Authorities said the driver of the truck was impaired at the time of the crash.
Officials said 39-year-old Martha Darlene Peterson, of Kenly, was driving a Kids Country of Clayton passenger van with several elementary-school-aged children on board when a truck crossed the centerline and hit the van head-on, killing Peterson and injuring some of the children.
"She was a very sweet, loving, giving person. She really was," said Peterson's aunt, Georgia Lassiter.
Thirty-eight-year-old Seth Charles Tracy, the driver of the truck, received minor injuries.
Tracy, of Holly Springs, was arrested and charged with felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired.
Tracy is being held at the Johnston County Jail under a $1 million secured bond.