Virgie McIntyre, 94, passed away at CarolinaEast Medical Center after a brief illness on July 22, 2017. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and an educator, painter, musician, and novelist.

Virgie grew up in the Gaffney/Spartanburg, S.C. area, and lived in the Green Creek, N.C. community from the 1940s-2011 and then moved to New Bern to be closer to family here and gained a new family and friends at McCarthy Court and Homeplace.

Virgie graduated from Chesnee High School, attended Asheville Teacher’s College, graduated from Berea College, Ky., and earned a Master’s Degree from Western Carolina University and Reading Specialist standing from Syracuse University.

Virgie was an active member of the Melvin Hill Church of the Brethren for 60 plus years serving as music director, pianist, Sunday school teacher, youth director, editor of the bulletin, and she worked on numerous committees. She retired from the NC public school system after 33 years, while working as a classroom teacher, Supervisor of Polk County Schools, Head Start Director, reading teacher, and member of the Western Carolina University faculty in the Education Department. While there, she held workshops all over the state in reading.

Virgie is preceded in death by her husband, Bryson McIntyre; daughter, Dawn McIntyre Flory; parents Ed and Etta Mahaffey; brothers Ray and Shufford; and her sisters Meredith McSherry, Ruby (Author) Johnson, and Edna (Paul) Chioniere.

She is survived by her daughter Teresa (Al) Mack; sisters Mary Lou Andrews and Wilma (Bob) Peercy; Son-in-law Phil (Ellie) Flory; brother-in-law Walter McSherry; sister-in-law’s Ann Mahaffey and Nancy Mahaffey; grandchildren Jamie (Josh) Waller, Erin (Dustin) Herrmann, Heather (Jeremy) Driver, Seth Flory, Courtney (Andy) Duffey; and great-grandchildren Emily, Abigail, Mackenzie, Reagan, Bryce, and Avery; nieces and nephews Melanie, Renee, Byron, Linda, Karen, Bert, Becky, Kathy, and Markita.

Services will be held at her home church, Melvin Hill Church of the Brethren on Saturday, September 2 at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mahaffey Memorial Fund, 555 Melvin Hill, Columbus, NC 28722.

Friends and family are invited to a reception following the service to celebrate Virgie’s life.

Online condolences may be made to the McIntyre family at www.cottenfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are entrusted to Cotten Funeral Home & Crematory.

Cotton Funeral Home
New Bern, N.C.