Alma Kaye Covington Mayberry

Alma Covington Mayberry, 87, of Cary, died on July 1, 2014. She lived with lung disease her entire life and is now resting peacefully. Alma was born on November 1, 1926, in the Hawfields Community, Mebane, NC, to Charles Dewey Covington and Marian Fenton Covington. She was predeceased by brothers Dewey Covington, Jr. and Neel (Harriett) Covington, and is survived by sister Martha Lee Covington, brothers William Covington (Nancy), Jim Covington (Barbara, deceased) and Ben Covington (Patsy), all of Mebane, NC, along with numerous nephews, nieces and great nephews and great nieces.

Alma graduated from Mitchell College in Statesville, NC, where she met her future husband William Jones Mayberry. Alma and Jones were married 67 years and raised 3 daughters, Martha Kaye Mayberry (Layne Snelling) of Cary, Beth Mayberry of Cary and Jane Ponder (Reggie) of Edenton. Alma dearly loved and delighted in her grandchildren Sarah Paro (Blake), Nathan Ponder and great granddaughter, Avery Paro.

Alma excelled as a mother, wife, grandmother, great grandmother, friend and Southern cook. She never met a baby she didn’t want to hold or a dog she didn’t want to pet. Her dessert recipes (around which every meal was built) overflowed in her little yellow index card box. Alma and Jones enjoyed traveling and looked forward to their annual trip to Jackson Hole, WY. Many late falls were spent in Sparta, NC, harvesting trees on their Christmas tree farm and then hauling the trees back to Cary to sell. Alma loved Christmas and had an extensive wardrobe of Christmas sweaters and vests, which she wore every day in December. Summers were busy with their garden, canning green beans, and freezing Silver Queen corn.

The family wishes to thank Pam Henderson, Cassandra Davenport, and Juanita Bailey for their loving care of Alma, Dr. Jim Parsons for just being a phone call away, the staff at Independence Village. We also thank honorary daughters, Sharon Dinley and Priscilla Kistler, for their enduring and continuing support along our journey.

Contributions may be made to Transitions Life Care (formerly Hospice of Wake County), 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607.

A celebration of life will be held at Hawfields Presbyterian Church, 2115 N Carolina 119, Mebane, NC at 11 am on July 12, 2014. Covington Shelter, dress casually.