WILMINGTON — Julia Elizabeth (Betty) Holland Boney died peacefully on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. Mrs. Boney was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of The Reverend Doctor and Mrs. Harry Keller Holland. She graduated from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature.
In 1952, she became Director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, a position she held until her marriage to Charles Hussey Boney in 1953.
Her life reflected her deep Christian faith and especially her devotion to First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, NC, where she served as President of the Women of the Church, Ruling Elder, Deacon, Bible Moderator and Sunday School teacher.
Mrs. Boney’s civic responsibilities included service as President of the North Carolina Museum of History Associates, President of the Junior League of Wilmington, President of the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society, and membership on the board of Family Services/Travelers Aid.
Her greatest joys were her husband, her children, and her grandchildren. The Boney home was always filled with family and friends, especially during the summer months at the Boney Cottage at Wrightsville Beach. She also enjoyed a lifetime of visits to the sacred mountains and streams of her beloved Montreat.
Mrs. Boney was predeceased by her husband, Charles Hussey Boney, and her sister, Nancy Holland Sibley of Greenville, South Carolina. She is survived by her devoted children, Beth Boney Jenkins (Clauston), Charles Hussey Boney, Jr. (Lynne), Suzanne Boney Coleman (Bill), and Christopher Lawrence Boney (Sutton). She is also survived by her adored and adoring grandchildren, John William Coleman IV (Kathleen), Christopher Lawrence Boney, Jr., Charles Henry Boney, and May Armstrong Boney. She was anticipating the arrival of her first great-grandchild in 2023.
Her dear nieces and nephews include her sister’s children, William Augustus Longstreet Sibley III (Candice), Harry Holland Sibley, Julia Sibley-Jones (Mark), and her Boney nieces and nephews, William J. Boney, Jr. (Marty) Paul Davis Boney, John Price Boney (Karen), Emmett Boney Haywood (Hubert), Mary Boney Clark (Jack), Leslie N. Boney III (Ret), and Leslie Boney Ives (Maggie).
Funeral services will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, NC at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 3. Burial will follow in Oakdale Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Sunday, October 2 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Boney home.
The family requests that memorials be made to First Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, NC, 125 South Third Street, Wilmington, NC 28401, or to the Montreat Conference Center, P.O. Box 969, Montreat, NC 28757.
