Jamezetta Ranay Bedford

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother and community leader Jamezetta Ranay (Karickhoff) Bedford, 67, passed away on June 21, 2026 at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill.

She was born on September 29, 1958 in Arlington, Virginia to James Glen Karickhoff and Cacynthia Rosella (Hoffert) Karickhoff.

Jamezetta was her high school’s valedictorian and attended the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar earning a B.A. degree with Distinction in Mathematics in 1980. She was a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a coed service fraternity, where she met her future husband Ed. She later earned her Master’s Degree in Accounting from the University of North Carolina in 2004 and became a Certified Public Accountant specializing in tax. She and her family lived in Catonsville, Maryland before moving to Chapel Hill in 1992.

She is survived by her loving husband of 45 years, Edward James Bedford of Chapel Hill, NC, her son James (Jim) Bedford, daughter-in-law Lindsay Bedford, grandson Bryce Bedford and granddaughter Eliza Bedford all of Carrboro, NC, her daughter Shannon Bedford of Lillington, NC, and her son Kevin Bedford and daughter-in-law Jonelle Bedford of Durham, NC. She is also survived by her mother Cacynthia Karickhoff, sisters Brenda Karickhoff and Kendra Sullivan and brothers Carl Karickhoff and Owen Karickhoff.

She loved her family dearly, and nothing made her happier than spending time with them. At the time of her death she was eagerly looking forward to the birth of a third grandchild, the first child for Kevin and Jonelle. Jamez loved to travel and see new places. Her favorite spot was Hawaii, but she also loved Vieques in Puerto Rico, the Florida Keys and Ocracoke Island. Basically she loved any place where she could spend some time at the beach with some magazines. She would save them up as she didn’t have much time for pleasure reading when not on vacation. She enjoyed her local book club, even though she occasionally she didn’t even read the book. She liked spending time with her friends and catching up on everyone’s life.

Jamezetta was a dedicated public servant. She was a PTA volunteer, a Scouting volunteer, and an Autism Society volunteer. She served for twelve years on the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Board of Education and has served the past eight years as an Orange County Commissioner. She was proud to be a liberal Democrat. She strove to improve life for all, with a special interest in public education as well as services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

If you are reading this obituary, please also take a moment to also read some of the wonderful tributes contained in the guestbook entries.

The chronologically arranged logos on the side represent some of the institutions and things that were important in her life.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Jamezetta’s memory to the Autism Society of North Carolina for the benefit of Camp Royall. Camp Royall is the nation's oldest and largest summer camp for children and adults with autism. You can use the link below or mail to Autism Society of North Carolina, Attn: Donations, 5121 Kingdom Way, # 100, Raleigh, NC 27607.