Marcelene Deal Denny, 92, passed away on July 14, 2026 surrounded by her loving family. She was born on February 28, 1934, in Pitt County to the late David Ollen Deal and Minnie Lee Deal. However, she spent most of her life in Edgecombe County.

Marcelene saw a lot during the 92 years that she lived. She grew up during hard times but her spirit of love, compassion, and care for others and her family never diminished. It only grew and continued to grow as she did. From a very early age she helped look after her family. She had two younger brothers, Melvin and Wayne, and a sister, Ann, who she always felt the need to take care of. Marcelene went to work each day alongside her mother, taking odd jobs when her father Ollen passed away. While she worked and took care of her siblings, she still went to school and drove the school bus to help support her family.

Marcelene graduated from South Edgecombe High School in 1953. Soon after graduation she was courted by her soon-to-be-husband, Al Jolson Denny. They were married on Oct. 10, 1954 and spent sixty-six wonderful loving years together. She started working at the Dime Store in Tarboro and later became a switchboard operator with Carolina Telephone Company in Tarboro for the remainder of her career.

Along Al and Marcelene’s journey, they welcomed a beautiful daughter, Marcy Jo, who gave them two sets of twin grandsons, Reid and Ryan and Matthew and Kenneth. She retired when her beloved daughter Marcy was pregnant with her twin grandsons, Reid and Ryan, and remained devoted to them for the remainder of her life.

During their free time, Al and Marcelene spent many happy days on the Island of Manteo, NC. On Manteo they cultivated a family of friends and neighbors who enjoyed cookouts and fish fries together. On sunny days they could be found fishing the waters of Oregon Inlet or taking their grandsons to the aquarium and Jockey’s Ridge State Park.

Marcelene, a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and sister is survived by her daughter, Marcy Denny Beaman, and husband, Carlton Reid Jr.; twin grandsons, Reid Beaman (his wife, Kylie) and Ryan Beaman (his wife, Katie); her great grandson, Nathaniel Reid Beaman; her sister, Ann Webb, and brother, Wayne Deal (his wife Sherron); and many loving nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, David Ollen Deal and Minnie Lee Deal, her husband, Al Jolson Denny, her grandsons, Matthew and Kenneth Beaman, her brother, Melvin Deal and his wife, Betty Faye Deal, and her brother-in-law, Dean Webb.

The family would like to thank Genitiva Hospice and Ne’Asha Pettaway for the kindness that they showed to our family during the last few weeks of her life. We would also like to express our deepest thanks to her angel, Rachel Wells Moore, who showed love and compassion to her over the last year of her life. Our family will be forever grateful to her and she will always be considered part of our family.

Flowers are welcome or you can donate to Feeding America an organization that helps struggling families in need of food security. Checks can be made payable to Feeding America and mailed to P.O. Box 96749, Washington, D.C. 20090-6749.

A Celebration of Marcelene's life will be held 10 AM, Saturday,, July 18, 2026 at Carlisle Funeral Home with the Committal being held at Edgecombe Memorial Park after the service. The family will host a reception for friends and family at Abrams Bar-B-Q of Tarboro 11:30 July 18, 2026.