Martha Deanie Overton

Martha Dean “Deanie” Saunders Overton passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 with her family by her side. Born in Rocky Mount on January 26, 1950 to John M. Saunders and Anne Saunders as their first and only daughter.
Deanie grew up in northern Nash County as part of the Aventon Community, surrounded by cousins and so many family members. After being a member of the 2nd graduating class of Northern Nash High School, she attended and graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Speech and Hearing Pathology. She worked in the Nash County School system as a traveling Speech Pathologist for 10 years while also helping in the Overton Family restaurants Overton’s Barbecue and River’s Edge, in Rocky Mount and Jamesville, respectively. In 1986, she stopped working with the school system and went to work with her husband Bucky as the office manager/bookkeeper of Overton Contractors, Inc. In 2013, they closed Overton Contractors and moved to Morehead City, where she became involved in the lives of her grandchildren until her disease prevented this.
She was preceded in death by her parents. She leaves behind to cherish her memory her loving husband of 51 years, Jesse Buxton “Bucky” Overton of Morehead City, a daughter Ashley Overton Boone and husband, Fred of Wake Forest, daughter Kim Overton Smith and husband, Craig of Morehead City, Abigail Boone, Casey Boone, Griffin Boone and Gretchen Boone of Wake Forest and Julia Smith and Claire Smith of Morehead City, and forever best friend, Georgia Bone Vick of Wilmington, life-long friend W.H. Johnson of Savannah, Georgia, brother John A. Saunders of Red Oak, brother George Saunders and wife, Donnye of Aventon and brother Miller Saunders and wife, Gail of Red Oak and numerous beloved nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Memory Care Unit of Brookdale Assisted Living Facility in Morehead City for the exceptional care they provided in her final days. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her memory to St. Jude’s Hospital, the Association for FrontoTemporal Degeneration or the Duke Children’s Hospital.
A memorial service will take place Friday, November 11, 2022 at First United Methodist Church in Morehead City at 5:00 pm with family visitation immediately following and a separate service on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at Lakeside Baptist Church in Rocky Mount with visitation beginning at 12:00 noon and a funeral service beginning at 2:00 pm.