Elizabeth Swain Peacock

Elizabeth Swain Peacock died on September 23, 2025 after a rich and rewarding life filled with family, friends and spiritual and creative pursuits. She was born in Sioux Falls, SD in 1934, to Louis Hall and Virginia Sloan Swain but grew up in Raleigh, NC. She studied at UNC-Greensboro but left early to marry John Rush Wooley ("Jack"), a student at UNC-Chapel Hill who was later ordained as an Episcopal priest at Christ Church in Raleigh. They moved to Georgia, where they raised their four children and, after attaining a Master's degree at Augusta College, she began work as a Special Education Licensed Professional Counselor. In addition to her career, she explored numerous creative outlets, including painting, weaving, journaling, and storytelling. She was a published poet and won a few awards, including first place in the poetry category of the Porter Fleming Literary Competition. She was passionate about nature and was happiest sitting outside watching and listening to the life around her. She had an adventurous spirit and an indomitable personality that drove her adherence to an exercise regimen to delay the progression of a degenerative nerve disorder. In 2016, she moved to Ardenwoods, a lovely retirement community in Arden, where she lived until her death. She is survived by her son John Rush Wooley (Jane) and daughter Louise Wooley Noble (Marty), her grandchildren Jennifer Gillstrap (Christian), Ashton Watkins, Juan Ortiz (Allison) and Alex Ortiz (Giovanna), her great-grandchildren Rowan Watkins-Webb, Daniel and Stephen Gillstrap, Sophie and Forrest Ortiz and Isabel Ortiz, her sister Virginia Smith ("Ginger"), her daughter's partner Carolyn Combs, her son-in-law Bob Castro, and many cousins. She is preceded in death by two daughters, Elizabeth Hannah Wooley and Ann McLauchlin Wooley ("Lauchi"). A memorial service will be held at Ardenwoods 2400 Appalachian Blvd. in Arden, NC at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 18. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at bcrf.org or to ThriveMore Foundation at thrivemorenc.org/donate-now. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Elizabeth Swain Peacock, please visit our floral store.