August 17, 1957 – January 20, 2025
Deborah Hooper, 67, passed away surrounded by her family following a long battle with cancer. She was a dearly loved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, cousin, aunt, great aunt, great great aunt and community leader. Moreover, she was a beloved friend to so many in all walks of her life.
Deborah’s Celebration of Life service will be held at Starmount Presbyterian Church on Saturday, February 1, 2025 at 2:00 PM with a family reception after the service in the fellowship hall. Friends will also be received and hosted by the family at a small plate catered reception of light fare on Friday, January 31, 2025, 6 until 8 P.M., at Hanes-Lineberry N. Elm Street. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in her memory to the Local Missions Fund of Starmount Presbyterian Church, Attn: Lynne Kirsch, 3501 W. Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27403.
Deborah was born in Greensboro to Warren and Anne Needham, who survive her, and raised in Oak Ridge. Growing up in Oak Ridge shaped who she was and how she lived, with the blessing of both sides of a large extended family living nearby. Hers was a faith centered life defined by hard work, respect and always seeking to lift others. She was baptized at Union Grove Baptist Church, and matriculated through the Guilford County Schools, graduating from Northwest High School in 1975 as salutatorian. She was a good, straight A student throughout all those years and received a Scholastic Art Award.
Upon graduation from Northwest High School, she joined the administrative staff of Strand Skees Jones and Company CPAs, while simultaneously beginning the Accounting Associates Degree program at Guilford Technical Community College (“GTCC”). These decisions shaped her professional life and future in countless ways.
In 1977 when she completed her Accounting Associates Degree, she joined the Tuggle, Duggins, Meschan, Thornton & Elrod law firm in Greensboro, where she had the good fortune to work with William “Bill” Little Tankersley III. In addition to being an attorney, Bill was a CPA and mentored new hires of the firm.
After working at the law firm three years, Deborah made the decision to return to school enrolling in the accounting program at East Carolina University (“ECU”) in the fall of 1979. In the spring of 1982 Deborah completed her B.S.B.A. in Accounting, Summa Cum Laude, being the first in her family to earn a university degree, while putting herself through school working part time. She received numerous academic awards at ECU and was a member of Phi Sigma Pi.
Upon graduation from ECU, she joined Arthur Andersen LLP in their Greensboro office. Deborah benefited from Jack Belfi as a leadership role model who served as Managing Partner. She took and passed the CPA exam in 1982 and earned her CPA license in 1984, which was in effect at her passing.
In 1986 Deborah was recruited to WFMY-TV2, the Greensboro based CBS television affiliate, as their Controller. At the time the station was owned by Harte-Hanks Communications of San Antonio, Texas, and had just been taken private. She distinguished herself in a short time by also serving as Controller for WTLV, an ABC affiliate in Jacksonville, Florida, also owned by Harte-Hanks. In this dual role, she split her time between Greensboro and Jacksonville.
In 1988 Harte-Hanks sold WFMY-TV2 and WTLV to Gannett Broadcasting, a unit of Gannett Co., Inc. Given Harte-Hanks lean staff, Deborah was charged with overseeing myriad complex sale/purchase details of the transaction. Her error free work especially caught the eye of Cecil Walker, CEO of Gannett Broadcasting, and resulted in increasing responsibilities for syndicated programming and station management. Gannett supported her by sending her to Northwestern University Executive Development Programs. Mr. Walker, also a professional accountant by training, announced her promotion to President and General Manager on site at WFMY-TV2 in June 1995.
Given the competitive tri-hyphenated Piedmont Triad television market, Deborah led the team to craft a unique positioning strategy that resulted in solid Nielsen ratings. Coupled with that was evolving WFMY-TV2’s community affairs projects with colleagues Shirley Frye and Donna Newton. Their collaboration resulted in numerous programs that brought attention to needs in our community such as Operation Greensboro Cares, Tools for School, Read 2 Succeed, Food 2 Families and free-swimming classes for needy children. As a result, they were honored to receive the National Association of Broadcasters Service to America Award in 2009, in just the tenth year of this prestigious award. Deborah’s tenure at the station spanned 25 years from 1986 to 2011.
In the early 2000’s, Deborah served as a Board member and Treasurer of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. Beginning in 2006 she became a board member of the Greensboro Partnership upon its formation. These board positions and service were an ideal meshing of her passions and work interests to benefit the community. She enjoyed learning about the hard work and investments of local foundations to create educational and economic development opportunities to help all individuals achieve an improved quality of life.
Always a proponent of lifelong learning and continuing education, Deborah enrolled in the Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) program at UNCG in 2009 and completed her degree in 2013. Through her work that touched so many aspects of the community, she wanted to learn and understand the interplay of legislative initiatives, fundraising, grant writing and effective nonprofit leadership. One example of how her MPA helped was her work with the Guilford Apprenticeship Partners (GAP) program.
During the years 2009 through 2018, Deborah served on the Cone Health Board of Trustees and was their Board Chair for 3 years, from 2015 through 2017. It was during this period the Alamance Regional Medical System merged with Cone Health (May 2013), Terry Akin succeeded Tim Rice (January 2015), and the Affordable Care Act was enacted. She enjoyed the collaboration with exceptionally talented Cone leadership and Trustees to navigate the many changes and strengthen the Cone Health system.
In 2011, Deborah joined the Greensboro Partnership as President of its Chamber of Commerce. Shortly after Brent Christensen joined in 2015, the Partnership rebranded as The Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and Deborah became Chief Operating Officer and continued in that role until early 2023 when she had to step down unexpectedly for health reasons. Theirs was a great collaboration with the talented Chamber team, Board members, Chamber membership and foundations, marked by numerous successes.
During her career, Deborah served on the ECU Board of Visitors and was honored at ECU’s One Hundred Incredible Women event in 2007 in connection with the school’s one hundredth anniversary. She and Jim endowed the James E. and Deborah L. Hooper Scholarship in 2007 to assist deserving accounting students. She was a long-time member of the ECU Pirate Club and with Jim long time football season ticket holders with four beloved couples who met as undergrads.
Deborah never sought awards of which she received many, and one that brought extra special meaning was being an Athena Award recipient in 2003. She loved coming together annually with her fellow Athena’s as they collaborated to identify and select the next recipient.
Because she knew Mr. Osborne personally and professionally, Deborah’s heart was truly touched when she received the Thomas Z Osborne Distinguished Citizen Award in February, 2024. Indeed, she continued to serve up until the end by supporting others in every way possible who had been diagnosed with ovarian and other forms of cancer. She had a strong, lifelong faith and received support from her online Women’s Bible Study Group led by Donna Ford.
Thanks to an introduction by Deborah’s roommate Lee Mabry Williams, James “Jim” E. Hooper met her in the mid 1980’s. Jim was thrilled to meet Deborah and was struck by her wonderful personality and amazing presence. Deborah and Jim found they had so much in common, not the least of which were each being ECU undergrads and CPA’s. They were married in 1988 in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Greensboro by Jim’s family friend, Reverend Warren Brannon from Shiloh Presbyterian Church in Burlington.
After their marriage, they joined Starmount Presbyterian Church and it would be the center of their faith life where each of their daughters were baptized. Deborah served as a Sunday school teacher for the middle grades for many years, in addition to being an Elder, usher and visitor desk volunteer on Sundays. Deborah especially loved her Church family.
Deborah and Jim and their daughters loved her family’s holiday gatherings in Oak Ridge at her parent’s home, and Christmas parties at her Aunt Mick and Uncle Leonard Stafford’s home. The annual Meadows and Needham family reunions were a lifelong joy too.
Deborah embraced Jim’s French maternal heritage and they enjoyed many trips to France before and after their daughters were born. Her favorite place in France and favorite family stay was on the island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, in the same Inn and same room that Jim first stayed in as a young boy in the 1960’s. Late in the afternoon after tourists departed, they enjoyed exploring the island and climbing the narrow cobblestone pathways to the Abbey and watching the sunset over the English Channel.
Deborah and Jim also enjoyed their annual family beach vacation to Hilton Head Island. In addition to staying on South Forest Beach and enjoying the sand and surf, they biked with their girls all over the island on its 55 miles of bike trails. These beach vacations were beyond special for Deborah’s and Jim’s family, and they felt fortunate to travel extensively throughout their marriage.
As parents they were blessed with the births of Lauren in 1992 and Adrienne in 1995. Deborah was a fantastic Mom and never missed any of their special events, be them at school, dance and music recitals, soccer matches and cross country meets. She was a great role model for her daughters and enthusiastically supported each activity that resulted in their growing into confident young women happily married to fine young men. Lauren and Adrienne took full advantage of each educational and work opportunity they were afforded and like each of their parents, earned graduate degrees in their respective fields. Deborah was so proud of Lauren and Adrienne, and beyond thrilled with the birth of Lauren’s son Leland in 2024. And she fully supported and encouraged Jim in his entrepreneurial endeavors that spanned thirty years after his career as a practicing CPA.
Deborah was predeceased by her grandparents, Davis and Ruby Meadows and James and Sallie Needham. She is survived by Jim, Lauren Doster (Sam), Adrienne Kopas (Ivan), grandson Leland, her parents Warren and Anne Needham, siblings Ginger Needham (Bill) of Calabash, NC, Greg Needham (Lori) of Charlotte, NC, and Frank Needham (Jackie) of Oak Ridge, NC. She is also survived by her siblings’ children Brandon Needham (Carmel), Nick Needham, Ashley Needham, Gregory Needham, Jordan Bullard (Cameron), Victoria Needham, and as well as numerous cousins. Further she is survived by Jim’s sisters Janet Lee and Joan Wilson and their families in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as Jim’s extended family in France, Texas, and Louisiana.
Deborah loved deeply. She always read her daily devotions and believed her trial was testimony to the glory of God. Capturing her life in words is difficult as hers was a life fulfilled through faith and helping others reach their potential.
Terry Akin, retired Cone Health CEO, said it so well in February, 2024, upon her receiving the Thomas Z. Osborne Award. “I think of Deborah as a steel magnolia, if that makes sense. She is as elegant and genteel as they come. And yet she is constantly strong in ways that you don’t even necessarily know – until she’s in a situation where she needs to bring it.”
The family is grateful for the love and care Deborah received from so many during her cancer journey.
We will always miss her and remember the way she lived as a beautiful, smart, and caring woman.
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