Jayne Gosnell Helm

RALEIGH – Jayne Gosnell Helm, 80, passed away Sunday, August 7, 2022. She was born in Newark, NJ on February 3, 1942, the daughter of the late Jay Steele Gosnell and Gladys Lumley Gosnell. Jayne grew up in Livingston, NJ, and is described in her yearbook as “tall, neat and sweet--just the girl you want to meet”. Jayne earned a BSN from the University of Virginia School of Nursing in 1964, serving as senior class president. She went on to earn her MSN from Emory University, and taught nursing at Columbia University and UVA. She married Bob Jackson in 1969 and they started a family in Hawaii, where she learned Hawaiian cooking and enjoyed island life as a new mother. They later moved to Chester, VA and Columbia, SC where she proudly raised her two children. After divorcing, Jayne went to law school, graduating in 1989—the same year her son graduated high school. Initially practicing family law, and later medical malpractice defense, Jayne moved to Mt. Pleasant in 1997, where she started a solo practice focused on elder and probate law, serving for two years as an associate probate judge in Charleston, SC. Jayne retired from her law practice in 2010 after a massive stroke, moving to Raleigh in 2012 to be closer to family. She spent her retirement years in the devoted care and companionship of her husband of 23 years, Michael Joseph Helm, who never left her side. A skilled pianist, gourmet cook, gardener, and more recently an avid jigsaw puzzler, Jayne will be remembered by family and friends for her kindness, charm and grace. Jayne is survived by her husband Michael; daughter, Jennifer Caplinger and husband, Mike of Athens, GA; son, Jason Jackson and wife, Wendy of Raleigh; grandchildren, Jack Caplinger and Lauren Jackson; brother, Dennis Gosnell and wife, Sue of Dyke, VA; a niece, nephew and extended family and friends. A funeral service will be held at a later date at Saint Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church in Raleigh. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution in Jayne’s memory to the University of Virginia School of Nursing or Saint Raphael Catholic Church. Funeral arrangements are by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Raleigh. Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-lee funeralhome.com