Obituary of Elise Monteith Terrell

Elise Monteith Terrell, age 97, of Sylva died Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at the Elizabeth House of Four Seasons Hospice in Hendersonville, NC. Elise was born January 26, 1915 in Brevard, NC. She is the daughter of the late Wilburn Oscar and the late Sarah Mae (Wilson) Monteith and was preceded in death by her husband Charles Buren Terrell (m. July 19, 1946) and her brother Harold Wilson Monteith. She is survived by one son Byron Monteith Terrell, and wife Tamara Kindley Terrell of Fletcher, NC; neighbor and closest friend, Ora Barger, now of Etowah, NC; and dear neighbors in the Rolling Green Community of Sylva, NC. Elise received her B.S. degree from Western Carolina Teachers College and her M.A. from George Peabody College for Teachers. Elise worked in education for 46 years. She was a teacher, a principal, and a librarian, and she retired as Media Director for Jackson County Schools. She was a member of the NC Association of Educators, the NC Library Association, and the Educators Media Association. She was a member of Sylva First United Methodist Church. Elise was generous with her time and resources. She volunteered for the Western North Carolina Alzheimer’s Association. She was instrumental in the founding and growth of Pathways for the Future, an organization for people with disabilities in Jackson County, providing advocacy for and promotion of independent living skills at work and home (now Disability Partners serving 14 WNC counties) and the Golden Age Club, leading in development of activities, congregate meals, and as a source of information for services available to senior citizens in Jackson County (now the Jackson County Senior Center of the Council on Aging.) In 1993, Elise received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service from then Governor James B. Hunt. Elise loved flower gardening, and was a member of the Sylva Garden Club. She enjoyed outdoor sports, and participated in the North Carolina Senior Games for ten years. The funeral will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Sylva, NC on Monday, November 12 at 2:00 pm, Rev. Mike Shuford officiating. The family will receive friends an hour before the service, burial will be in Thomas Memorial Cemetery in Whittier. In addition to flowers, memorials may be made to the WNC Alzheimer's Association, 31 College Place, Suite 105A, Asheville, NC 28801. . .