Henrietta "Henrie" Secrest Peery

June 2, 2017

Henrietta “Henrie” Secrest Peery, 91, passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 2, 2017 at The Stewart Health Center of The Cypress, Charlotte, NC. She was born in 1926 in Washington, DC to Hoyle and Jenny Bethea Secrest. In accordance with her wishes, she will be cremated.

Henrie grew up in Washington, DC, Lillington, NC, and Clearwater, FL. She graduated from high school in Clearwater, FL in 1944. After high school she attended Duke University in Durham, NC, where she received a BA in Spanish in 1948. She sang in the prestigious Duke choir, which once backed Perry Como in a live performance. Always interested in theology, Henrie attended seminary in Richmond, VA in the year following her undergraduate degree. After school, she got a job with a patent law firm, and later for a candy company as a lobbyist in Congress.

Henrie married Lee Haynes Peery, Jr. in 1951 in Lillington, NC. After several years in Vermont they moved permanently to Charlotte, NC in 1958. They were happily married for 65 years. Henrie was a longtime member of Myers Park Presbyterian Church and the Queen of Spades Gardening Club. Passionate about politics, she was a Nixon Girl in 1960, and remained active in the local Republican scene. She enjoyed tennis, bridge, languages, big band music, mystery novels and word games. She was an accomplished stock market trader and real estate investor.

For several years during the 1970s, Henrie hosted a daily talk show on now-defunct radio station WIST. She was one of the first female talk-show hosts in Charlotte. Through many years of dedication, she tutored countless children to improve their reading and writing at the Seigle Avenue after-school program (part of the Freedom School Partners).

Henrie is survived by her spouse Lee; her three sons Haynes (Ashley), Blair (Arlene), and Alex; her sister Dorothy (Dallas); her grandchildren Christopher, Carter, Reid, and Whit; her nephew Dallas; and her niece Jan (Tom).

A memorial service will be held at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, 2501 Oxford Pl, Charlotte, NC 28207, at 2:00 PM on Thursday, June 15, 2017. A reception will follow at the church.

The family would like to express its sincere appreciation to the staff of The Stewart Health Center and Hospice & Palliative Care of Charlotte for their loving care of Henrie during her final days.

Flowers or donations are welcome. The family requests memorial donations be made to Freedom School Partners, PO Box 37363, Charlotte, NC 28237. Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth Poe Funeral & Cremation Services, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204. Online condolences at www.kennethpoeservices.com. Phone: 704- 641-7606.

Go forth, under the open sky

–William Cullen Bryant

Share your memories & condolences

Comments