September 15, 2012

“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

Early Sept. 15, 2012, Jean Harriette Moore O’Berry unexpectedly went to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ.

Born July 15, 1930, in Portsmouth, Va., she was predeceased by her parents, Arthur Wesley and Florence Skinner Moore; husband, Edward Foushee O’Berry Jr.; and a son, Hubert Rawls O’Berry.

She is survived by a son, Edward Foushee (E.F.) O’Berry III (Sandra), of Smithfield, N.C.; granddaughter, Lee Pruette (Blair), of Raleigh, N.C., and great-grandson, Lander; a daughter, Carolyn Whitfield (David), of Vanceboro, N.C.; grandson, Robert Whitfield (Jessie), of Raleigh, N.C., and two great-granddaughters; and a grandson, Alexander R. O’Berry, of Jefferson City, Miss. Jean is also survived by her twin sister, June Holland, of Suffolk, Va.; sister, Jane Womack (Donald), of Windsor, Va.; and brother, Arthur Wesley Moore Jr. (Paulette), of Suffolk, Va.

Jean graduated from Holland High School in 1948. She worked as a ward secretary at Craven County Hospital in New Bern, N.C., and later at DeKalb General Hospital. When she returned to New Bern, N.C., she was a vendor with her husband at the New Bern Farmers Market until his death in 2002. She continued this venture for several years thereafter. She also served as a volunteer for the New Bern Chamber of Commerce for many years. Jean was a lifelong member of Liberty Springs Christian Church. Prior to moving back to Virginia from New Bern, N.C., she was a member of Antioch Freewill Baptist Church. She also enjoyed fellowship at Liberty Baptist Church.

A funeral will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Parr Funeral Home. Visitation will be held an hour before the funeral. Burial will be held at Liberty Spring Christian Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the building fund of Antioch Freewill Baptist Building Fund, 762 Antioch Road, New Bern, NC 28560; to the cemetery fund of Liberty Spring Christian Church, 4213 Whaleyville Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23434; or H-E-A-R-T of Suffolk, P.O. Box 3328, Suffolk, VA 23439-3328. Condolences may be registered online at www.parrfuneralhome.com.