WILMINGTON — Christene McKim Hebbe, 93, of Newnan, Georgia, died peacefully on November 19, 2025. She was the beloved wife of the late James Martin Hebbe and the daughter of the late Thomas John and Elizabeth Pope McKim. She was also predeceased by a son, James Martin Hebbe, Jr., and a granddaughter, Ellison Tedder.
Born in Weldon, North Carolina, Chris was a graduate of St. Mary’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina. After college, she returned to Wilson, North Carolina, where she met Jim, and they married on June 12, 1954. After living in Germany for eighteen months, Chris and Jim settled in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1957, where they built an abundant life, curated a fun-loving circle of close friends, and raised their family. From 1977 until her retirement at the age of 83, she worked at Windham Distributing Company. In 2016, after Jim’s death, she moved to Newnan, Georgia, to be near her daughters.
The life of the party, Chris was always surrounded by many friends, especially her beloved bridge pals, the Eight Aces and the Tuesday night club. Besides her family and friends, her great joys in life were watching basketball (especially the Carolina Tar Heels and the Hoggard Vikings), having her toes in the sand at Wrightsville Beach, and turning the pages of a good mystery.
Christene will be greatly missed by her daughters and son-in-law, Helen Hebbe Tedder of Newnan, Georgia, and Kristen and Allen Bell of Watkinsville, Georgia. The loves of her life were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Bynum and Katherine Bell Boley (Zemp, Calhoun, and Isabel) of Athens, Georgia; Alec Bell of Atlanta, Georgia; Gray and Michelle Tedder of Fort Worth, Texas; and Whit Tedder of Roanoke, Virginia. She is survived by a special niece, Mary Beth McKim Corbin (and husband, Leo) of Wilmington and Greenville, North Carolina, and by Steve and Cheryl Windham of Wilmington, and many nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank her caregivers who provided her with much love and companionship: Marilyn Harris of Caring Hearts, Christine Wilson, and the staff of Georgia Hospice, especially Audrey Beckman, who made it possible for her to remain at home.
A memorial service will be held in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at 1:15 p.m. at Andrew’s Mortuary Market Street Chapel. Visitation will be held in the chapel at 12:30 p.m. immediately preceding the service. A private graveside service will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park. Mark K. Grigg will be the officiant.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the John T. Hoggard Athletic Booster Club Coach’s Closet, which ensures the basic needs of less fortunate Hoggard athletes are met (donations may be sent to Hoggard High School ABC, designated to Coach’s Closet, 4305 Shipyard Blvd., Wilmington, NC 28403), or to Georgia Hospice, attn: Margaret Thurman, 37 Calumet Parkway, Building K, Unit 201, Newnan, GA 30263.
