Genevieve Larew Ware

Genevieve Larew Ware died peacefully at home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on April 20, 2026. She was 103 years old. Geny was born in Beckley, West Virginia, on December 27, 1922, the fourth child of James Edgar and Willow Christie Larew. She had three older brothers and two younger sisters. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, attended the University of Kentucky, and completed an associate’s degree from Beckley College. While her college years were interrupted by WWII, Geny worked for the draft board to help support the family. That sense of responsibility and caring for others became a lifelong dedication to holding her extended family together and nurturing all of us with her generosity and love.

In 1947, Geny married Latane Ware and had two sons, Lewis and Burwell. The family moved to Gastonia, NC, in 1953. At 40, Geny went back to school and completed her bachelor’s degree at Belmont Abbey College, after which she taught history at Hunter Huss, Ashley, and Ashbrook High Schools, touching the lives of many teenagers. She retired in 1989.

Geny was an avid gardener who shared her knowledge (and many plants) with her family and friends over the years. She was a faithful member of First Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, and she volunteered with Meals on Wheels and Crisis Assistance Ministry among others. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Latane in 1982.

Geny moved to Chapel Hill in 2006 where she lived next door to her son Burwell and daughter-in-law Michele. Over the past 19 years, she shared her home with her two sisters, Ruth Larew and Sally Larew Rogan. She is survived by sons Lewis and Burwell, daughters-in-law Elizabeth (Beth) and Michele, three grandchildren—Lewis Andrew (Drew) Ware, Katherine (Katie) Ware Partin, and Samuel Latane (Lat) Ware—, six great-grandchildren, and her many dear cousins, nieces, and nephews. She is also survived by her youngest sister, Sally Larew Rogan. Geny’s loving and generous spirit has been and will continue to be an inspiration to all who knew and loved her.

A funeral service will be held at Hans Creek Union Church in Monroe County, West Virginia, on Saturday, June 6th at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions in Geny Ware’s memory be made to Hans Creek Union Church.