Orea Mauney Homesley, 93, of Alexandria, Virginia, died January 26, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Orea was born on February 4, 1929 in Lawndale, North Carolina, the daughter of Roland and Iva Mooney. She was the oldest child of four children. Her early years were spent in Lawndale, and she later lived with Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Jones ("Grannie Jones") in their home on Highway 180 in Shelby, North Carolina. She attended Elizabeth School then went to Waco school where she met her future husband, Wade, in the fourth grade. She graduated from high school in 1945 and went to Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs and Meredith College in Raleigh where she earned a B.A. degree in Sociology. In 1949 she and Wade were married at Elizabeth Baptist Church in Shelby.

Wade had a long career with the F.B.I. which led Orea to reside first in Baltimore, Maryland; then Cranford, New Jersey; and finally in Alexandria, Virginia, where she lived for 55 years. She was employed early in her marriage by Irvington Varnish, the U.S. Social Security office, and Sears. She also spent many hours coaching Wade with his law studies which certainly helped him pass the bar exam in Maryland in 1953. Her daughter, Amy Marie, was born in 1995, and her son William Wade, in 1963, at Orange Memorial Hospital in Orange, New Jersey.

Orea devoted much of her life to her family. She was a wonderful wife and mother and for decades her family reaped many rewards of her love and devotion. She supported her children in all of their school activities in Fairfax County, which included scouting, Little League Baseball, newspaper delivery, piano lessons, and more. She loved our two cats Ashes and Toodles. Orea was a member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, the Friends of Mount Vernon, and the Mount Vernon Civic Association. She was a member of Plymouth Haven Baptist Church and attended services there for many years. Orea enjoyed shopping, gardening, and collecting. She loved to visit secondhand shops near her home, as well as making a multitude of trips to past and present Washington area stores, which included Hecht's, Woodward & Lothrop, Lord & Taylor, and Macy's. She returned as often as possible to Shelby, NC to visit her family and friends. She never lost that precious connection with the Cleveland and Gaston County areas of North Carolina.

She was predeceased by her parents, by Mr. and Mrs. Jones, her brother Bill of Lawndale, her brother Jim of Shelby, and her brother Jack of Spokane, Washington. She is survived by her husband, her son and daughter, her daughter-in-law Debbie, grandson Jonathan, her nephew Mark, and her niece Regina. Also surviving is her sister-in-law Maureen Mauney and nephews Keith, Kevin, and niece Colleen, all of whom live in Spokane, Washington.

A memorial service will be held at Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home Chapel, 106 Cherryville Road, Shelby, NC 28150, on Monday, February 6, 2023. Visitation will be held at 12:00 pm to 1:00pm, with the service from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Burial will immediately follow at Elizabeth Baptist Church.

Flowers are welcome, and memorials can be made to Meredith College, 3800 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27607.

Online condolences may be made at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com

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