Rosemary Heaton Storm

Rosemary H. Storm, 97, passed away peacefully with family by her side on July 13, 2022 in Raleigh. Born on April 3, 1925 in Calhoun County, Georgia, Rosemary was the third of seven children of parents Julia Blanche and Luther Thomas Heaton. The family moved to Atlanta when Rosemary was a teenager, where she graduated high school and secretarial school.

Rosemary married Jack S. Storm on October 14, 1945 in Atlanta, Georgia, and they raised three children, Johanna, Stephen, and Julia, in Kingsport, Tennessee. Rosemary and Jack were charter members of Colonial Heights Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and was a leader in the Women’s Missionary Union. They also lived in Bridgeport, West Virginia before retiring to Rogersville, TN, where they enjoyed beautiful mountain views from their log home and winters in Florida. After Jack’s passing, Rosemary moved closer to her daughters in Virginia and North Carolina.

Rosemary had a passion for learning, a love of nature and travel, and a giving spirit. She especially loved spending time with family, exploring natural areas in the mountains of West Virginia and Tennessee, listening to the peaceful waves of Florida’s shores, and watching college football, always cheering the loudest for Georgia Tech. Rosemary’s volunteer activities included breast cancer survivor advocacy and mission trips to Venezuela and Colombia. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and will be missed.

Rosemary is survived by her daughter Julia Storm and spouse Laurie Degernes, granddaughters Mary Ellen Smith (Trent) and Amy Long, great grandchildren Katie, Maddie, and Jacob, sisters Judy Williamson and Helen Lester, and son-in-law Corky Howell. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jack of 61 years, her son Stephen Paul Storm, her daughter Johanna Lee Storm Howell, and her brothers Luther Jr., Charles, Joel, and Jacob Heaton.

A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, August 13 at 12:30 pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 SE Maynard Road, Cary, NC 27511, followed by a reception. The family requests that attendees wear masks to the service. Interment will be at East Lawn Memorial Park, Kingsport, TN.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UNC Health Foundation, Transitions LifeCare, or The Nature Conservancy. Expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/10845630.