Mary Grace Hester, age 29, of Lumberton, entered into the arms of her loving Savior on Friday, June 12, 2026, surrounded by her family.  She was born in Lumberton, NC on April 1, 1997.

Mary Grace was known for her kind heart, her beautiful smile and bright blue eyes, and the ability to make everyone feel loved and important. As a teacher, she inspired her students through the compassion, courage, and care she showed each day.

Soccer was one of MG's passions, she was a force on the defensive end of the field and was always known for having the strongest leg. She cherished the friendships and memories made with her Gunner girls and her teammates at LHS.

Faith was the foundation of MG's life. She grew up surrounded by the loving congregation at Chestnut Street Methodist Church, where her relationship with Christ began to flourish. After meeting the love of her life, Derek, she found her church home at Antioch Baptist Church. There, she faithfully served her Antioch church family with passion, devotion, and a servant's heart in so many ways; and her Antioch church family has served her and Derek so well in this season of life.

MG found great joy in the beauty of God's creation. She loved hiking the Blue Ridge mountains near Boone just to get a view of the peaks and valleys with anyone who would go and keep up with her. She found someone who could keep up with her in Derek; and the happiest day of her life was a snowy day in January 2022 when she got to marry him.

Mary Grace is survived by her husband, Derek Hester, of the home; her parents, Billy and Myra Norton of Little River, SC; her siblings, Katrina Stanley (TJay) of Bladenboro, Kelly Shaw (Pete) of Shallotte and Will Norton (Cassie) of Cary, NC; her maternal grandmother, Mary Taylor Deters and grandmother-in-law, Helen Skipper, both of Lumberton; her in-laws, Alan and Donna Hester and sister-in-law, Tori Edwards (Brandon), all of Lumberton; her furry "bestie boy", Wesson and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family members.

A time of visitation with family and friends will be held on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 from 11:00AM-1:00PM at Antioch Baptist Church, 5089 Old Whiteville Road, Lumberton.

A Celebration of Life service will follow the visitation on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 1:00PM at Antioch Baptist Church with Rev. Herbert Lowry, Jason Britt and Dale Hester officiating.  An inurnment will follow at Floyd Memory Gardens, 3720 Old Whiteville Road, Lumberton.

For those unable to attend, the memorial service will be live streamed on Antioch Baptist Church's Facebook page.

Flowers are welcome, but if you wish, memorials may be made in honor of Mary Grace to: UNC Health Foundation, to support Gibson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 1408, Lumberton, NC 28359 or by visiting: https://www.unchealthsoutheastern.org/foundation/