Thelma Sawyer Worthington

Thelma Worthington, 98, passed away on Sunday, April 20, 2025.

Thelma Sawyer Worthington was born in Pitt County on February 13, 1927 to the late Joe Micajah Sawyer and Ara Coward Sawyer.  She grew up on a farm near Hancock’s Primitive Baptist Church where her family attended for years.  She attended Winterville School with my Aunt Rose Worthington Peele as her good friend and visited Mama Hattie’s house with Aunt Rose many times where she met her future husband, John Adrian Worthington.  In her senior year of school (11th Grade) Mama and her sister Jo Ella were transferred to Ayden High School because of bus route changes.  The world was soon at war and Mama went to Kennedy’s Business School in Durham and upon completion she returned to Greenville where my grandparents now lived and went to work for Carolina Sales Corporation, a job she really enjoyed.  She shared an apartment with Daddy’s cousin, Lila, and after the war, Lila reintroduced her to my Dad.  They married on December 26, 1952, and after a brief honeymoon to Washington DC and Virginia, moved to Eureka, NC where Dad began teaching agriculture.  A son, John Adrian Worthington Jr. was born in October 1953.  They all moved to Pink Hill in 1958, and Dad taught Ag and eventually became Vocational Director and Assistant Superintendent.  In the mid 60’s, Thelma began working as Assistant Librarian at Pink Hill working with Edith Wiley and Shirley Ledford for years.  She was also a Reading Lab Aide at Woodington Junior High for a few years with Marie Hill until she returned to the library at Pink Hill School and eventually retired in 1985.  Mom and Dad enjoyed years of retirement and traveled and explored our state.  Dad passed away at 98 in October 2023.  Mama continued on in relatively good health until last fall.  She was 98 years old when she passed away at home on Easter morning in the care of her son and big cat Kitty.

She was a member of New Bay Primitive Baptist Church near Jacksonville, pastored by her late sister Jo Ella’s husband, Elder D.B. Stokes who is also 98.

Due to a major roundabout construction project at the cemetery, the service will be private, family only, due to limited parking.

Memorials may be sent to the Lenoir County SPCA, P.O. Box 1481, Kinston, NC 28503.

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