Eloise H. Iddings

Eloise Hester Iddings was born July 16, 1919 in Rock Hill, SC. Her parents were Alonzo Franklin Hester and Ella Lee Hester. Her father was a building contractor who traveled extensively for his work and her mother was a full-time homemaker as there were 10 children, 8 girls and 2 boys. The family lived primarily in Raleigh, NC.

Eloise married Carl Iddings in 1941, right before he left to fight in World War II. During the war he served in the US Army Air Force as a tail gunner on a B-24 and flew 36 missions over the Pacific. Wounded in 1944, he received the Purple Heart and also received the Distinguished Flying Cross with four Oak Leaf Clusters for his bravery during combat missions. After his honorable discharge in 1945, Eloise and Carl settled in Raleigh, NC where he began his sales career in appliances and later went on to managing & owning appliance stores. He died in 1967 at the early age of 52 from a heart attack.

Eloise and Carl had 2 children: Sue Curro of Mineral Bluff, GA, who recently retired from the pharmaceutical industry and Carl, Jr. who lives in Carrollton, TX and also works in the pharmaceutical industry. Sue and her husband John have one son Chris, who is a Fuel Manager and lives in Florida along with 2 grandchildren, Chase and Cali—which made Eloise a Great-Grandmother. Carl and his wife Monique have 2 children: Chase (yes this is another Chase) who is a Civil Engineer and Mallory who is a Marketer for an emerging company.

In addition to raising her children, Eloise also had a career outside the home. She used her accounting and finance training from King Business School in Raleigh to work for the U.S. Treasury Department and then in private business for Gray and Creech. Her long career there included several positions until retired from there in 1984 as Director of the Billing Department. She was a member of the American Business Women’s Association for more than 35 years and in 1997 was recognized as the Women of the Year for her chapter.

Service to others and Faith were central to Eloise’s life. She was Secretary of her Sunday School class for 18 years. After retiring, she donated her time to many organizations including The Rescue Mission, Meals on Wheels, North Carolina Preservation Society, and the North Carolina Library for the Blind.

In 1988 Eloise and her sister Edna Smith decided to have a duplex built so that they could live side-by-side and take care of each other as they grew older. They designed their new duplex themselves and lived there for more than 17 years. Eloise took care of Edna- who was 11 years older – in the final years of Edna’s life after she suffered several strokes.

After Edna passed, Eloise continued to live in Raleigh. However, her daughter Sue wanted her to move to Roswell and live with her so that they could be closer. Eloise decided that she would like to move to Georgia- but that she wanted to maintain her independence—so she began to look for an assisted living community.

She and Sue found her new home and Eloise moved into Freedom Pointe Assisted Living in October 2005 where she remained until her recent passing. She was one of the Ambassadors for Freedom Pointe and helped new residents adjust to their surroundings. She was loved by residents and staff alike for her sense of humor and kind demeanor. She had a good word for everyone and truly lived her faith. She passed surrounded by her children and caregivers.

Arrangements under the direction of Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Raleigh, North Carolina.