Eloise Barefoot Capps

Eloise Barefoot Capps passed away at the remarkable age of 100 years, 4 months and 17 days at home at The Cypress of Raleigh. She was born in Johnston County, NC, on October 23, 1921, to the late Rossie and Callie Moore Barefoot. She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Maurice Clayton Capps, Jr., in 2011.

She is survived by her daughters, Cynthia Capps Landvater and husband Lance E. Landvater, MD; Celeste Capps Allen and husband Robert L. Allen, MD, all of Raleigh, NC; grandchildren, Elizabeth Landvater Cammack and husband Todd, of Raleigh, NC; Spencer Moore Landvater and husband Rafa Tirado, of Barcelona, Spain; Callie Allen Lowe and husband Matt, of Atlanta, GA; Celeste Allen Chapman and husband Chris, of Raleigh, NC; Lance Eric Landvater II, and wife Becca, of Denver, CO; great-grandchildren, Cooper Lee Chapman, Anna Elizabeth Lowe, MaCallan Boyd Chapman, Eleanor James Cammack, Matthew Hunter Lowe, Robert Chapel Lowe and Cade Allen Chapman; nieces, Victoria Baker and Ellen Baker Feeler; nephew, Robert Clark; as well as her special cousins, but really her family sisters, Mickey Ivey Core and Edna Webb Jernigan, of Dunn, NC, and their respective families.

To say that Mom was remarkable is an understatement. She grew up in a faith based, loving family with her mother, maternal grandparents, aunts, uncles and lots of cousins, as her father died at an early age. Campbell College gave her roots; East Carolina Teachers College, ECTC, gave her wings. Many lifelong friendships blossomed during those college years and remained steadfast throughout their lives. After graduation, she began her teaching career in Erwin, NC. She was hired by Superintendent Jesse O. Sanderson to teach in the Raleigh Public Schools, in 1944. While Dad finished his degree from Wake Forest College after discharge from the US Army, Mom drove back and forth from Wake Forest to Raleigh to teach.

In her early teaching days, she taught at Fred A. Olds and Sherwood-Bates (now Oberlin), with memorable stories of her students and their families. At Sherwood-Bates she taught a combination classroom of forty 7th and 8th graders by herself. Mom wrote a workbook of pronouns for her seventh graders, which subsequently was used in the school system curriculum. Mom “retired” from teaching to become a dedicated, fulltime mother. When duty called from Mr. Sanderson, she returned to classrooms at Myrtle Underwood and J.Y Joyner, for semester stints. Saint Michael’s Episcopal Day School brought Mom out of retirement to help continue the accreditation of the school. She loved her young students and diligently practiced as the Children’s Chapel organist, of which she was very proud, as were we. The “Weezie Cottage” at St. Michael’s continues to provide an interactive and experiential playground space.

Though Mom lived almost 80 years in Raleigh, her feet were firmly planted in Johnston County. Her love of this land influenced her lifelong love of gardening and country life. Mom interspersed cubic yards of Johnson County soil with Canterbury Road clay. Our grandmother, Callie, was the quintessential grower of anything. If you gave her a rose, she grew you a rose bush; grafting fruit trees was a specialty. The gardening torch was passed, not only to Mom, but to us and her grand and great-grandchildren.

As a Girl Scout leader, Mom hated spiders and bugs, but ate food cooked on camp fires and valiantly slept in tents on troop outings. Girl Scouts and the skills we learned, as well as the continuing nurtured friendships, have been an integral part of our lives.

Special bridge club friends also became the sisters she never had. Together, for over 60 + years, bridge playing evolved into ladies who lunched; they included Bland Campbell, Eloise Courville, Jean Fisher, Rose Harrison, Helen Ross, Jeanette Smith and Margaret Stine. Her college roommate, Madeline Plonk, shared a lifetime of sisterhood, too. Mom stoically outlived them all, and missed each one.

Mom was a charter member of The Town and Country Garden Club, a diverse and talented group who shared their love of gardening. Many of these ladies had shovels, pruners and newspapers in their car trunks, on the ready. They dug and shared irises, peonies, ferns, Queen Anne’s Lace and various cultivars, collected from gardens, county highways and back roads, perhaps stealthily, but never fearing arrest. Mom and Margie Cheshire were often with their shovels, ahead of the bulldozers, as Wake County expanded. Our own children learned the meaning of keeping clippers in the car console, evoking much embarrassment.

For many years Mom’s rock garden on Churchill Road gave pleasure to the neighborhood. When her larkspur bloomed, it spread colorful joy and shared seeds. Her yard was especially picturesque in Spring, with brightly blooming azaleas, quince, camellias,forsythia, spirea, peonies, tulips and lots of daffodils. Many of these have been transplanted into her daughters’ gardens.

Mom and Dad were early members of Forest Hills Baptist Church, a missionary church of Tabernacle Baptist Church, our grandparent’s church, in downtown Raleigh. She faithfully attended and participated in many ministries, including the bell choir but her most beloved was her flower ministry. She and Dad trapsed through yards, gardens and woods to gather materials for her creative arrangements for special church events.

We were exposed to the fine arts at an early age; there were many music lessons and very long recitals. Mom and Dad never complained but sat patiently, and sometimes painfully, on the front row for us and their grandchildren. Playing instruments or singing was always part of our family’s core. Golf, tennis, swimming, dance, baton, voice, violin, piano, organ, sewing, knitting and needlepoint lessons added to her carpooling routes, and then we learned to drive! Those many wonderful times water skiing at Dad and Mom’s beloved Lake Gaston cottage are remembered by family and friends, and that love continues today.

Our family travels always included maps from the Esso station, multiple travel guides and a goodie bag; much planning ensued and no memorial or out of the way historical site missed. Of course, museums were high on the list, thank goodness the NCMA moved to Blue Ridge Road. No trip to this day, by her family, begins without the packing of paper maps and travel guides. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for exposing us to many travels across the pond.

Mom, affectionately known as “Weezie,” was the quintessential grandmother. She and “Maurcie” unselfishly gave their time, talents, love and wisdom to the “Art of Raising Grandchildren.” We would leave a brood of children with them as we traveled for a couple’s vacation, and upon return, a major developmental milestone had been met. If you left a baby with a bottle, a week later they were miraculously drinking from an open cup; potty training 101 was her specialty. Weezie’s biscuit making skills have been passed down to her grand and great-grandchildren, perhaps skipping this generation. Having learned this southern family recipe from her mother and aunt, we lovingly hold onto these memories. Patient, loving and remarkable, Weezie adored and cherished each grand and great-grandchild, and they her.

When Mom and Dad moved to The Cypress of Raleigh in 2009, Mom was delighted to discover several of her Fred Olds Elementary School students were residents, too! Friendships flourished, including members and staff alike, and we are most grateful. Many loving friends have encircled Mom, including her church family, Cypress neighbors, Debra Weber, Maria Anderson, David Chatham and the families of Scott and Nina Mason and Warren and Shelly Plonk.

Mom celebrated her 100th birthday on October 23, 2021, where she recounted numerous stories and issued directives. It was a joyous family day. With a wickedly sharp mind, determined, diligent and strong spirit, she held our family in her heart and arms.

Our thanks to Dr. John Lue and his partners for their dedicated care of our parents through the years, as well as Dr. Joseph Neighbors. As Mom’s health recently declined, The Lekita CareTeam has provided unconditional support and love of Mom and our family, and with appreciation to Katherine Ward, of The Cypress, and Heartland Hospice.

A memorial service, officiated by Dr. Mark White, will be held Friday, March 25, 2022, 3:00 pm, at Forest Hills Baptist Church, 201 Dixie Trail, Raleigh, NC 27607. Visitation to follow in the Gathering Space. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, should you wish to make a memorial contribution, please consider the Music Ministry, Forest Hills Baptist, 201 Dixie Trail, Raleigh, NC 27607 Church or to Heartland Hospice, 4505 Falls of Neuse Rd., Raleigh, NC 27609.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, St. Mary’s St, Raleigh, NC.