Helen Trotter Midkiff Capra

Helen Trotter Midkiff Capra, also known to family and friends as Mimi, passed away on June 30, 2015 at age 96. She was born June 23, 1919 in Brinkley, Arkansas, the daughter of F.M. (Francis Marion) Trotter and Ethel Gannaway Trotter. She graduated from Brinkley High School in 1937 and attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas for two years where she majored in music, concentrating on the piano and organ. She married Woodrow Midkiff on October 18, 1939. After moving to Nashville in 1955, she enrolled at George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University. She earned the Bachelor of Music degree in 1958 and the Master of Music degree in 1960.

She was hired at as a faculty member in the Music Department at Belmont University (then Belmont College) in 1957 when enrollment was only a few hundred students. She began her career with three organ students and teaching music essentials. She later taught music theory classes and piano in addition to organ. She was accompanist for the Belmont Glee Club, a faculty inductee of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, Epsilon Eta Chapter, and faculty advisor and initiate of Sigma Alpha Iota, International Music Fraternity for women, Epsilon Lambda Chapter. She was the author of one book, The Church Pianist, published in 1957 by Convention Press.

She continued her studies during the summer of 1964 at the University of Michigan, School of Music in Ann Arbor, Michigan with Professor of Music Marilyn Mason and in 1980 at the University of Siena in Siena, Italy under the instruction of Maestro Giordano Giustarini. In 1977 she took vocal and hand bell choirs comprised of Belmont students to Rome. She accompanied them on the organ as they performed at the Vatican. She was actively involved for many years in the Nashville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists often playing dedication recitals on new organs. She performed many other recitals, concerts and special events including with the Nashville Symphony.

She served as a church organist for most of her life including tenures at First Baptist Church in Dyersburg; Immanuel Baptist Church and Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville; St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Franklin); Second Presbyterian Church (Columbia); Hobson United Methodist Church (Nashville) First Baptist Church in Lebanon. She married Robert Capra, a retired Baptist minister, on December 26, 1987 and they enjoyed over 16 years together. She retired after 30 years at Belmont University the following spring and was given the designation of Associate Professor Emerita of Music in 1988.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Mildred Trotter Matthews, husbands Woodrow Midkiff and Robert G. Capra, infant daughter Sherryl Kay Midkiff, and grandsons David Lee Willoughby and Kenneth Dean Willoughby. She is survived by daughter Barbara Lee Midkiff Willoughby (Joe) of Mt. Juliet, grandchildren Sherryl Willoughby Byrd of Clarksville and Michael Scott Willoughby of Nashville, great-grandchildren Skye Willoughby and Nahshon Willoughby, great-great-granddaughter Emma Harrison, and stepson Robert G. Capra, Jr. (Carol) of Memphis.

The family would like to thank the staff and acknowledge the care provided by Southern Manor Assisted Living in Lebanon and Gentiva Hospice. A Celebration of Life Service will be Thursday, July 2, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Tennessee with the Rev. David (Bucky) Hesson and Chaplin Adam Garner officiating. Visitation will be held at the church two hours prior to the service. Jeff Binford, former student of Mrs. Capra and organist at First Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will provide the music. According to her wishes, a private interment service will be held at Oakwood Cemetery in Brinkley, Arkansas with burial in the Trotter family plot.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a memorial gift be made to Belmont University for an endowed scholarship in her name to benefit music students. Gifts can be sent to the Belmont Office of Development, 1900 Belmont Blvd. Nashville, TN 37212, 615-460-6434. Please indicate it is a memorial gift for Helen Trotter Midkiff Capra.