Geneva ‘Jenny’ Rivenbark Conner, age 69, of Gibsonville and formerly of Wilmington, passed away on Saturday, February 13, 2016.
Jenny is survived by her son, Christopher Lee Conner, and his wife, Emily Kerley Conner; her grandchildren, Caroline Jenna Conner (named after Jenny), Henry Theodore Conner and James Christopher Conner; her sister, Linda Rivenbark Britton, and her husband, Jack M. Britton; her brother, Theodore Christopher Rivenbark Jr.; her nieces, Sarah Britton Ruiz and Jill Rivenbark Tant, and her nephew, Jacob Andrew Britton, and their families. She was preceded in death by her parents, Theodore Christopher Rivenbark Sr. and Marie Melvin Rivenbark.
After her career in nursing was cut short by early-onset rheumatoid arthritis, Jenny earned her real estate license and worked as a real estate agent and later worked as a substitute teacher in the New Hanover County Schools. She was a proud member and secretary of the New Hanover High School class of 1964, and she loved helping plan and attend reunions with her classmates. At their recent reunion, Jenny shared this as her ’50 Years of Wisdom’ in their memory book: “Always do things to the best of your ability. Be thankful for family and friends. When things are hard, remember that it could always be worse and never give up. Those who are blessed with good health should cherish it.”
Jenny cherished her family most of all, especially her three grandchildren, Caroline, Henry and James. After helping care for her mother, Jenny moved to Gibsonville in the fall of 2012 to be close to them, and for over three years, she was a wonderfully engaged and doting ‘Grammy’ who loved them infinitely.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 5, at Myrtle Grove Presbyterian Church, 800 Piner Road in Wilmington, and will be followed by a visitation with the family in the church fellowship hall.
Flowers are welcome, but for folks who may want to do something other than send flowers, the family asks that they consider making a donation in Jenny’s honor to support either Caroline’s efforts to raise money for the American Heart Association at www.heart.org, or to Allied Churches of Alamance County at www.razoo.com. The AHA was selected due to the likely cause of Jenny’s death and because she died before she got to make a donation in support of Caroline. The ACAC was chosen to help local folks in need.
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