MARY JANE “JANIE” PERCEFULL STECKS,
died peacefully at home with family on May 11, 2021. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 55 years, Carl Frederick (Freddie) Stecks, Jr.; her sister, Virginia Ann McCarley Stapleton; and parents, (Lt. Col. ret.) George E. Percefull, Lonoke, Ark., and Virginia L. Hubbard Percefull, Oxford, Md. Born in Great Neck, New York, May 7, 1941, Jane was the great-great-grandaughter of Hicks and Percefull pioneer families of Lonoke County, Arkansas. As a child she moved all over the country (Alaska, Ohio, Texas, Michigan) with her military family, so changing schools and making friends quickly was a regular occurrence. When her father retired from the US Air Force in 1954, they settled for good in his birthplace, and the town her ancestors founded, Lonoke, Arkansas. Jane enrolled at Lonoke High School. The town was a warm and welcoming place, and her school years there left her with fond memories. After graduating in 1959, she spent three semesters as a TriDelt at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and came home to marry Freddie in 1961. They eloped to Oklahoma with their dear friends Jenna and Philip Baker, whose deep friendship endured until the very end.
Marrying a farmer was challenging in every way for a “city girl,” but was eased by the help of her mother-in-law, Ida Mae, herself an excellent cook, who showed her the importance of supplying copious amounts of food three times a day during critical months of farm life. Raising four children, ten years on the farm, and becoming “office manager” for Stecks Farms, became her life. Traveling, camping and socializing with friends filled her down time. Jane was a wonderful mother who provided a safe, healthy home for her children, reminding them to be thoughtful, kind and humble. She taught the importance of making their beds, eating vegetables, writing thank-you notes, working hard, and paying attention to everyday beauty. Jane enriched her quiet years voraciously reading books of all kinds. She could put any plant in the ground and make it thrive, and at 79 still enjoyed mowing her own yard. She did not wait until the end of her life to declare that it had been a great life that filled her with gratitude. However, her last year brought a series of surgeries from which she never quite recovered. She spent her last weeks at home, in peace, with people she loved, just as she wanted.
She is survived by her sister, Carol Percefull Morris; brother, George E. Percefull; sons, Carl F. “Trey” Stecks III, Gregory E. Stecks, Kevin R. Stecks; daughter, V. Leigh Stecks Quirk, and eight grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Central Arkansas Library or the Lonoke Methodist Church would support two things she loved, books, and her Lonoke roots. Arrangements are under the direction of: RuebelFuneralHome.com