Patty Eloise Stancil Whitfield |
Patty Eloise Stancil Whitfield in 1999
Patty Eloise Whitfield was born Jan. 21, 1928, in Wilson, North Carolina, and passed away April 10, 2015, in Wilson. She married Purington William “Bill” Whitfield Jr. on March 11, 1950, in Wilson.
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| Pat's children with Bill Whitfield Jr. |
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| Patricia Annette Whitfield Newton |
| Purrington William "Billy" Whitfield III |
| Joan Alison Whitfield Bartlett |
Courtesy of Stancil Reunion Archive |
Patty “Pat” Eloise Stancil Whitfield, Samuel Branch, daughter of Lonnie and Susan Renfrow Stancil, was named Eloise for her mother’s brother’s wife, Aunt Gladys Renfrow.
Pat was the granddaughter of Samuel Stancil & Missouria Howell and James F. Renfrow & Ellie Lamm.
Pat grew up in the Five Points area of Wilson. The family attended the Five Points Missionary Baptist Church, which was in walking distance. She was just 10 years old when her mother died of cancer on June 13, 1938. Suddenly Pat became the family cook, though Doris was older. Those still at home were L.P. Doris 15, Ray 13 and Tommy just 4. Pat’s family benefitted from her culinary skills. Over the years, she was admired and acknowledged as an expert cook and an invitation to her table was special!
Lonnie met Dorothy “Dot” Lee Johnson, 23 years younger. They were married on September 2, 1939. Children still at home were Lonnie Pearl “L.P.”, Doris Pearl Stancil, Roy “Ray” Alfred Stancil, Walter Thomas Stancil. Mildred Ruth married Jerome Clinton Kelly in 1935. This adjustment took time, Dot was very kind.
Pat was a real girly girl with the latest sense of fashion and a bubbly great personality. She kept her nails polished and hair appointments. Her clothes were flattering and her perfectly applied makeup included her trademark, Cherries in the Snow, 440 Revlon lipstick. Pat was never comfortable leaving the house without all of these in place! They are part of our memories of Pat.
Courtesy of Stancil Reunion Archive |
Pat attended Charles Lee Coon High School. There she met her future husband, Purington William “Bill” Whitfield Jr., son of Purington William Whitfield, Sr. and Minnie Dunn. Bill was part of the Distributive Education Program in high school. He worked ½ day at Jimmie Dempsey’s Dry Cleaners and Laundry. He worked there after graduation.
Pat graduated from Coon High School in 1947. She was hired to work in the office of Thurston Motor Lines in Wilson. Pat and Bill continued dating.
A wedding date was set for March 11, 1950, in the Five Points Missionary Baptist Church. Pat wore a white suit, hat, gloves and shoes. They honeymooned in the Carolina Mountains near Asheville.
Pat and Bill lived with Bill’s parents in Wilson for 2 ½ years at 505 S. Tarboro St.
Bill and Pat had only been married a little more than four months when her daddy, Lonnie, died.
Bill and Pat purchased a lot at the end of Tarboro Street and built a house. They lived there for 17 ½ years. Pat and Bill had three children; Patricia Annette, Purington William “Billy” III and Joan Allison. Pat took excellent care of all the houses and children. This included vacation homes on White Lake, Emerald Isle and the house where Bill grew up, referred to fondly by the children, as Grandma’s Country House.
After Bill’s parent’s passed, he bought the house and had it moved to property between Wilson and Rocky Mount. Today this stately house is still the location of the annual Whitfield Reunion which Pat organized. This important tradition was carried on for several years by Pat, Annette, Billy and Joan, before it was discontinued.
Bill continued working for Dempsey’s. In 1959 he bought the cleaners business from Edward A. Fulford at 725 S. Goldsboro St. and named it Exclusive Cleaners.
Bill worked long hours making his cleaners, Exclusive Cleaners, the best in Wilson. Bill always went the extra mile to make his customers happy. Annette recalls that in the cold months, her dad often took all of them back to the cleaners after dinner, so he and Pat could mark clothes so they were ready for processing the next morning.
There was always more work than could be done during normal business hours. Annette and Billy’s memories include all the fun they had playing in the rolling clothes carts!
Bill always told his kids that having more work than you could finish in a day was a good problem to have. Today Billy and Joan carry on this tradition of quality and hard work begun by their mom and dad.
Over the years. Bill purchased other cleaners and expanded to three Exclusive cleaners locations in Wilson.
The thought of flying scared Pat. In 1977, Bill wanted Pat to accompany him to a Laundry Convention in Las Vegas. This largest and most important trade show was for the textile, laundry, and dry cleaning industry.
At this time, Pat just could not go. So, Annette, a college sophomore, went and loved the trip.
However by 1979, Pat dealt with her fear and the family flew with the Wilson Lion Club to Hawaii, to attend the Lions International convention. They all had a fantastic trip. Then in the summer of 1984, Pat and Bill joined a group tour to England. This was a memorable trip for Pat. Bill’s older sisters went too, Mattie Lee Whitfield Simmons, from Richmond and Stella Mae Whitfield Barnes from Rocky Mount.
Pat enjoyed touring the impressive medieval castles, all on the official list conformed to England’s strict definition of a castle, a fortified residence. She was not fond of the food.
Pat was close to her siblings; Mildred, Doris, L.P., Ray and Tommy. Sadly Tommy died at 51.
In 1999, a special honor was bestowed on the Exclusive Cleaners Forest Hills plant. It was named the best designed dry-cleaning plant in the United States by The American Drycleaner trade journal.
The family’s church home was Five Points Missionary Baptist Church. The church congregation decided to sell this church, relocate and change their name to Forest Hills Baptist Church. Pat was an active member of the Dorcas Sunday School class, she sang in the women’s choir, was a member of the Wednesday night supper cooking committee and joined the Prime Times, a senior citizens group. Bill chaired the building committee for the first Forest Hills Baptist Church sanctuary.
When Bill retired, Billy and Joan took over management of three Exclusive Cleaners locations. In April 2011, the Exclusive Cleaners on Tarboro Street was severely damaged by a tornado.
Billy and Joan quickly set up a cleaners a block away, continuing to serve their customers, just as Bill had done for so many years.
Pat, Bill and family were faithful attendees and supporters of the annual Stancil Reunions. Bill was selected to give the blessing at the 2000 reunion.
At the 2008 Stancil Reunion, donations were requested for purchasing a monument for the recently discovered Samuel’s grave. Pat immediately donated $1000. Through her generosity, the Samuel Stancil Monument became a reality in 2009. It is located in the Hales Cemetery on Shoeheel Road in Johnston County.
Samuel is the father of John Thomas Stancil.
Our heritage is recorded on the Samuel Monument that Pat so proudly supported.
Pat died at 87 on April 10, 2015, following a lengthy illness. Pat was buried beside her beloved Bill in Maplewood Cemetery, Wilson, N.C.
Pat is survived by daughters; Patricia Annette Whitfield Newton, husband Dr. John Thomas “Tommy”, Joan Alison Whitfield Bartlett, husband Robert, son; Purington William “Billy” Whitfield III, wife Vickie. Granddaughters; Allison Nicole Bartlett, Victoria Madison Whitfield. Grandsons; John “J.T.” Thomas Newton, Jr., wife Megan, William “Whit” Whitfield Newton, wife Sarah, William 'Will' Thomas Newton, Purington William Whitfield IV, William Reece Bartlett. Great-grandson; John Thomas Newton, III. Nieces; Dorothy “Ann” Angela Kelly Etheridge, Rose Marie Kelly, Cynthia Jo Stancil Small, Terry Elizabeth Stancil Davis, Susan Laughinghouse Kall, Susan Rae Stancil Plyler, Sharon Doyle Stancil Howard, Melissa “Missy” Hope Stancil Pflaeging. Nephews; Jerome Carlton Kelly, Glen Clinton Kelly, Alfred “Butch” Bryant Kelly, Lonnie Pearl Stancil, Jr., Matthew Watson Stancil, Steven Thomas Laughinghouse, Walter “Walt” Thomas Stancil, Jr. Brother; Roy “Ray” Alfred Stancil, wife Muriel, sister-in-laws; Dorothy “Dot” Watson Stancil (the widow of L.P. Stancil, Sr.), Janice Hurley Stancil (the widow of Walter Thomas “Tommy” Stancil), plus many cousins. Pat was preceded in death by her husband, Purington William “Bill” Whitfield Jr., of almost 54 years. Sisters; Mildred Ruth Stancil Kelly Gooch, Infant Doris Louise Stancil, Doris Pearl Stancil Laughinghouse. Brothers; Lonnie Pearl Stancil, Sr., Walter Thomas Stancil Sr. Nephew: Ward Jackson 'Jackie' Laughinghouse, plus many cousins. Patty “Pat“ Eloise Stancil was born Jan. 21, 1928, to Susan “Suzi” Renfrow and Lonnie Alfred Stancil.
Pat will be remembered and admired as a smart, beautiful, pleasant, and classy lady, who always greeted family and friends with a beautiful smile and kind words.
She was a devoted Stancil family member who cherished her heritage and passed her love for family onto her children and grandchildren. She never met a stranger and knew how to put everyone at ease. All who knew Pat, knows what a blessing she was to us.