Glenda Eddins Temple

Her life was a beautiful testimony of faith, love, grace, and kindness. For those who knew and loved Glenda, her wonderful smile, twinkling eyes, tender touch, and generous heart made her presence feel like home.

Born on January 1, 1936, in Zebulon, North Carolina, Glenda lived a life marked by quiet strength, abiding faith, devotion to family, and gracious hospitality. A true Southern lady, she was known for her warmth, intelligence, wit, and selfless nature. She had a gift for making everyone around her feel welcomed, valued, and deeply loved. Glenda grew up in Claxton, Georgia, where she enjoyed the comfort and camaraderie of small-town life. From an early age, Glenda was bright, curious, and eager to learn. During her high school years, she was very involved in school life, becoming a member of numerous academic clubs, varsity cheer, and the girls’ basketball team. She embraced leadership opportunities and was often recognized for her character, friendliness, and ability to bring people together.

While visiting her grandparents in Zebulon, Glenda’s cousin, Kenneth Eddins, introduced her to Alton Temple, beginning a long and loving courtship that continued throughout her years at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. She embraced campus life as a committed scholar and student leader while working part-time jobs to help fund her education. In 1958, she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Business and married the love of her life, Alton. She cherished the lifelong friendships she made with her Meredith classmates and returned to campus often for class reunions. Glenda went on to build a successful career in public service, working for the Social Security Administration in Raleigh and later at the Defense General Supply Center in Richmond, Virginia. Her dedication, strong work ethic, and commitment to excellence earned her respect and recognition throughout her career.

Family, service, and hospitality were at the heart of Glenda’s life. While raising her two daughters in Richmond, her home became a gathering place for neighborhood children, family, and friends. She supported Karen and Cheryl wholeheartedly and volunteered countless hours at their schools and extracurricular activities. In retirement, Al and Glenda fulfilled her dream of building a home near the beach in Southport, North Carolina, where they welcomed loved ones and created treasured memories with new neighbors and friends. After Al’s passing, she moved closer to her family in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, savoring life’s quieter moments, traditional oyster roasts, and Hallmark movies.

She found joy in reading, gardening, sewing, baking, traveling, cheering for NFL football and ACC basketball games, and eating boiled peanuts with an ice-cold Coke in hand. Her life was rooted in her faith in God, and she found peace in His presence. Glenda lived her faith through a servant’s heart with wisdom, compassion, and integrity.

Glenda’s greatest legacy is the love she gave so freely. She was a devoted daughter, sister, niece, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—a woman whose sweetness and generosity brightened the lives of many. She will be remembered with enduring love and gratitude, and her legacy will live on in her family and in the many lives she touched.

Glenda was preceded in death by her husband of fifty-two years, Alton Liles Temple; her parents, Charles Bernice Eddins, Jr. and Lois Land Eddins; her brother, Charles Bernice Eddins, III; and beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins.

She is lovingly remembered by her daughters, Karen Temple McGreevey of Columbus, Ohio, and Cheryl Temple Grant of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; her grandchildren Morgan, Brooke, and Ella Grant and Liam, Katie, and Maggie McGreevey; her goddaughter Alison Taylor of Parrish, Florida; and cherished cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends. She adored being “Grandma Glenda” and treasured the time she spent with her six grandchildren and five granddogs. They all brought her tremendous joy.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 SE Maynard Rd., Cary, North Carolina, with a reception to follow. A family graveside service will be held at Gethsemane Memorial Gardens in Zebulon, North Carolina.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Meredith Legacy Class of 1958 Scholarship. Please mail checks to Meredith College, Attn: Institutional Advancement, 3800 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27607, or visit meredith.edu/support to make an online gift in memory of Glenda.

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