Dr. Therry Dawne Nash Deal

Dr. Therry Dawne Nash Deal passed away on December 15, 2024, at her home on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. She was 89 years old. 

Therry was born in the Shiloh community of Iredell County, NC, on April 21, 1935, the first child of the late Stephen Watt Nash Sr. and Betty Belle Sherrill Nash. She graduated as Valedictorian from Celeste Henkel School in 1953, and entered the Woman’s College (now UNC-G) in Greensboro.

She married J.B. Deal on July 10, 1954, at the old Beulah Baptist Church. After completing her Bachelor’s degree program at Woman’s College in Home Economics in 1957, she left immediately for Hawaii to join J.B, who was stationed there with the Navy. They subsequently transferred to Okinawa, Japan, where their daughter Melaney Dawne was born. 

Following their return to North Carolina in 1959, Therry began three decades of service as an educator, teaching first in the Iredell County school system, then as an Assistant Professor at UNC-G. She completed her Masters degree in Child Development there in 1963, following that with completion of her Doctorate in 1965, just weeks before the birth of their son Julian Bradley.

The family moved to Athens, Georgia, in the fall of 1965, where Therry began teaching as Assistant Professor of Child Development at the University of Georgia. In September of 1972, she accepted the position of Chair of the Home Economics Department at Georgia College in Milledgeville. GA. She later became the Georgia College Dean of Continuing Education, and remained in that position until her retirement. 

Following the death of her husband J.B. in 1990, and her retirement from Georgia College in 1992, Therry put new energy into a lifelong passion: travel. She was always a planner and traveler, having planned family trips to the New York World’s Fair in 1964, Expo Montreal in 1967, then the American Southwest and Mexico in 1968 and 1969. 

In 1993, she made an around the world trip which included 4 months as a Visiting Guest Lecturer at the University of Ganzhou, Ganzhou City in northwest China. In the late 90’s, she took her granddaughter Tara LaCount and nephew Adam Nash on a European and Russian tour, following that with a voyage on the Queen Mary with her grandson Ed Williams. Other trips included a Kenya safari, a sailing voyage to Antarctica, and an Australian/New Zealand trip. When not traveling the world, she relished her time at her East Beach cottage on St. Simon’s Island, GA. 

Therry focused equal energy on her journey into family history, as a decades long member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, and the Southern Dames of America. 

Therry was raised and married in the Baptist tradition, but she also lived her faith in both the Lutheran and Methodist churches. She and her husband J.B. were decades-long members of First United Methodist Church in Milledgeville, GA. More recently, Therry had moved her church membership back to Sharon Lutheran Church in Statesville, NC, her first church home following her marriage to J.B. 

Therry was preceded in death by her parents, Stephen Watt Nash, Sr., and Betty Belle Sherrill Nash; her husband, J.B. Deal; her brothers Stephen Watt “Bud” Nash, Jr. and infant Jeffrey Sherrill Nash. 

She is survived by her daughter, Melaney Dawne Deal Williams, New Hill, NC; her son, Julian Bradley Deal and daughter-in-law Holly Schuck Deal, Germantown, TN; granddaughter Tara Leigh LaCount Chodorow (Harrison), Saxapahaw, NC; grandson Charles Edwin Williams III, Apex, NC; granddaughter Caitlyn Jeanelle Deal McCollough (Dylan), Atlanta, GA; grandson Jasper Bradford Deal, Atlanta, GA; great-grandsons Caleb and Carter Williams, Apex, NC; her brother, Barry O’Neil Nash (Marsha), Statesville and Raleigh, NC; and a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Therry’s family will receive visitors at Nicholson Funeral Home in Statesville, NC on Friday evening, December 27, from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. A service will be held on Saturday morning, December 28 at 11:00 am, at Sharon Lutheran Church, Island Ford Rd., Statesville, followed by interment in the church cemetery. 

Therry’s daughter Melaney extends her heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Hospice of the Golden Isles, Brunswick, GA, for their care and assistance, and to Phillip Jones for his selfless support over the past three years. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Therry’s memory to one of the following: The Betty Belle Sherrill Nash Child Care Education Program Fund, UNC-Greensboro Advancement P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170. (check payable to UNC-G Advancement)

Dr. Therry Deal Phi Kappa Phi Endowed Scholarship Fund # F30378 Georgia College State University Campus Box 96 Milledgeville GA 31061(check payable to GCSU Foundation)

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Nicholson Funeral Home, 135 E. Front St., Statesville, NC 28677 (704) 872-5287. The family is grateful for the care and assistance provided by Brunswick Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home, Brunswick, GA.