John Thomas Stancil » Harvey Arthur Stancil » Eula Grey Stancil Smith

Eula Grey Stancil, the fifth child of Harvey and Bertha Smith Stancil, was born Sept. 10, 1916, in Beulah Township of Johnston County, North Carolina.

Eula was pretty with black hair. One fond memory of her childhood, was feeding her pussy cat from a baby bottle. 

Millard picked up Eula Gray and Ruth Elder for a Glendale night program for the PTA. They were all in the program.

Eula had never been to a square dance. Mavis told her about a square dance planned for Uncle Moses’ house. Eula wanted to go. At noon Mavis walked home with Eula and asked Aunt Bertha if she could spend the night with her. Aunt Bertha said, “Yes.” Eula had fun at the square dance and loved it. As usual all the furniture was moved out of one of Aunt Frances’ large rooms so they could square dance. Uncle Millard played the harmonica and someone played her piano. Some of the Renfrows played the banjo.

Eula moved to New York soon after graduation from Glendale High School. Her first car was a 1950 Chevrolet. Eula Gray had a successful beauty salon along with a Merle Norman Studio in New York.

She first married Jasper M. Brummitt on March 23, 1940, in Warrenton, North Carolina. They both lived in Warrenton, she was 23 and he was 25.

Jasper was born May 2, 1914, in Fishing Creek, Granville, N.C., and died Dec. 29, 2004, in Kingsport, Sullivan, Tennessee.

She was a member of the Methodist Church and a Republican.

Eula Grey met her second husband, Arthur Robert Smith, when she attended a beauty convention in March 1948. Arthur was a Chemical Engineer from Staten Island, New York. He was born in 1923 and died in 1969.

She married Arthur on Dec. 23, 1951, in Smithfield, North Carolina.  

Eula Grey and Arthur had one daughter, Cynthia Grey born November 15, 1953. Eula decided to drop her first name and go by Grey. Daughter Cynthia was soon nicknamed Cindy.

Cindy married George W. Carpenter III on July 14, 1979.

Eula Grey was residing in Staten Island, New York, in 1972. By 1982, she moved to Nashville, North Carolina, to be near Vessie. Grey smoked and developed a heart condition in her later years. She enjoyed an occasional glass of wine and spent her later years in Nashville, North Carolina.

Eula Grey's best memory was marrying her husband Arthur. Eula Grey had only two regrets.

1. Trying to please everyone but myself.

2. Allowing her brother Clyde to talk her out of borrowing money and going into business with a partner.

Arthur died in April 1969 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Eula died on January 16, 1985, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She was in Guardian Care Nursing Home.

Her funeral was at the Nashville United Methodist Church. She was cremated.

— Renn Stancil Hinton