Maggie Pearl Rivenbark Crawley was born December 31, 1922, to Pearlie and Maggie Teachey Rivenbark of Wallace. She died in the early hours of the morning of July 6 at Carolina East Hospice after suffering a massive stroke a week earlier.

She was preceded in death by her husband Marcel Raymond Crawley in 2005 and her beloved son-in-law Jimmy Moore in 20012. Her granddaughter Stacey Moore died on July 1, 2013. She is survived by her daughter Sharon Moore and her son Brett Crawley and wife Donna Nicholson all of Wallace. She is survived by grandson Courtney Moore and his wife Chantal von Alvensleben who live in Shanghai, China. Her grandson Marshall Crawley and granddaughter Allison Crawley are both students at NC State.

Of her many siblings, only four have survived her: Annie Laurie ("Sister") Evans of Magnolia, Vergie Crawford of Jacksonville, Faye Wiciak of Toledo, Ohio, and Pearlie ("Coonie") Rivenbark, Jr. of Wallace. She was preceded in death by brothers Oscar, Cam, Mance, Edwin ("Duck"), and Allen and half-brothers Raymond Stone, Ronald, Donald, and Gene Rivenbark and half-sister Lucy Parker. She had well
over 30 nieces and nephews. Her favorite place in the world was Rivenbark Town. There was nothing she enjoyed more than family gatherings there at her childhood home, and until his death, almost every Friday night was spent enjoying family gatherings and the good "home cooking" she loved at her brother Ronald's "shack."

Maggie Pearl graduated from Clement High School and went on to East Carolina Teachers' College (ECU) with her lifelong friend Dot Boney Matthis ("Boney"). The two of them worked in Washington, DC, during World War II, and it was in Washington that they both met their husbands. They eventually returned to Wallace and both taught school together in Duplin County for over twenty years. They remained the best of friends and had coffee together almost every weekday afternoon until into their 80s. Coffee time at 4:00 o'clock with Maggie Pearl and Boney became at tradition that lasted for many years.

Although she lived alone for four years after her husband's death, declining health made it necessary for her to move to Dayspring Assisted Living in Wallace in 2009. She accepted it, but leaving her home was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. By far the hardest thing for her to accept, though, was her gradual loss of hearing. Her mind was sharp until the end, and she so wanted to know everything that was going on with her family. Her hearing loss eventually made it almost impossible to talk on the phone, and although she loved having company at Dayspring, she was increasingly frustrated and saddened by being "left out" and isolated. This loss was hard on those who loved her, too.

She was afraid of death, thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, airplanes, riding in fast cars, and driving. She never changed a light bulb or hung curtains or pictures - or did anything mathematical or mechanical or remotely related to gardening. She eventually stopped driving because she didn't feel confident. She was dependent on a husband - and later her children -who did all those things for her. But she took care of her family during some devastatingly difficult financial times, she survived breast cancer in 1993, she learned to drive again when her husband began to exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer's, and she took care of him at home and during the four years he was in nursing homes and didn't even know who she was. She was one tough little woman when she had to be.

Maggie Pearl was also a perfectionist and often hard to please. At home, and later at Dayspring, everything had to be done just right - and when she wanted it done, if possible. Those who visited her there have many funny stories to tell about her commands for putting things where they belonged, leaving the door open just the right amount, and turning down her bed the way she wanted it as she became less and less steady on her feet. Most of those who took care of her didn't "do it right." She was demanding and hard to love at times, but over the years she had many caregivers at Dayspring who were exceedingly patient and kind. They learned "her ways" and did their best to please her. Most recently, it was Kristal and Pandora and Charmaine who won her heart. But other than her sisters, there was no one more patient with her and kind to her than Aileen Moore, her son-in-law's mother, who became her best friend.

Visitation with the family will be held Tuesday, July 9, at 4:00 p.m. at Quinn McGowen Funeral Home in Wallace, followed by a service in the chapel there at 5:00 p.m. The family will gather for her interment at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning at Rockfish Memorial Cemetery.

In light of the compassionate experience of the last days of their mother's life at Carolina East Hospice in Kenansville, her children ask that in lieu of flowers memorial gifts be made in their mother's name to the Reba and Milford Quinn Hospice Care Center. Visit the center's website http://www.carolinaeast.org/get_involved/donate/ or PO Box 887, Kenansville, NC 28349 for ways you can support this wonderful community foundation.

Visitation with the family will be held Tuesday, July 9, at 4:00 p.m. at Quinn McGowen Funeral Home in Wallace, followed by a service in the chapel there at 5:00 p.m. The family will gather for her interment at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning at Rockfish Memorial Cemetery.