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Josephine Lane Hayes Meares of Little River, South Carolina, and formerly of Tabor City and Burlington, North Carolina, died Saturday, April 25th at her residence. Mrs. Meares was born in Robeson County on October 20, 1937, and was the daughter of the late Joseph David Hayes and Annie Mae Meekins Hayes of Cerro Gordo. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Ralph Meares, and an infant daughter, Nora Luann Meares. Josephine leaves behind two sons, Mr. Ralph Timothy Meares (Diane) of Emerald Isle, North Carolina, and Mr. Samuel Lane Meares, of the home. She had two grown grandchildren, Luke Lewis Meares (Audre) of Savannah, Georgia, and Rachel Erin Jensen (Samuel), of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Josephine also leaves behind two brothers, Claude Hayes and Harold Hayes (Dolly) of Cerro Gordo, and a sister, Sylvia Hayes of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Her unending love of basketball began at Cerro Gordo High School where she played for three years as a forward. Upon graduating early from high school, Josephine attended Flora McDonald College in Red Springs, North Carolina, where she received her bachelor's degree in early elementary education in 1959. She and Ralph were married soon thereafter and moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Josephine began her teaching career at Alger B. Wilkins Elementary School. They returned to Tabor City two years later, with Josephine teaching at Tabor City Elementary School before transferring to Williams Township School, where she would teach for another 34 years. Mrs. Meares loved children and had a passion for educating them well, including attending to their spiritual development. She began each day by sharing a short Bible story from Little Visits with God. In addition to serving for 41 years as a public school teacher, Josephine also taught Adult Sunday School, supported and led the Women's Missionary Union, and directed Vacation Bible School sessions at Forest Lawn Baptist Church in Tabor City. Additionally, she was an avid summer gardener, freezing and canning countless quantities of vegetables for her family and community. Devoted as a loving wife and mother, she also tended to the various needs of her many friends and extended family members throughout the years. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. Always adventurous, she lovingly enjoyed meeting new people, especially in recent years. Josephine was able to travel domestically and internationally to her most desired destinations, including Alaska, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, New York at Christmas, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and England. It was in Amsterdam in 2022 that Josephine fulfilled her life-long-dream of 78 years to see the tulips and windmills of Holland. Her most recent travels took her to Central America where she toured the countries of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama where was finally able to hold a six-toed sloth. She just loved that! A Service to the Witness of the Resurrection and a celebration of her life will be held at First Presbyterian Church Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 3810 Grissom Parkway, at 2 PM on Sunday, May 3rd with staff ministers presiding. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Presbyterian Women in care of the church. The family will receive friends and relatives following the service in the Kirk Room at the church, with light refreshments to be served. Interment will take place in Burlington, North Carolina, at Alamance Memorial Park, on Saturday, May 16th at 11 AM. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to devoted caretakers Mrs. Dee Franklin, Ms. Wanda Williams, and Mrs. Tosha Bellamy. Goldfinch Funeral Home, Conway Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.

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Josephine Lane Meares

October 20, 1937 - April 25, 2026