Jeanette Tippette Adams

ROCKY MOUNT – Jeanette Tippette Adams, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.  Born in Halifax County, NC on November 16, 1946, she was the daughter of the late Earlie Banks Tippette and Gatha Winfree Tippette.  She is also preceded in death by her brothers, Danny Tippette and Marvin Tippette; and her sister, Virginia Tippette Pridgen.

Jeanette was from a large family and was 1 of 10 children.  She learned the value of family from a loving mother who encouraged a deep lifelong bond with her siblings.  Jeanette was always meticulous in the way she dressed and kept her home.  She had a love for beautiful things and collected powder boxes, head vases and cruets of all make, color and size.  She learned hard work from growing up on a farm.  She always worked outside the home while raising her daughters, making amazing meals and keeping her home spotless.  Her cakes and chocolate fudge were legendary and made to perfection every time.  She had a strong faith in God and lived her life accordingly.  Jeanette shared that faith in God willingly and often.  She lived by example and was always willing to help others whenever she could.  She often took elderly family and friends or anyone who needed help, wherever they needed to go.  It could have been simple errands, grocery shopping, doctor appointments, or whatever.  She invented the uber driving ahead of its time except she didn’t take payment.  Jeanette’s out of home work and career consisted of being a sewing supervisor at Burlington Drapery Plant for many years until its closing, and then as sewing supervisor at the Barcalounger Company until she decided she wanted to slow her busy life down.  She then opened an Antique Shop to share that love of beautiful things and knowledge with others.  She included family members that shared her interest in antiques.  Together they worked, laughed and had fun doing what they enjoyed while meeting new friends.

Unfortunately, dementia made its way into her life the last several years.  She fought it and found ways of hiding or disguising it for a long time.  She was determined to live her life and take care of her husband and family as long as possible.  She did an amazing job of keeping things normal and unchanged for a good while.  She was then tested even more by experiencing heart failure.  For her last two and a half years she had managed to live with a heart working at only 10% at what it should have been.  She had always been very active, which made acceptance of the heart failure very difficult, but she never gave up and continued to do light housework until the end.  With dementia and heart failure, she could still laugh and be humorous at times.  She also never had a time that she didn’t know her husband, children, grandchildren, or any other family or friends.

Jeanette is survived by her husband of 59 years, Jerry Adams, Sr.; her daughters, Sherry Adams Hunt and husband, Scott and Kayley Allyson Brantley; her step-daughter, Kim Bridgers; her step-son, Jerry Alton Adams, Jr. and wife, Shari; her grandchildren, Tyler Adam Hunt, Brandon Scott Hunt, Brittany Adams, and Thomas Bridgers; several great-grandchildren; her brothers, Wayne Tippette and wife, Barbara, Jake “Lucky” Tippette, and Terry Tippette; her sisters, Joyce Tippette Spell, Donna Tippette Hudson and husband, Jimmie, and Cynthia Tippette May and husband, Al; and her fur babies, Buddy, Tilly (her lap buddy when Tilly was inside), and Muffin.

The funeral arrangements are pending.

The family would like to say a special thanks to her sister, Donna Hudson, and the best brother ever, Terry Tippette, whose love and support continued to the end.  Also, a special thanks to her wonderful neighbors and friends, Soloman and Clementine Dantzler and Sallie.

Flowers are welcome or memorials may be made in Jeanette’s memory to Dortches Baptist Church, 4776 Dortches Blvd., Rocky Mount, NC  27804.

Arrangements entrusted to Wheeler & Woodlief Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 1130 N. Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 27804.  You may share memories and condolences with the family by visiting www.wheelerwoodlief.com.