Mrs. Read M. Spence

Read McBryde Spence, beloved wife of Jim Spence, died at home surrounded by family on December 23, 2021. Read was born on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1941, in Durham, North Carolina, to the late Priscilla Gregory McBryde and the late Dr. Angus Murdoch McBryde, Sr. She attended Durham Academy and St. Catherine’s School of Richmond, Virginia, and graduated from Duke University in 1963.

During her decades as a teacher, Read touched the lives of many children at First Presbyterian Church and Greensboro Day School. In addition to teaching, Read made many contributions to the Greensboro community. She was active in the Junior League and a founding member of the Lazy Daisies Garden Club and Town Criers Club. Together with Jim, Read cared with generous compassion for friends, neighbors, and several elderly individuals they encountered while volunteering.

Read was a talented writer whose work was featured in numerous publications, including the Green River Press and G Magazine. In 1991, she and her brother, the late Dr. Angus McBryde, Jr. wrote and published A History of the North Carolina Orthopedic Hospital: A Dream Come True, a book that documents how the hospital, founded by her father, provided orthopedic care for underprivileged children. She took pride in celebrating her father’s legacy of serving others through medicine. Her writing, like her life, reflects her reverence for family, nature, relationships, and the power of God’s love.

Read’s life was defined by her unbending devotion to family. She was a fiercely loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and daughter, and she placed nothing above those roles. Read relished spending time with her close and extended family at home and on the shores of Wrightsville Beach. She enjoyed traveling to visit children and grandchildren and to sightsee with Jim in places such as Italy, New Mexico, and Quebec. In 2008, she traveled to Vietnam for the adoption of her eighth grandchild, Daniel, an adventure she kept close to her heart. Read was also a faithful Christian, and she and Jim were members of First Presbyterian Church for more than 40 years. Throughout her life, Read carried herself with grace, optimism, and an unwavering commitment to serving others before herself.

Read is survived by her husband of 42 years, James T. Spence, III of Greensboro, North Carolina; by her four children: Joseph William Moss, Jr. and his wife Beth of Charlotte, North Carolina; Priscilla Read Moss Wierda and her husband Greg of Greensboro, North Carolina; Gregory Moss Bowman and her husband Greg of Greensboro, North Carolina; and Arren Spence Beach and her husband Bill of Nashville, Tennessee; and her twelve grandchildren: Will Moss, Katie Moss, Ginny Moss, Carter Wierda, Jackson Wierda, Mason Wierda, Scott Bowman, Daniel Bowman, Henry Bowman, William Beach, Claiborne Beach, and John Beach. She is also survived by her brother Neill G. McBryde and his wife Peggy of Charlotte, North Carolina, and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A memorial service for her friends and family will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro on Monday, January 3 at 11:00 a.m. The service will be livestreamed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-FrHJJZnms

Instead of flowers the family requests that contributions be made to the McBryde Family Fund, 3541 Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, 27710 or the Angus and Priscilla McBryde Fund, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina, 28036.