Joanne King Corbett

JOANNE KING CORBETT Joanne King Corbett, 85, of Wilmington, NC died Friday, December 19, 2014 at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. She was born April 18, 1929 in Florence, SC, the daughter of the late Roachel Dent King and Josie Hart King of McBee, SC. She was also preceded in death by her husband Wilbur Ray Corbett and her brother Roachel Dent King Jr. Mrs. Corbett graduated from Coker College in Hartsville, SC in 1947 and received her PhD from the University of Montreal in 1950 at the age of 21. She was awarded the Prix de la Banque du Canada for the highest grades in the Department of English. She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to the Sorbonne in 1950-51. She taught English at the Mangold Institute in Madrid, Spain in 1952. In 1953 she was a reporter for the News and Courier in Charleston, SC before returning to study with Lord David Cecil at Oxford University. By the time she had completed her education, she was fluent in both French and Spanish. On May 1, 1954 she married Wilbur Corbett and moved to Wilmington, NC. Mrs. Corbett began teaching at Wilmington College in 1958 and was the first female PhD on the faculty. She served 13 years as chairman of the English Department at UNC-W and retired as professor emerita of English in 1999. She estimated that during her 41 years of teaching, she had taught over 3,000 students, many of whom later told her how much she had influenced their lives. She was a former trustee of Coker College, served on the Board of Directors of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra and on the Foundation Board of Cape Fear Community College, and was active in Trinity United Methodist Church for nearly 60 years. Mrs. Corbett had a deep love of foreign travel and visited over eighty countries on six continents. She instilled this love in her children. One of the family's fondest memories was a 7,000 mile road trip they made from Wilmington to the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula and back. As a child she learned to play both the violin and the piano, which led to a lifelong love of music. She made sure that her children also received piano instruction to further their appreciation of music. She is survived by her son, David Scott Corbett and his wife Diana Greene Corbett; three daughters, Shannon Corbett Maus and her husband William Clifford Maus III; Melissa Ann Corbett; Rebecca Corbett McGowan and her husband Robert William McGowan; and five grandchildren: Matthew Corbett Maus, William Spears Maus, Clifford King Maus, Blair Elizabeth McGowan, and Lillian Hart Engel. Funeral services will be held at 2 pm on Monday, December 22, 2014 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1403 Market Street in Wilmington. Interment will follow at Giles Cemetery in Airlie Gardens. Pallbearers will be Matthew Maus, Spears Maus, Cliff Maus, Hunter Corbett, Greg Gupton, and Eric Younts. Those wishing to make memorial gifts are asked to consider Trinity United Methodist Church or the Salvation Army. Condolences to the family at www.andrewsmortuary.com.