Katherine Wainwright

Katherine Noe Wainwright, 89, of Beaufort passed away on June 11, 2024, the day she said she was “going home,” at PruittHealth-Crystal Coast, Beaufort, NC.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at First Baptist Church of Beaufort with Pastor Rick Smith officiating. The family will receive friends from 10:00 to 11:00 AM on Saturday at the church.

Katherine is survived by her daughter, Georgette Wainwright Pearce (husband, David) of Farmville; her son, Kenneth Wainwright (wife, Gina) of Morehead City; and daughter, Alison Wainwright Guthrie, (significant other, Scott McClellan) of Cary; and daughter-in-law, Susan Wainwright, of Morehead City, who essentially served as Katherine’s personal nurse the past several years; and her nephew, Todd Christiaan Noe (wife, Margie) of Havelock. Grandchildren who will be missing their “Granny” are granddaughter, Lauren Pearce Reynolds (husband, Andrew) of Farmville; grandson, Cameron Wainwright, of Raleigh; and granddaughter, Stacey Wainwright, of Morehead City. Granny was also blessed with great-granddaughters, Holly and Adley Reynolds, of Farmville. She is also survived by numerous cousins whom she loved getting together with and swapping stories at our beloved home place at Harlowe.

Katherine was preceded in death by her beloved son, Kevin Wainwright; her parents, William Pierce Noe and Dollie Sadler Noe; and her brother, Clyde “Christiaan” Noe. She looked forward to seeing them again in Heaven.

Katherine was a person of many talents. She loved music and blessed many at First Baptist Church in Beaufort with her lovely alto voice and sang in the choir for many years. She was a wonderful seamstress and for many years made much of the clothing she and her daughters wore. Cameron and Stacey will tell you that their Granny made the best strawberry bread pudding ever, and Lauren was her Granny’s Angel Pie.

Katherine believed in serving others. When her sons were young, she served as a Cub Scout den mother. She also helped with the concession stand at many Little League games when her sons played Little League baseball. She was a long-time employee of the Carteret County Department of Social Services where she worked for over 25 years with many people needing assistance and was the local Employee of the Year in 1990. Many of her clients made a point of speaking to her and thanking her when they saw her in public.

Katherine was a strong Christian who loved her Lord, and when asked to temporarily teach a Sunday School class for ladies at her church, she accepted and “temporarily” taught that wonderful group of ladies for over 57 years, only pausing when Covid struck, and her health declined enough that she could no longer teach which was only fairly recently. Her Sunday School class was one of Katherine’s biggest blessings, and she really mourned when she realized she was unable to teach any longer.

Katherine was a take-charge person. Give her a job to do, and she saw it through to the end. When faced with many obstacles in her life, she adhered to the principle that “where there was a will, there was a way”! It was also her mission in life to tell people what to do and how high to jump even when they didn’t realize they needed to be told!

Katherine will be sorely missed, but we know she is in a much better place now and look forward to joining her when our time comes to leave this earth. The family wishes to thank, among many, her doctor and family friend of many years, Dr. Jamie Crosswell, and the many health care professionals who tended her through the years, including those at Crystal Coast Hospice House in Newport and those at PruittHealth-Crystal Coast in Beaufort. Mama was also blessed with the most wonderful neighbors anyone could have, Edith and Jeff Styron, whom she loved dearly.

The family requests that anyone wanting to make a charitable donation consider Katherine’s beloved First Baptist Church, Beaufort, NC.

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noefs.net.

Arrangements by Noe Funeral Service, Inc. of Beaufort, NC.