FAYETTEVILLE - Mrs. Emma Newcomb Henderson, of Fayetteville, received her heavenly reward on Mother's Day when she joined her beloved husband and son. Emma was born in Meherrin, Va., in 1933, to Ada and Horace Newcomb. She was the third daughter of what would become a family of four daughters and one son. Her childhood was not easy but she seldom spoke of difficult times, preferring to tell stories of hiding chocolate in the rafters so her sisters couldn't find it or swinging over the Meherrin River on vines that sometimes turned out to be snakes. When she was 14, her mother died, and Emma began what would become a lifetime of caregiving. She married Luther Henderson in 1950. They made their home in Farmville, Va., until Luther's work brought what was now a family of four to Fayetteville in 1964. Emma loved children, and in the early 70s she started what would become Emmy's Daycare in her home. Over the next three decades, she loved and cared for hundreds of children in addition to her own son and daughter. She was intensely proud of all the children she cared for and she dearly loved telling of their accomplishments academically and professionally. When Luther became ill in 1985, she closed Emmy's and devoted herself to caring for him until his death in 1992. Though she never stopped missing him, she took comfort in the knowledge that she respected his wishes and cared for him in their home until his final breath. Emma expressed her love for her son and daughter through countless acts of selflessness. They always knew that wherever they went or whatever they did, they always had a home to go back to and a mother who would do anything for them. This love was showered upon her two grandchildren as well. They were blessed to have spent much time with her. Emma was preceded in death by her parents, Ada and Horace Newcomb; her sisters, Minnie Baldwin and Ruth Franklin; her brother, James Newcomb; her husband, Luther Henderson; and her son, David Henderson. She is survived by a sister, Frances Van Dyke of Clarksville, Tenn. She is also survived by her daughter, Gail Britt of Willow Springs; and her grandchildren, Michael C. Britt and Morgan F. Britt of Willow Springs. Emma will be dearly missed by her family and everyone lucky enough to have known her. A memorial service will be held today, Wednesday, May 11, 2011, at 2 p.m. at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home chapel in Fayetteville. The family will receive friends an hour prior to the service. Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home of Fayetteville.