City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Helen Glenna James
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 93.
Died 11/07/2025.
After moving to Charlotte, NC at age 10, Glenna adored and was essentially a second mom to her baby brother, Jeff (Thomas Jefferson Carter) who she chased all along the streets of uptown Charlotte. Her jobs included working as a line inspector and weigher with Celanese Corporation of America at the Celriver fiber plant located in Rock Hill, SC as well as The Saucy Crepe’ Distinctive Caterer in Charlotte, NC. But Glenna’s pride and essentially full-time job were her 7 children. Moving from NC to FL to DC to MS to TX and then settling back in her home state of NC, Glenna was known for her ability to never meet a stranger. She may have been late for most occasions, but her sweet spirit always lit up the room whenever she arrived. She was a lover of people and a prayer warrior for even those who were unaware of her bowed head and conversations with the Lord on their behalf. She especially loved music, particularly when gathered with her children for family “jam sessions.”
Glenna accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior as a young adult. When the Holy Spirit got a hold of her heart, in her words, “Nothing was going to keep me from walking down that aisle” at the invitation during one particular service at their local church in Washington, DC. As an adult, she served as a devoted member of Grace Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC where she continued to grow in her faith and dependence on the Lord.
Glenna was preceded in death by her mother, Queenie (“Mimmie”) and father, Thomas Jefferson (“Ring”) Carter; sister, Corrine Haynes; brother, Jeff Carter; daughters, Glenn Kline (Ron) and Donna Barbour; son, Doug James; grand-daughter, Tonya James; nephew, Ricky Haynes; great nephew, Tripp Haynes and niece, Carrie Harmon. She is survived by her sons Alan James (Rusty) and Donnie James (Dana); daughters Michele Pruyn (David) and Jenny Wayne (Eric); son-in-law, Billy Barbour; daughter-in-law, Janice; as well as grandchildren David Barbour (Chad), Robbie Helms, Brian James, Matthew James, Christie James, Megan James and James Pruyn. She also leaves behind four great-grandchildren; Malachi, Lily, London and Kip.
The family will celebrate Glenna’s life together privately at a later date but welcomes everyone to remember her in their own special way.
We deeply appreciate the kindness and support of friends and loved ones during this time. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the compassionate care of both Jaeni Lin and Transitions Life Care provided to Glenna and our family.
2 Timothy 4:7 ~ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
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
$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.
$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.
$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.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$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.
$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.
$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.
$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.