Janice Marie Byrd Colley was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on December 7, 1954. She was the first of three children born to the late Mildred Clowney Byrd and Henry Marion Byrd. Janice was born with cerebral palsy and did not experience the same childhood as her playmates. Still, she enjoyed life. As a youngster, she enjoyed playing “church,” as she often accompanied her late grandmother to Ebenezer Baptist Church’s worship services. Although much of her early church experience was shared with her Granny at Ebenezer, she ultimately became a member of the Evangel Cathedral in Spartanburg.

A firm believer in the power of prayer, Janice often prayed for members of our family and frequently spoke in tongues. As her health declined, she would often call members of the family and request prayer over the telephone.

Janice began her education at Highland Elementary School in Spartanburg, and she took delight in imitating her teachers, as she “taught” classes to her playmates. Her mobility being a serious problem, Janice did not continue education beyond Highland. She spent a great deal of time in the Shriners Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina, where she underwent several surgeries designed to enable her to walk without crutches.

With a great appreciation for family ties, Janice fondly called elderly female family members “Ainie” (probably a reduction of “Auntie”), and they greeted her with the same term of endearment.

As she grew older, Janice met, fell in love with, and married Perry Cathcart in 1979. This marriage lasted sixteen years until his untimely death on July 4, 1995. Later, she met Robert Colley, and love blossomed again for her; the two were married on August 27, 2006, and remained together until her demise on February 27, 2021, after fifteen years of marriage.

Janice leaves to mourn her passing and to cherish her memory: her devoted husband, Robert; her sister, Marsha C. Byrd; her sister-in-law, Renee Byrd; her great- aunt, Annie Ruth Key; her great-uncle, Melvin “Pete” Chalk; her aunt whom she affectionately called, “Ainie”, Hazel C. Hill and Joyce Michelle Byrd; her uncle, Dr. Earle D. Clowney; her special friend, Alicia Jean Locklear; her special cousins, who were like sisters to her, Davida McKinney (Jackie) and Yvette R. Hill; ten nieces and nephews; twenty-three great-nieces and nephews; eight great-great-nieces and nephews; and a host of cousins and friends.

A Celebration of the Life of Janice Colley will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at Lincoln Memorial Gardens, 2310 Cannons Campground Rd., Drayton, SC. Live Stream services will be available on Facebook on the TEEFERGUSONREPORT.