Janice Austin "Jan" Minyard

Janice Austin “Jan” Minyard, 89, a Rockingham County native whose life revolved around faith and family, died peacefully on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at the Penn Center in Reidsville.

Jan’s long and rewarding life will be celebrated at a service on Friday, Feb. 27, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Wilkerson Funeral Home with Arnold Peters, her pastor at Bibleway Community Church, officiating. Burial will follow in Evergreen Memory Gardens. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

She is survived by her daughter, Missy Minyard (Melodie May), her brother, William “Pete” Austin, and special nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Kelly Minyard, and sisters, Edna Fulp, Ida Orr, and Janet Wood.

Jan was born Aug. 16, 1936, in Rockingham County to the late Bessie and William Benjamin Austin. She worked in human resources at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University Medical Center, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, from which she retired.

In 1956, Jan married her high school sweetheart Kelly Minyard, then a football player at N.C. State University. Kelly went on to become a noted high school football coach who retired as head coach and athletic director at Reidsville Senior High School. Kelly died in 2008.

Jan spent countless hours attending college and high school games. She was an ardent fan of Wolfpack athletics and was known to coach vocally and enthusiastically through the television, a trait inherited by her daughter. She was also a talented baker specializing in the most Southern of hospitality treats, the pound cake. Those fortunate enough to enjoy her cakes considered her legendary.

Jan was a devoted member of Bibleway Community Church in Reidsville where she sang in the choir and served for many years as church treasurer. She was a former member of the American Business Women’s Association.

The family suggests that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

For compassionate care and support, the family expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Cone Health Penn Center.