Peggy Lou Futrelle Nowell

Peggy Lou Futrelle Nowell, age 98, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Thursday, July 11th 2019. She had a strong faith which sustained her through her long life, and the Joy of the Lord was her strength.

Born on May 12th, 1921, in Emporia, Virginia, Peggy Lou was the daughter of Dr. Matt Person Futrelle and Lucille Hooper Futrelle. After graduating from Emporia High School in 1938, she attended Stratford College for two years before graduating from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1942. She was the May Queen at Emporia High School, at Stratford during her sophomore year and also during her senior year at UNC. She was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. While at UNC, she met the love of her life, Alton Gwynn Nowell, and they married in 1942 before he was deployed to the Pacific during WWII. Following Gwynn’s return, they made a home in Raleigh where they lived the rest of their lives. They enjoyed 59 years together until Gwynn's death in December 2001.

Peggy Lou was a charter member of the Raleigh Fine Arts Society, an integral member of the Junior League of Raleigh, served on the Girls Committee for the North Carolina Terpsichorean Club, a member of the Carousel Club of Raleigh, a member of the Carolina Country Club and the Country Club of North Carolina, and a charter member of White Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Peggy Lou was the ideal southern woman who filled a room with her quick wit, contagious smile and natural beauty. As the owner of a clothing store, she had a love of fine clothes and a flare for fashion and up until her last day, she was dressed to the nines. She was a gracious hostess who always had her dining table set perfectly for the next book club meeting or family holiday dinner. She was an amazing cook and had a special affinity for homegrown summer tomatoes. A loyal Tar Heel fan, she was an avid supporter of both the football and the basketball teams, traveling all over the country to watch them play. Peggy Lou will be remembered for the deep friendships she developed over the years with her contemporaries, her children’s friends and her grandchildren’s friends. She included everyone her family loved as if they were her own. Peggy Lou shared a special and life-long friendship with Jeannette Ellis who was her best friend from when she first moved to Raleigh. Peggy Lou especially enjoyed spending time with her little sister, and soulmate Fannie Belle “Teetsie” Ray.

Her greatest joy though came from being a mother to her three children and being "Pay Pay" to her six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. She always showed up to support them at their horse shows, choir performances, pop-up bakery and sporting events. She was always the first to call on birthdays to sing her cheerful, and often off-key, rendition of “Happy Birthday.” In their former years, the grandchildren all attended “Pay Pay’s Manners School” where they learned the proper way to shake a hand, set a table, and eat soup. They also all know the proper way to eat fried chicken and asparagus is with their fingers, mainly because Pay Pay said so. Her long life granted lots of lessons for those who were around her, but most importantly she taught everyone how to live life to its fullest.

In addition to her parents, Peggy Lou was preceded in death by her husband, Alton Gwynn Nowell, sister and brother-in-law, Fannie Belle and Phil Ray, brother Matt Futrelle, and brother and sister-in-law, Dean and Lou Futrelle.

Peggy Lou leaves behind a family, whom she dearly loved: son Alton Gwynn “Schooner” Nowell, Jr. (Susan Harris); son Matt Hooper Nowell (Harriet); daughter Lucille Elizabeth “LuBet” Nowell; grandchildren Laura Nowell Swayne (Steve), Karen Elizabeth Nowell, Alton “Gwynn” Nowell, III (Bee), Matt Hooper Nowell, Jr. (Marilyn), Lauren Kivette Nowell, Katie Nowell Loper (Houston); great-grandchildren Gwynn Nowell, IV, Peyton, Mason, Avery, and Chandler Swayne, Hooper, David, and Lillian Nowell, and Hattie and Weezie Loper; and beloved nieces and nephew.

Peggy Lou will be celebrated at a private graveside service on Wednesday, July 24th. The family will receive friends afterward from 5 pm – 7 pm at the Carolina Country Club to celebrate her amazing life.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, the MS Society, 3101 Industrial Drive, Suite 210, Raleigh, NC 27609, or the charity of your choice.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.