Valorie Eileen Pope

Val was born September 3, 1954, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the daughter of John and Lou Ella McNabb. Val grew up in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, and graduated from Mars Hill College. After college, Val worked as a counselor at Fort Caswell, and coastal North Carolina remained a favorite destination throughout her life. Val also worked for Showcase where she booked and traveled with bands all over the country. After her travels, Val was a teacher, both in the public and private classrooms as well as being a homeschool mom, for more than 25 years. “Miss Val” was a student favorite at her schools in North Carolina and Georgia. She loved teaching and the energy of her students, and she continued this work after retiring from teaching by providing mentorship to home school teachers, writing books, and volunteering at her church.

She is survived by her husband, Darin Pope of Melissa; her daughter, Charis Pope of McKinney, and her husband, Jon Gegelman; and her brothers Jeff McNabb of Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, and Gary McNabb of Climax, North Carolina. She is also survived by her soul dog, Oakley, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.

A celebration of Val’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 28, at Stonebriar Funeral Home in Frisco, Texas. The service will be livestreamed for those who are unable to travel to Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Father’s House Ghana (fathershouseghana.org).