Syble "Elaine" Jacobs Nofsinger, departed this mortal world at age 83, on April 10th 2021. She was just 17 years shy of her life long dream of being on a Smucker's jar one morning on the Today show. Frankly, she just got fed up with the isolation she endured during this never ending pandemic and threw in the towel once she was no longer allowed sweet tea, milk shakes and sweet potato pie by the doctors last month.
She was born on February 23,1938, in Sabine, Louisiana to Vernon & Mary Syble Jacobs. She lived in Tampa for several years as a young child and moved back to the Tampa Bay area in the 1950's.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Howard E. Jacobs and Jerry Ray Futch, her only son William Carl Nofsinger Jr. and her Grandson, Dwight M. Stone III
Elaine is survived by her daughter Brooke Hickman (Brian), Grandchildren Billy Nofsinger (Desiree), Bobby Nofsinger (Sonja), Tony Nofsinger (Carol), Tommy Nofsinger (Michelle), Lanie Crabtree (Josh), Kyle Hickman and Hunter Hickman and more than enough great-grandchildren to field a baseball team- Bobby Nofsinger Jr., Katie Nofsinger, Haley Nofsinger, Marissa Nofsinger, Billy G. Nofsinger, Loreli Nofsinger, Jaxon Nofsinger, Zooey Nofsinger, Jase Crabtree, Avery Crabtree, Henry Nofsinger, and Olivia Nofsinger and her beloved niece Jodi Elaine Warminsky (Bob).
She grew up in Louisiana and loved to tell stories of the "not so good old days" on the family farm where she had to pump her own bath water and there was no air conditioning. She did however love making homemade butter and learned the art of canning there. She never missed a chance to try to drag her kids and then grandkids "picking" at local farms (especially strawberries). The woman could can almost anything. If she couldn't can it, she would freeze it. "Waste not want not," she would say.
Elaine was an excellent cook and loved making recipe cards. Some of her most famous dishes are Gumbo, Jambalaya, pot roast, yellow squash casserole, Zucchini and banana breads, any fresh seasonal vegetable (she would say everything is tasty with a smoked ham hock), her sweet potato and key lime pies and the fabulous pistachio marble Bundt cake and Lemon cake. She could always be counted on to bring a spinach dip in a bread bowl or southern deviled eggs to any random gathering with a moment's notice. She made her mission to make sure you were never hungry.
She absolutely loved family holidays, but her favorite was Christmas and loved driving around to look at the lights while singing Christmas carols. Her favorite tune was "Silver Bells" and she always had bells on her Christmas tree. This tradition has been enthusiastically carried on by her daughter. She was hands down the best present wrapper around.
Her favorite movies were Gone with the Wind, Steel Magnolias, and anything with Elvis Presley, Robert Redford, Tom Selleck or Burt Reynolds in it. She also really loved singing in her car, and cheering on the Saints (then the Bucs if they weren't playing) and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. She was even at the opening game.
Elaine's passions included traveling with friends and family, playing board and card games, reading and shopping for a bargain, Publix (she would go up and down every single aisle), vacations at Disney World, Chick Fil A, Fried green tomatoes, Sam's club, Tabasco Sauce, the Strawberry Festival, Bacon, the Crab Shack on Gandy, figs, cornbread and buttermilk and anything and everything her kids and grandkids were participating in. She easily spent 20 plus years of her life going to school events and baseball, football, and basketball games.
One of her stranger passions included going to the causeway to watch a storm roll in and smell the salty air of the bay. We are comforted by the fact she was just around the corner from the causeway as a storm was rolling in when she passed. We opened the window for her, so she could smell the salty breeze of Tampa bay one last time.
Her favorite place in the world was to Boca Grande. She said the best thing her mother ever did was to move there and marry Rayford "Sug" Futch. The Island was her little heaven on earth and the promise of her "Brookie Baby" taking her back there one last time always made her smile. We will make sure she gets to take one more stroll on her favorite beach and walk around the Boca Grande lighthouse. Maybe even a boat trip and a round or two to toast to her at the Temptation for old times sake.
She would always say her most frightening day on earth was when both her children and several grandchildren accidently turned a 1 hour white water rapids tour into a 8 hour tour (with zero experience and no guide) while she waited frantically at the pick up spot. We would remind her if she had not chickened out she would have been in one of the rafts and there was no way she would have let us miss the get out spot. She said we aged her 20 years that day. Maybe that would be just enough extra to get her on that Smucker's jar Today show?
The 2nd most frightening day for her was probably when they closed all the Morrison's cafeterias here in Tampa.
She was also extremely superstitious. There were so many rules for where you could not ever put shoes, purses, hats and when to hold your breath or lift your legs. What you better eat on New Year's day and all the things you had to do for a Wedding or if you were expecting. Then there were the mirrors, ladders, rakes, fallen eye lashes, burying your husband's underwear in the yard, wet hair and the number 13. Sneezes, an itchy nose, hands, feet or palms, black cats running in front of the car, Everything meant something, The woman was forever throwing salt over her shoulder and knocking on wood. Apparently one of us picked up a coin that was face down last Saturday. She told you so!
However, she will be most remembered as the "Hiney Getter" (there is even a song to go with it) and professional baby rocker. She sang endless lullabies like "you are my sunshine" and "I love you, a bushel and a peck" to name a few. She also enjoyed crocheting baby blankets and watching endless Disney movies with her grandkids.
Elaine was a devout catholic and attended Incarnation Catholic church here in Tampa.
She will be forever missed by all those that loved her. However, she will not be missed by the staff of a certain Kentucky Fried Chicken (long story).
She said she would like to remind you people to be kind, love each other, that family is everything and to moisturize.
Partager l'avis de décès
v.1.8.18