Elaine J Bixby

Elaine “Laney” Jones Bixby, a beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully in her home on April 24, 2025, at the age of 87.

Born on November 30, 1937, in Savannah, Georgia, Laney spent her life sharing kindness, strength, and laughter with everyone she met. She married the love of her life, Lawrence Henry Bixby II, and together they built a home filled with love, laughter, and family, eventually settling in the mountains of Western North Carolina in 1976. After Larry’s passing in 2000, Laney carried forward their legacy with grace and resilience.

Laney had a gift for making people feel at home — whether through a warm hug, a quick-witted joke, or a simple chat in her welcoming home. She never met a stranger and made lifelong friends wherever she went. Her family and friends were everything to her.

She is survived by her two sons, Hank and Chuck Bixby; her two daughters, Sissy Turner and Ginny Bixby; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a wide circle of friends and former students who loved her dearly. Her greatest joy was her family, and her love and support will be carried in their hearts forever.

Laney will be laid to rest at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers, North Carolina. Details for a service celebrating her wonderful life will be shared soon. Her spirit, laughter, and boundless love will live on in all of us who were lucky enough to know her.

Please make donations to the Conkle-Rowe Scholarship Endowment at: www.goodshepherdofcashiers.com/conkle-rowe- scholarship.html, or to The Christmas Connection of Jackson County at: www.christmasconnectionofjc.org/contact, in lieu of flowers to support Jackson County youth.

“A mother’s love is the first light that guides us and the last to ever fade”