Beach, VA. In 2008, Janice retired from the workforce and moved to Rocky Mount, North Carolina to be with her sister Bernice. Her desire to travel has taken her on a host of cruises and her crush on Mickey Mouse led her to Disney World at least every other year. Janice believed in living life to its fullest, and there was not a highway she could not conquer. There are so many things she loved doing from travel to being a grill master to watching television to simply being surrounded by family and friends and, of course, shopping! But love was her greatest pastime. As such, raising her own children wasn’t enough. She also raised others giving them the same love and care she gave to those she birthed. Today, we celebrate her life along with her aforementioned children as well as children of her heart: Charlene Cason, Shaquanna McNeil, Raymond Copeland; four step-children; nineteen grandchildren; two godchildren (Darryl McKeiver and Ronald Jones) along with numerous nephews, nieces and friends.