Eloise Maddry Vaughn

1932 - 2025

Eloise Maddry Vaughn

August 23, 1932 - January 16, 2025

Raleigh, North Carolina - Eloise Maddry Vaughn passed away January 16, 2025. Born on August 23, 1932, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to the late John Hocutt Maddry, Sr. and the late Mabel Freeland Maddry, she was married to Earl W. Vaughn who predeceased her in 1986.

She attended Chapel Hill public schools graduating from Chapel Hill High School and then from UNC Chapel Hill in 1953 with a BA in Education and a Minor in English.

After their marriage, Eloise and Earl moved to Eden, N.C., where they lived for 18 years. Eloise taught school for 15 of those years, and while living in Eden, Eloise and Earl became the parents of four children: Mark Foster Vaughn, who predeceased her, John Maddry Vaughn (Cheri), Stuart Earl Vaughn (Shay), and Rose Vaughn Williams (Jon).

Eloise supported her husband's legal and political career as he served as Solicitor in Leakesville, NC (now Eden), as a Representative in the state House of Representatives beginning in 1960, then as Speaker of the House in 1969. The family moved to Raleigh as Earl served first as Judge and then as Chief Judge of the state Court of Appeals, and finally as an Associate Justice on the state Supreme Court.

Shortly after her husband's death, her son Mark was diagnosed with AIDS at an early stage in the AIDS crisis. She cared for Mark in her Raleigh home until his death in 1990. After Mark's death, Eloise reached out to other mothers who had lost sons to AIDS, to provide support and help. She also served as a surrogate mother to many with AIDS whose own mothers withdrew from them because of the stigma of AIDS itself, and what they saw as the stigma of having a child who was gay. Eloise became active with the AIDS Services Agency of NC and was an unwavering advocate for the acceptance of gay people. As part of that advocacy, Eloise and Patsy Clarke, another mother who had lost a son to AIDS, chronicled their personal experiences with the publication of their book, Keep Singing.

In the late 1990s, Eloise moved to Blowing Rock, a place that brought her great joy and where she made many new friends. She traveled and enjoyed each experience completely, including adventures in Europe, Africa, New Zealand and the Western United States. She moved back to Raleigh in 2014 and enjoyed renewing old friendships and making new ones.

In addition to her surviving children and their spouses, she is survived by her grandchildren and great- grandchildren of whom she was very proud and whom she loved dearly: Amanda Vaughn (John Visclosky) and their children Emilia and Aiden, Meredith Savill (Jeremy) and their children Gavin, Sloan and Savannah, Jeb Vaughn (Brenda) and their children Evelyn and Riley, Cole Vaughn, Jonathan Williams and Eloise Williams.

She was predeceased by her brother, Avery Maddry and her nephew Ronnie Maddry (Judy) and is survived by her brother John H. Maddry, Jr. (Shirley), her nephew Bob Maddry (Janet), her nieces Kelly Maddry Young (Randy) and Robin Maddry, and her nephew Ray Vaughn (Devan).

The family is very grateful to Dr. James Parsons for his dedicated and diligent care and for his friendship to Eloise.

A Memorial Service will be held in Raleigh at St. Michael's Episcopal Church on February 10, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., with a reception following in the Fellowship Hall. Her ashes will be interred at Orange United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, NC, where she grew up, married in 1952, and where her husband is buried.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the charity of your choice or to St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 1520 Canterbury Rd. Raleigh, NC 27608, The Human Rights Campaign Foundation online or to 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20036, or to Orange United Methodist Church, 1220 MLK, Jr. Blvd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.