Edith Cooper Adkins Heatherly of Hamrick Road, Shelby, NC, passed away on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at the age of 94, having just celebrated a birthday the previous Saturday.
Mrs. Heatherly was born October 25, 1931, in Franklin County, VA, one of eleven children, to William Jackson Cooper and Pearl Martin Cooper, both deceased.


In addition to her parents, Mrs. Heatherly is predeceased by her seven brothers and three sisters. She is also predeceased by her first husband, Robert Belford Adkins Jr. (February 1984), and her second husband, Broadus Eugene Heatherly (March 2025), as well as her sons, Robert Belford Adkins III (2010) and Terry Heatherly (2012).


She is survived by her daughters, Charlotte Adkins Sinclaire of Durham, NC, and Cheryl Heatherly Billings (James) of Blacksburg, SC; daughter-in-law Glenda Adkins of Zionville, NC; eight grandchildren -- Jennifer Adkins Hupp, Joseph "Mikey" Adkins (Danielle), Michael Billings (Katie) Danyelle Eric Billings, Joseph Heatherly (Caroline), Cole Heatherly (Anna), Alex Heatherly, Morgan Heatherly - 12 great-grandchildren; and myriad nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A graveside service will be held on Sunday, November 2, at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Shelby, NC, at 2:00 PM. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the Family Life Center.

Online condolences can be shared at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com.

Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to serve the family.