Mary Henry --beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and friend to many-- passed away suddenly on the night of May 31st, 2020 at her home in Shelby, NC. She was 83 years old.

She was born Mary Catherine Derrick on August 11, 1936, in Salley, SC, to William Edward and Edna Ruth (Haltiwanger) Derrick, and was raised in Charlotte, NC. The eldest of five children, and the family's only daughter, Mary became at the young age of 11 a second mother to her brothers, caring for them before and after school as both her parents worked. It was a role she inhabited with an intuitive grace and humility; and it would foreshadow much in her life to come --wherein she sought always, selflessly, to be of meaningful service.

Mary graduated from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, where she studied to be a teacher; and in 1955 she married Jerry Henry of Charlotte. The couple had four children between 1958 and 1965: David, Joseph, Catherine, and Andrew.

Owing to Jerry's work as an executive engineer for Chevrolet, the family left Charlotte for Atlanta in 1965, and moved several times more before settling in Rochester, MI, near Detroit, in the summer of 1975, and where they stayed until Jerry retired in 1992; at which point they returned to NC to be near family, putting down deep roots in the small town of Shelby--a community she came to feel had been waiting for them.

Given the era, Mary may well have described herself simply as "homemaker" when answering a census, but the term does little to frame the invention and devotion that she brought to bear on behalf of her family; nor does it speak to all that she additionally took on by way of answering a call to service that she believed her deep faith mandated: from Sunday school teacher and director of an inter-faith community outreach center in Rochester, to her years spent in Shelby as a board member for Habitat For Humanity (where she was as likely to be found on a ladder as sitting on budget committees); kitchen hostess of Aldersgate United Methodist Church (which became the well-spring of so many rich relationships); and Bible studies teacher at a local women's jail--the latter offering what she would describe as some of the most meaningful experiences of her life.

Mary was a gifted quilter and seamstress, rug maker and gardener; a remarkable cook who made frugality an art form; but all of these engagements might best be distilled by the term "care giver," if one is observing the truest meaning of those conjoined words --for all that she did was grounded in an abiding love for her extending family and greater community--in what it meant to lead by quiet example, with compassion and an allegiance to the concepts of good faith and forgiveness.

As her daughter Cathy wrote when first announcing her passing, "if you knew Mary, you loved Mary." And although she knew herself to be deeply loved, Mary will nonetheless be missed beyond her imagining. And her influence will continue to be a guiding star to all whose lives she touched and who aspire to embody and amplify her values of inclusivity.

Mary is survived by her husband of nearly 65 years, her four children and their devoted spouses: Clare Hirn (David), Melanie Ciccone (Joseph), and Patrick Twomey (Cathy); by her grandchildren Allison Twomey, Levon, Louise, Cyrus, Thea, and Hollis Henry. She was preceded in death by her brothers Charles, David, and Richard Derrick, and a granddaughter, Hannah Twomey (1993-2008), with whom Mary shared a special and enduring bond.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, services and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the pastor's discretionary fund or mission outreach, Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1207 W Dixon Blvd., Shelby, NC 28152.

Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family.

Guest Registry is available at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com.