The one request Jamezetta Bedford made for her funeral, according to the officiant on Saturday afternoon, was to have a gospel choir perform to help it feel more uplifting than somber.
Even with the quartet from Mt. Zion AME Church belting to the heavens, many people in attendance of Bedford’s celebration of life still found themselves wiping away tears over her death and the community’s subsequent loss of a remarkable public servant.
Hundreds gathered in the sanctuary of University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill this past weekend to mourn and honor Bedford, a former Orange County Commissioner and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education member, who died unexpectedly in June at 67 years old. Her passing marks the first time in years an elected official died while in office — but the outpouring of stories and memories in her wake, as well as the turnout to her funeral, reflected her beloved status within the community.
Dr. Jim Bedford, Jamezetta’s eldest son, delivered the family’s eulogy alongside several other prominent community figures and friends of his mother. A psychiatrist with a focus on seeing and treating neurodivergent people, he said his professional path was directly inspired by the care and inclusivity Bedford brought to her professional life and home.
“The promise to help other people at all times resonates so deeply with me because my parents exemplified that way of life every single day,” said Jim Bedford. “To Mom, helping others wasn’t some abstract duty — it was the natural outcome of love and empathy. Empathy that the simple realization of, ‘That could be me,’ as it often was. her impact on our community was so extensive because Mom had time for everyone. She would spend many hours on the phone. Many people have told me she was their main mentor or a significant support person to them.”
Dr. Jim Bedford speaks during the memorial service for his mother, Jamezetta, on Saturday, August 22. (Photo via University United Methodist Church’s livestream.)
Pam Hemminger is one of those people. She and Jamezetta Bedford met long before both women became local politicians, connecting as mothers of children at Ephesus Elementary School. Hemminger said that Bedford helped start a play group with other moms to meet more people in the Colony Woods neighborhood. The friendship between the Bedfords and Hemmingers blossomed into annual traditions, like visits during the holidays, that continue even now. And, of course, the pair of Hemminger and Bedford both serving as school board members and county commissioners at different times before Hemminger earned election to Chapel Hill’s mayoral office for four terms.
“She brought balance, common sense and financial acumen to every board she served on,” Hemminger said of Bedford’s local government work. “But she mostly brought empathy and concern to those who most needed the support. She led with her heart, and she was truly a professional encourager.”
In addition to three generations of Bedford’s family, members from every local elected body — town councils, Boards of Education, and her colleagues on the Board of County Commissioners — attended alongside many of those in the advocacy community around autism and disability rights.
The Bedfords moved to Chapel Hill to help provide resources and care to their daughter, Shannon, who has severe autism. In lieu of flowers or condolence gifts, the family asked for donations to be made to Camp Royall in Bedford’s honor. At the time she began supporting it, the camp in Moncure was the first dedicated to serving autistic children and adults in the U.S. Run through the Autism Society of North Carolina, it provides year-round programming that provides inclusive camp activities and events — with a proven track record of its campers displaying more confidence and willingness to try new experiences.
Lisa Kaylie, the executive director of ExtraOrdinary Ventures and fellow parent of an autistic child, said Camp Royall donations in Bedford’s name this summer led to 22 scholarships covering campers’ cost of attendance. During her comments, she also highlighted Bedford’s leadership in the autistic community’s space. She founded the Special Needs Advisory Council for the CHCCS school district to help support students with IDD and their families. Bedford was a founding member of the Chapel Hill chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina too, which has since expanded to Chatham County.
“In this room today, we feel how much Jamezetta meant to our neuro-diverse autism tribe and to the community as a whole,” Kaylie said. “We see the immense change she helped create. Our local Autism Society chapter, Camp Royall, Special Needs Advisory Council, and — even in her final days — her commitment to the now-approved Orange County Crisis Diversion Center will help people for many decades to come. The grief we feel at her loss is tremendous.”
Lisa Kaylie delivers a eulogy for Jamezetta Bedford focused on Bedford’s impact on the autism and neurodivergent-focused community. (Photo via University United Methodist Church’s livestream.)
To help close the ceremony, current Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson awarded the Bedford family a posthumous key to the city for Jamezetta’s service to the town in all its forms: as a resident, as a school board member and as a county commissioner who helped shape the direction of the local government.
“Jamezetta did far more than earn a key to Chapel Hill,” Anderson said. “Through her years of service, she helped unlock real opportunities for children, for families, for neighbors in need, and for many generations who will benefit from the stronger schools, expanded behavioral health programs, and a community that strives to be more welcoming and more just because of her leadership.
“Chapel Hill is better because Jamezetta Bedford called it home, chose to serve it, and gave so much of herself to it,” the mayor concluded. “To her family: thank you for sharing Jamezetta with all of us. We know that every hour she devoted to this community was possible because of your love and support. May this key serve as a lasting reminder that the doors Jamezetta opened for others will never be forgotten and she will always have a place in the heart of Chapel Hill.”
Bedford’s official obituary can be read here and the livestream of Saturday’s memorial service can be found on the University United Methodist Church’s YouTube channel.
Featured photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
‘A Professional Encourager’: Jamezetta Bedford’s Chapel Hill Memorial Service Honors Her Life of Service Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about a professional encourager jamezetta bedford s chapel hill memorial service honors her life of service was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘A Professional Encourager’: Jamezetta Bedford’s Chapel Hill Memorial Service Honors Her Life of Service )
Also on site :
- Kendra Scott’s Dainty Pumpkin Necklace Is a Festive Finishing Touch for Fall Outfits, and It’s Under $35
- Dolly Parton’s Final Message to Millions of Children Is Breaking Hearts After Her Death: ‘Promise Me’
- ‘Nashville’ Star Connie Britton Breaks Silence on Dolly Parton’s Death: ‘The Blondes Are Really Taking Heaven By Storm This Week’