Vera Boulware Hart

Vera was born to Thomas McCullough Boulware III, attorney, and Vera Thomas Boulware, former school teacher, on October 4, 1919, in Barnwell, SC. As a child, she explored the Savannah and Salkehatchie rivers. She delighted in the natural world. Vera graduated from Blackstone (VA) School for Girls in 1936. She entered Queens College and joined Alpha Delta Pi. She graduated from Winthrop in 1940 with a B.S. in Home Economics. She taught at Walterboro High School for four years. In March 1944, her brother Captain Tom Boulware IV, died in an Army Air Force training exercise in NY. He was 23. Vera yearned for a change. She enlisted in the Army Medical Corps as a hospital dietician. First, she took a necessary course at Greensboro. At a USO party, she cut in on a terrific dancer 1st Lt. Joseph E. Hart. 2nd Lt. Vera was stationed at hospitals in Georgia. She flourished in military service. She held onto her Army boots for years. On June 6, 1946, Vera and Joe were married in Allendale, SC. For 20 years they lived in Chicago and Geneva, IL. They had 3 children. Bucking the norms, Vera worked outside the home as a school food service director. The couple divorced in 1966. She would make a few more moves. Wheaton, IL for 5 yrs. Birmingham, AL a year. Columbus, OH for 7 yrs where she was house director for the Kappas. She enjoyed working with young people. In 1979, a friend invited her to Chapel Hill. She loved it! The University, in its spring glory and historic neighborhoods! She applied for a job right then and there. She had found her home. At UNC she worked for the SAEs, Dekes. and Phi Delts. She was Phi Mu's housemother. She emphasized healthy eating and amazed the sorority girls by doing yoga poses on the back lawn. Some of the Phi Mu's became lifelong friends. A new fabulous chapter launched when she moved to Village Green condos. Her April "Vera Wisteria" parties attracted creative friends who performed poetry readings and clogging under the stars. Nuts about buildings, she took architecture courses at NC State. (A few years later in Copenhagen, the head of the architecture dept drove her around the city.) She sang in the Community Chorus. Tap danced in the Village Review. Loved gardening, art, theatre, music, travel, Feldenkrais, Nia and parties, friendships, and fun. To support incarcerated females, she spent a night in jail. To be in Vera's presence was to be truly seen and deeply known. She taught us: We give thanks for blessings already on their way; We are lighthearted and vibrating to plenty! In 2009 at 89 Vera began a decade at Durham's Atria Walk. Her native plant garden attracted everyone! She crafted delightful short stories in her Writers Group, Her 100th party was a super bash and she enjoyed it to the hilt. Four months later she suffered a fall. Her neck was fractured. She moved to VA Hospice in Durham. Would this be the end? No. She stabilized. Lived at Hospice under excellent care for 3 more years. Her friends and daughter rallied around with discussions, current events, and book readings. She offered encouragement and wisdom to others up until the very end. Vera was predeceased by brothers Tom, Barrett, and Tatum; young niece Sophia; and nephew Barrett. In 2020 her daughter Lisa died of cancer. Vera is survived by children Hugh (Marla) of Pasadena, CA, and Catherine "Cat" Griffith (partner John B. Earle III) of Hillsborough NC; by nephews Tom aka "Uncle Buddy," Tatum Jr., and Nathan; and sister-in-law Beverly. Great and great-greats also. The Hart family in Little Rock and Kansas held firm in Vera's heart. A Funeral will be held at University United Methodist Church (UUMC) in Chapel Hill on December 19, 2022, at 2:30 pm. Service recorded for later viewing. Memorials may be made to UUMC, 151 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC 27514; Durham VA Medical Center, Voluntary Services-Hospice Unit, 508 Fulton St., Durham, NC 27705.

Vera Boulware Hart

October 4, 1919 - December 2, 2022