Lois Whiteside Sheffield

Lois Whiteside Sheffield, age 96, died on Thursday, May 21, 2009, at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, following a brief illness.

A Funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, May 28, in the First Baptist Church of Wallace, North Carolina, followed by interment in the Brice Family Cemetery.

Mrs. Sheffield is survived by one daughter, Sarah Sheffield Robinson, and her husband Rhodes Robinson of Jacksonville FL; one grandson, Michael Thad Robinson also of Jacksonville; a sister, Lucyle Whiteside Hamlin of Macon, Georgia; a brother, Aldon Whiteside, of Palm City, Florida; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was the widow of Robert Judson Sheffield and was predeceased by an infant son, Robert Sheffield, Jr. Also preceding her in death were her brother Clyde Whiteside of Tallahassee, Florida, and her sister Ruth Whiteside Cook of Avon Park, Florida.

A native of Weaverville, North Carolina, Mrs. Sheffield was born on October 4, 1912, the daughter of the late Ollie Ables Whiteside and Ben Lee Whiteside. She attended Maryville College and graduated from Appalachian State Teachers College (Appalachian State University) in 1933. She taught in North Carolina public elementary schools until she retired in 1974. She was a member of several educational organizations, including Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honor society for teachers.

Mrs. Sheffield was known for her contributions to the cultural life of Wallace. She was a charter member of the Wallace Music Club and was a past president of the Wallace Woman's Club. She was a member of Mandarin Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, FL, and a former member of First Baptist Church of Wallace, where she served on the diaconate and sang in the Chancel Choir.

Casket Bearers will be DeWitt McGowan, Gene Wells, Roy Lettieri, Don Cornett, Clem Faircloth, and Dwight Hall.

The family will receive friends in the parlor of Wallace Baptist Church at 10:00 AM on the 28th.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the building fund of Mandarin Presbyterian Church, 11844 Mandarin Road, Jacksonville, FL 32223 or to the music program at First Baptist Church of Wallace, 408 W. Main Street, Wallace, NC 28466.

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