City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation

Obituary
Martha DeCain

Raleigh, North Carolina

Age 71.
Died 04/20/2023.

Martha DeCain
Early in the morning of April 20, 2023 Martha Jean DeCain of Raleigh, NC passed away. She was afflicted with Pancreatic Cancer that took her life far too soon. She will be sorely missed by her loving family and many friends, colleagues and neighbors. Always an easy person to like, she made everyone in her circle feel appreciated and special. She possessed an estimable grace and an indefatigable joie de vivre that was her greatest gift. Martha would always find the good side of things, and in people.
Martha was born a leap-year baby on February 29, 1952 in Cuba, NY. She grew up in Belfast, NY and graduated with 21 classmates from her High School in 1970. With a God-given mellifluous voice she sang in the school choir and achieved All State Choir in NY. Upon graduation Martha entered Alfred State college where she earned an Associate degree in Medical Technology in 1972. Needing bigger pastures than rural NY could offer, she fled to Boston to fledge her wings. There she was quickly hired by Massachusetts General Hospital, and began a 15-year career that took her from Lab Technician to Unit Coordinator, and then on to her final job in the Business Office where she managed the relationship with AT&T for MGH. Martha chose to pursue her bachelor’s degree at Boston University, entering in 1980, and went to school in the evening after work. Successfully completing her B.A. degree in Business Management she was able to use this knowledge to the benefit of her future employer, Research Triangle Institute, International in RTP, NC.
In the winter of 1985 Martha met her future husband, Mark, through the introduction of a mutual friend. It was far from love at first sight, and for a while they dated sporadically until he came to his senses and realized how she was a very special woman. After two years of dating they became engaged over Labor Day weekend in 1986. They married on May 9, 1987 in St. John the Evangelist Church in Swampscott, MA. Never one to shy away from adventure, she let Mark talk her into a honeymoon on a bareboat charter sailing out of the US Virgin Islands. This was far from her never lamented dream trip to the south of France.
In 1988 her son Andrew (Drew) was born, and after major heartaches along the way, subsequently brought her daughter Francesca (Chessa) into the world. Martha delighted in her role as mother, counselor, confidante and friend to her children. All along the way she continually gave them love and support to help them become the supreme accomplishments of her life.
In 1993 Martha reluctantly gave up her adopted home in Boston and with Mark moved to Raleigh, NC for his career with IBM. She never lost her yearning to return, but gradually accepted that life in North Carolina was an easy alternative. When Mark was laid off by IBM in 2002 she decided she would return to the workforce. This turned out to be not only a much needed boost to the family finances, but to fulfilling her career aspirations. She joined RTI on 01/02/03. Her knowledge, skills, experience, abilities and personality were a great match for the organization. Many of her colleagues routinely sought her out for her advice and insights. Happily for her, she found self-fulfillment in a role she created and that RTI readily endorsed. She retired from RTI in June of 2019.
The story of Martha’s life is that she was a friend to many and all. Everyone who knew her were very glad that they had met. The world is a different place without her. It would be a better place if there were more like her. She is survived by her husband Mark, her son Drew and wife Kristen of Raleigh, NC, her daughter Chessa and spouse Caelan of Seattle WA, her sister Kathy of Belfast, NY, her sister Jan and husband Mike of Alexandria, VA, and her brother Stan and wife Char of Herndon, VA. She also has numerous nephews, nieces and cousins. She is pre-deceased by her father George, and mother Mary of Belfast, NY and her son Christian, of Stoneham, MA.
A Funeral Liturgy and Inurnment will be held on May 12 at 11:00am at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh, NC.
In lieu of flowers please consider donations to a charity, or to ProMedica Hospice of Raleigh, NC.

For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.


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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.

Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.

Our Promise

Apples to Apples

Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.


The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.

Genuine Care

We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.


Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.


We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.

State Wide

Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.


Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.

Our Services

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Direct Cremation

$1196.75

Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.

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Cremation with Solidified Remains

$2875.66

We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.

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Cremation with Visitation

$1917.84

City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.

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Immediate Burial

$2497.50

An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.

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Traditional Funeral

$6081.48

We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.

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Green Burial

$3033.75

This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.

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Aquamation

$2640.59

As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.

City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremations