Eloise Sanderford

Eloise Sanderford, of Morganton, left us to join her dear husband in the early afternoon of Wednesday, July 17, 2013, following several years of declining health.She was born in Mt. Gilead, NC to the late Walter Joseph and Sophronia Seltz – the youngest of a family of eleven children.In her twenties, she moved to Raleigh where she worked for the NC Department of Revenue during the week, and danced to the big bands of Benny Goodman, Kay Kyser, and Harry James, and others on the weekends.It was in Raleigh that she met Moses V. "Sandy" Sanderford, whom she married on September 1, 1941. Four months later, the attack on Pearl Harbor destroyed whatever plans the newlyweds might have made. Eloise and Sandy spent the war years living in communal housing as Sandy worked first in the shipyards of Wilmington, NC and later in the atomic research facility in Oak Ridge, TN.Following their move to Morganton in 1949, Eloise enthusiastically involved herself in the life of the community, serving as a member and twice president of the Morganton Woman’s Club, serving many years as the Horticultural Secretary of the Quaker Meadows Gardening Club, and a charter member of the Friday Afternoon Book Club.In the 1960s and 70s Eloise worked as a district manager for Compton’s Encyclopedia and was frequently their top national salesperson, feted in banquets in New Orleans and Chicago for her work.After leaving the business world, she began her most creative contribution to the community. The hundreds of columns she wrote for the News Herald in the 1970s and 1980s earned her a large and loyal readership in the community. Her columns displayed her knowledge of human nature, science, politics, local personalities, her wonderful sense of humor, and her great depth of thought and feeling.In her final years, following Sandy’s death in 2000, she focused on gardening and creating beauty that can still be seen in and around her home and the homes of her friends.Eloise lived a long, rich, and productive life. To the very end of her life, Mom loved her flowers, her family, her friends, and she loved to laugh.In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Sanderford was preceded in death by three brothers and seven sisters.She is survived by her son, Dr. Mark V. Sanderford of Danville, VA, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.The funeral will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 20, 2013 in the Colonial Chapel of Sossoman Funeral Home with the Rev. Dr. John Fowler officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 1:00 until 2:00 p.m. prior to the service. The graveside service will be held at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, July 21, 2013 at Montlawn Memorial Park in Raleigh, NC.