Rebecca "Becky" Joyce (Jackson) Henley

Rebecca Joyce Jackson Henley, 78, passed away on December 2, 2018 at UNC Hospital in Hillsborough, NC. She was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was born August 7, 1940 in Greensboro, NC to the late Philip Ray Jackson and Joyce Fulcher Jackson. She attended Women’s College (now UNCG) and then graduated from UNC-CH with a BA in primary education. “Becky” carried her love for teaching throughout her life in schools in Orange and Chatham Counties. She shared her love for books and history with everyone she met, especially Chatham County residents, as a librarian at the Pittsboro Public Library for 15 years. Later, she served as a librarian the Davis Library at UNC-CH and after her retirement, she served as a substitute teacher in the Chatham County Public Schools. She will be remembered by many as a friend, a teacher, a librarian, a historian, but to the younger generation, most commonly and fondly as “Mema.” 

Becky was preceded in death by her parents and her son, Andrew Carlisle Henley (2015).

She is survived by her daughter, Caroline Keith Henley and husband, Richard Douglas Thorne of Chapel Hill; by three brothers, Philip Stephen Jackson of Pittsboro, Robert Ray Jackson of Christchurch, New Zealand and Michael Keith Jackson of Richfield, Utah; by two grandsons, Richard Marshall Thorne of Pittsboro and Jacob Douglas Thorne of Chapel Hill; a niece, Danielle Linda Jackson of San Rafael, California; and a nephew, Kevin Michael Jackson of Orofino, Idaho.

A service to honor the life and memory of Rebecca Henley will be held at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church – 204 W. Salisbury St., Pittsboro, NC 27312, on Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes donations to be made to the Sandhills Community College, Landscape Gardening Dept., 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374 or to the UNC Botanical Gardens, 100 Old Mason Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.

 A light luncheon will be held immediately following the service in the fellowship hall.

A private burial will be held at a later date.