Shirley Copeland Luton

Shirley Copeland Luton

ELIZABETH CITY - Shirley Copeland Luton, 94, died Wednesday February 27th, 2019 at the home of her son and daughter in law. Shirley was born in Elizabeth City, NC on July 26th, 1924, the second child of the late Archie Cecil Copeland and Bessie Eva Sawyer Copeland, and was married to the late Earl Austin Luton. She grew up in Moyock, NC and graduated from Moyock High School in 1941.

She is survived by her son Kent Austin Luton and wife, Peggy, of Elizabeth City; son in law Dennis Coghill of Richmond, VA; grandsons Austin Kirk Luton and wife, Hayley, of Raleigh and Adam Luton Coghill of Richmond, VA.; step-grandsons Kevin and Christopher Brown of Elizabeth City; step-great-grandchildren, Ayden, Caitlyn, Noah, Joshua, Cayleigh, Mariah, Amalia, Isaiah, and Micah. She is also survived by one sister Eva Copeland Harris; brother in law Carl McClees; and sisters in law Irene Copeland and Odeen Copeland; and numerous nieces and nephews who loved her dearly.

Besides her parents and husband Earl, Shirley was predeceased by her daughter Myra Luton Coghilll; brothers Archie Cecil "AC" Copeland, Jr, Hallett Copeland, Thomas Moore; sisters Elizabeth Copeland McClees, Vivian Copeland, and Mary Lee Copeland Byrd. When Shirley was fifteen, her mother lost her long battle with Bright's Disease and Shirley had to take over the reins of cooking and cleaning for the family, consisting of her, her father, two brothers and two sisters. Her mother had taught her well, and Shirley was an excellent cook and scrupulous housekeeper. Shirley cared for her siblings, and in the words of her brother AC, "She became our mother." For more than 40 years Shirley hosted Thanksgiving and other holidays, sharing the bounty of Earl's garden, and her mastery of southern cooking, with the dozens of family members who would attend every year.

Shirley met the love of her life in front of the Woolworth's store in 1941, and after Earl returned from World War II, they married on March 3, 1946. They enjoyed 66 extraordinary years together filled with love. Shirley and Earl loved to travel, and visited all 50 states in the USA, mostly by car. They loved family and friends and traveled all over the country to visit them.

Shirley was a charter member of the Weeksville Lions Club Auxiliary. She worked as a telephone operator, and then for over 20 years with Sears and Roebuck as credit manager until her retirement.

During childhood, her family attended Moyock Baptist Church and when she was twelve, she, her brother and younger sister joined the church and were baptized in the Currituck Sound at a place called the Launch (pronounced "Lanch"). As an adult Shirley moved her membership to Riverside Baptist Church in Elizabeth City, and has been a regular member ever since.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at Twiford Memorial Chapel. A visitation will be held on Saturday evening from 7:00 ~ 8:30 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Weeksville Lions Club, c/o Bill Trueblood, 1105 Lula Meads Road, Elizabeth City, NC 27909 or Riverside Baptist Church 1528 Weeksville Rd, Elizabeth City, NC 27909.

Twiford's Funeral Home, 405 East Church St., Elizabeth City, NC, is serving the Luton family. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.twifordfh.com

As published in The Daily Advance