Veronica Soller Barbour

Veronica Rose Soller began her life journey at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. on October 19, 1958. The second child of Ralph Raymond Soller and Ernestine Teresa (nee Gildea) Soller, Veronica was very close with her older sister, Marie, and younger siblings Louise, Ellen, and Regina. Throughout Veronica’s early years, the family lived in various states including Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania before settling in North Carolina.

Veronica obtained a degree from the Gemological Institute of America and became a certified Gemologist, working her way up to managing a jewelry store in Chapel Hill, NC and later in Hillsborough, NC during her career. She went on to work for Bass & Boney Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as VP of Operations for just shy of 20 years. During this time and later, Veronica also worked as a delivery subcontractor for The Herald-Sun, The News & Observer, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today over a 29-year period. She was known to have exhausted many notebooks containing the addresses of the hundreds of newspapers she would deliver every single night. When she began this work in 1994, neither web-mapping nor consumer GPS services existed, so she memorized all the routes, executing over 400 deliveries a night from memory.

Her work ethic will always be a part of her legacy. Devoting all her efforts to raising her sons, Michael and Adam Smith, she worked two full-time jobs for more than 25 years. Her commitment to her sons is only outclassed by her pride in their accomplishments.

Veronica’s hobbies and passions included sewing, painting, gardening, canning, and even an extended venture into home-brewing her own wine, with strawberry wine being her favorite creation. Inspired by her visits to her grandparent’s farm in Ohio, she took solace and delight tending to her own rose garden, vegetable plants, and fruit trees. Her passion for needlepoint drove her to hand-stitch Christmas ornaments every year, adding 5 to 10 new creations to the family Christmas Tree annually. This ritual lasted for more than 20 years, with her having created more than 250 ornaments.

A proud Catholic woman, Veronica took an interest in the classical music group, The Priests, collected rosary’s from where her sons visited around the world and carried her Catholic Bible throughout her life’s journey. She gladly welcomed in guests and friends who did not have a place to go for the holidays, providing gifts and making sure that every person who entered her home felt welcomed and appreciated.

Veronica was preceded in death by her father, Ralph Raymond Soller and sister, Marie Teresa Soller Damron. She is survived by her sons Michael Warren Smith, Jr. of Pamplico, SC, and Adam Dean (Morgan) Smith of Charlotte, NC; mother Ernestine Gildea Soller of Cary, NC; sisters Louise Ann (Richard) Hewitt of Raleigh, NC; Ellen Frances (Jerry) Finegan of Cary, NC; and Regina Helen (Ben) Soller-Gould of Farmers Branch, TX, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and nieces.

Family will receive Veronica’s loved ones to celebrate her life at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary, NC on Sunday, July 9, 2023 from 4:00-6:00 pm. An opening prayer and a time for remembrances will begin at 4:30 pm for those able to share. A funeral mass will also be held at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary, NC at 11:00 am on Monday, July 10, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Veronica’s name to the Sarah P. Duke Gardens (https://gardens.duke.edu/) to honor her passion for gardening and support one of her favorite places.

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