Obituary of Eleanor Wilson

Eleanor Young Wilson Mrs. Wilson died October 31, 2009, at her residence at Sharon Towers. A funeral service will be held at 11 am, Tuesday, November 3, at Steele Creek Presbyterian Church with burial following in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends following the graveside service in the church fellowship hall. Eleanor was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1920, in a large white manse outside of Fayetteville, Tennessee, one of five children born to Dr. R. A. Young, a Presbyterian minister, and Emma Blakely Young. When Eleanor was in second grade her family moved to Troy, Alabama, and lived there five years. Eleanor spoke fondly of the hot Alabama summers spending nights on the sleeping porch and climbing the big magnolia trees in the front yard. When Eleanor was in the sixth grade her father accepted the pastorate of Central Steele Creek Presbyterian Church, in Charlotte. She graduated from Flora MacDonald College in Red Springs, N.C., in May 1941, then taught fourth grade in Cheraw, S. C. during the war years. On February 8, 1947, Eleanor married Baxter Wilson, Jr. Her father officiated at their wedding. Eleanor lived for fifty two years at Steele Creek Nursery helping her husband run the business. Eleanor and Baxter raised three children and shared a life centered around their family and their church. She was an involved member of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church serving as a Sunday School teacher and a leader in the Women of the Church. She was a founding member of the Steele Creek Literary Society, her book club, and encouraged all of her children to keep as current on their reading lists as she was. After Baxter?s retirement in the late 80?s, she often traveled with Baxter visiting relatives and seeing sights around the country. Eleanor was known for her fried chicken, her rice and gravy, and the beautiful flower beds surrounding her home. She was a devoted grandmother and great-mother. While a resident at Sharon Towers, she spent as much time as possible visiting with her grandchildren in Houston, Texas, and her great-grandchildren in Columbus, GA. Eleanor is survived by her three children, daughter Sarah Virginia (Gigi) and her husband, Terry Muirheid of Atlanta, GA; son, Charles Baxter Wilson and his wife Hope Hunter Wilson of Charlotte, N.C.; and daughter Rachel Jane and her husband , John Kilpatrick, of Houston, TX. She leaves behind six much-loved grandchildren, Meredith Muirheid Waddell and her husband, Spencer Waddell of Columbus, GA; Amelia Muirheid Copp and her husband, Charles Copp of Decatur, GA; Mack Wilson of Nashua, NH; Mary and David Kilpatrick of Houston, TX; and Andrew Sands of Bedford, NH. She also has two great-grandchildren, Spencer Waddell , IV, and Blakely Morgan Waddell of Columbus, GA. Eleanor is also survived by her brother and his wife, William and Lena Young of York, S.C., and her sisters-in-law, Mary Young of Mecklenburg County, and Sarah Wilson, of Sharon Towers. Those who wish may send memorials to Steele Creek Presbyterian Church 250th Anniversary Fund, 7407 Steele Creek Rd., Charlotte, NC 28217 or Crisis Assistance Ministries, 500-A Spratt St., Charlotte, NC 28206.