Ann W. Early

Ann W. Early, 92, of Holly Springs, NC died June 8, 2021. She was born in 1929 in Ware Shoals, SC, Ann was the daughter of the late George Dewey and Mary Abrams Wood. She was raised in rural SC along with her seven siblings, and graduated Ware Shoals High School in 1946. She attended Winthrop College, earning a degree in nutrition in 1950, and went on to work as a dietitian first in Charlotte, NC and then in Florence, SC where she met her future husband Jack on a blind date arranged by mutual friends. They were married in 1954 and moved to Raleigh, NC where she worked at Rex Hospital as a dietitian while Jack was finishing graduate school at N.C. State. After the birth of her daughter, Sharon, they moved to St. Louis, MO for Jack’s work, where she gave birth to her two sons, Jack Jr. (Jay) and David. The family moved to Potomac MD in 1964, where she lived until their retirement in 1994, after which she and Jack relocated to Holly Springs, NC. A devoted spouse and loving mother, Ann supported her husband’s work, while raising their family. She was an avid reader, worker of crossword puzzles, and seamstress, and loved working in her flower garden and bird watching. In addition, to spending spring and fall on the Outer Banks of NC, she enjoyed traveling and was able to see the entire country and much of the world during her lifetime. She was also an active member of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” She was presided in death by her loving husband of 46 years, and is survived by her daughter Sharon Kay Early of Holly Springs, NC; her son Jack D. Early Jr. and daughter-in-law, Janet of Cary NC; and son David Edward Early and daughter-in-law Lana of Middletown, MD. Ann is also survived by four grandchildren; Matthew, Jack, James, and Laura; her sisters Ellen Simpson and Polly Lineberger; and brother Charles Wood, of Ware Shoals, SC. A celebration of her life will be held at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, July 1, 2021, at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church. ln lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 7300 Sunset Lake Rd., Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526. The Wake Funeral Home is serving the Early Family. (919) 465-0989.

Ann W. Early

June 5, 1929 - June 8, 2021