WILMINGTON — Sara Vann Henry, of Wilmington NC, was born on November 28, 1934, and died on November 9, 2025. Sara was warmly cared for by three generations of the Henry family every day for 90 years.
Petite and quiet, Sara had a childlike sensibility and always seemed much younger than her years. Her adult life was severely constrained by symptoms consistent with moderate-high-level autism, beginning in a time when very limited understanding and therapies were available. She bravely faced many health challenges, particularly in the last half of her life.
A favorite memory for Sara was joining her sisters and brother-in-law on occasional driving trips— highlights were leaf peeping in Maine, visiting Dollywood and Epcot Center— and family trips to visit or meet relatives in Burgaw and at White Lake as a youth. The youngest of her siblings, Sara was the last surviving member of her generation of the Henry family.
She will be interred at the Henry family cemetery in Atkinson NC with her parents Annie Mae and Robert Ransom Henry, and older siblings Pauline, Sam, and baby boys Henry, not far from sisters Josephine Henry Hedquist and Ruby Mae Henry Chadwick who are buried in nearby Wilmington with their spouses Percy (“Heddy”) and David.
Sara leaves behind six nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren.
Donations to a charity of the giver’s choice are suggested in lieu of flowers. Sara’s sister Ruby, her caregiver of three decades after Pauline’s death, enjoyed donating to the Humane Society, American Red Cross, ASPCA, the Democratic party, and programs that treat cleft lip/palate.
