Creola Beatrice Creech Capps
- Born: Jan. 20, 1916 Johnston, NC
- Died: May 21, 2000
- Buried: Woodlawn Memorial Park, Durham, NC
- Married: Joseph Earl Capps on March 11, 1933, in Dillon, SC
Creola Beatrice Creech Capps
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| Creola's children with Joseph Earl Capps |
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| Bobby Earl Capps July 10, 1934 Johnston, NC-Oct. 22, 2014 Mecklenburg, NC |
| Joseph Billy Capps Sept. 13, 1936 NC-Sept. 14, 1936 NC |
| Sandra Jean Capps Walls July 26, 1941 Durham, NC-May 23, 1999 |
| Charles Dean Capps July 26, 1941 Durham, NC-Nov. 19, 1942 Durham, NC; Buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park, Durham, NC |
| Jimmy Durante Capps |
| Earl Capps Jr. |
Courtesy Stancil Reunion Archive |
Creola Beatrice Creech and Joseph Earl Capps built a life deeply rooted in family, hard work, and unwavering faith, often embracing change and facing challenges with resilience. Their love story, which began in their youth in Johnston County, blossomed into a lifelong partnership marked by dedication to each other, their children, and their community.
Creola Beatrice Creech was born on January 20, 1916, in Johnston County, North Carolina, the oldest daughter and second born child of Joseph Manley Creech and Lillian Stancil Creech. She grew up alongside her four siblings: William Leslie Creech, Joseph Worth Creech, Joseph Manley Creech Jr., and Paul Douglas Creech. Standing approximately 5'1" tall, Creola also had a keen eye for fashion, often sewing her own clothes.
Joseph Earl Capps grew up on a farm near Selma, a neighbor to Creola's family. He was the son of Lonnie and Lula Jones Capps, and had a brother, George, and a sister, Pearl. After his parents divorced, his mother married Sidney Eason.
Creola and Earl's relationship quickly deepened. In 1932, when Creola's brother Leslie married Pauline, Creola and Earl accompanied them to South Carolina. This trip likely solidified their own secret wedding plans.
On March 11, 1933, when Creola was just 17 years old, she and Earl eloped to Dillon, South Carolina. Creola wore a dark Logan green, long-sleeved dress with a dropped waist and box pleats, which she had made herself, and tiny size 4 shoes. Earl wore a brown suit. They were married by a one-legged judge, Joe Cable Davis, with Hirum and Lelia Eason (relatives of Earl's stepfather) and their daughter Ovata, taking them to Dillon. They spent their first night in Earl's home.
The next day, when they informed Creola's mother, Lillian, she was furious. "You stole my daughter, and you married her in secret!" Lillian exclaimed, grabbing a tobacco stick and chasing Earl around the car. Lillian soon tired and sat down on the porch to rest, while Creola stood by, laughing at both of them.
In their early married years, Earl worked as a farm laborer, with part of his salary including a tiny house. After Sidney Eason's death, Earl and Creola moved in with his mother, Lula, before moving to Wilson Mills.
Their first son, Bobby Earl Capps, was born on July 10, 1934, when Creola and Earl were living with Lillian following Manley's death. Lillian insisted he not be named "Jr.," and Creola and Earl honored her request. Earl returned to tenant farming for a year, a difficult period where his only gain was survival and food.
Seeking better opportunities, particularly with Earl's painting skills, the couple moved their family to Durham in 1937. Creola's brother Leslie and her mother, Lillian, also moved, with Lillian living with Creola and Earl most of the time.
Earl secured painting jobs at the Norfolk shipyard, Camp Buckner near Durham, and Fort Bragg, where he painted Army barracks. At night, when he was home, he also drove a taxi cab.
On July 26, 1941, Creola and Earl welcomed twins, Sandra Jean and Charles Dean Capps. However, sadness struck in January 1943 when 18-month-old Charles Dean died at Duke Hospital of Bacillary Dysentery. Creola and Earl always believed inadequate treatment contributed to his death. He was buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Durham.
In 1943, Earl joined the U.S. Navy. His brother George had been at Pearl Harbor during the attack on December 7, 1941. Earl served in Hawaii as a motor and engine mechanic in the belly of ships, and also drove trucks and worked as a fireman aboard ship. On one occasion, he was required to lie on the floor of an airplane, looking through a hole for boat survivors.
Earl came home on leave in November 1943. Nine months later, on July 1, 1944, their son, Jimmy Durante Capps, was born. Earl did not see Jimmy until he was a year old, and Jimmy, not recognizing him, had no idea who he was. After a visit in the summer of 1945, Earl returned to the Navy, finally coming home for good in February 1946. Their youngest child, Joseph Earl Capps Jr., was born on November 17, 1946.
Creola was a dedicated homemaker who enjoyed sewing and crafts, even making all the curtains for her home. She also taught briefly in elementary schools and worked in Erwin Mills.
Both Creola and Earl were faithful and active members of Page Road Baptist Church in Durham, attending Sunday School, church services, and Wednesday night prayer meetings. Creola actively participated in Women's Missionary Union (WMU) projects. Earl was a member of the Bethesda Ruritan Club and notably served as Mayor of Bethesda, demonstrating his civic involvement.
Earl found a successful career working in tobacco warehouses. The owner provided him with an opportunity to take classes and become a tobacco auctioneer, a skill at which Earl excelled. He was always in demand and credited the warehouse owner for his success.
Over the years, Creola and Earl enjoyed many trips to Florida, starting in the late 1950s, to visit cousins Ethel and Ralph Stancil (Ethel was Creola's first cousin, and Ralph was her second cousin). Their visits were filled with conversation, card games, and movies. They also fondly recalled trips to Homosassa Springs with Ethel and Ralph. During summers, they sometimes rented a cabin from cousin Emmette Stancil at White Lake, North Carolina, while Earl worked as a tobacco auctioneer in Lumberton, North Carolina. On one memorable summer, Renn stayed with Creola, Earl, Earl Jr., and Jimmy at White Lake before returning with them to Durham.
Their home life was also marked by shared responsibilities, such as their large garden in 1971, from which Creola froze 65 pints of peas and 45 pints of lima beans. In August 1971, when Renn and Bobby married, it was Earl and Creola who kindly stopped on I-95 to remove the cans tied to the car's bumper. In October 1971, while Earl was working in Lawrenceville, Virginia, Creola stayed with their daughter Sandra's sons, Sherwood Billy Walls Jr. and Charles Brian Walls, while Sandra and Billy took a prize trip to Spain. Creola also lovingly crocheted a baby afghan for Jimmy and Vickie's daughter, Angela Dawn, born on November 10, 1971.
Earl retired in 1981, allowing Creola and Earl to continue their cherished visits to Florida and enjoy more leisurely activities.
In April 1996, Creola wrote to cousins Ethel and Ralph, noting that Earl had entered the hospital on March 22 and was too weak to walk or ask to go home, indicating a decline in his health.
After a period of declining health due to heart problems, Creola passed away at the age of 84 on May 21, 2000, at Duke University Medical Center in Durham. Her funeral was held at Page Road Baptist Church in Durham, and she was buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park.
Earl spent several years in a nursing home as his health continued to decline, with his son, Earl Jr., visiting him often. Joseph Earl Capps passed away on November 19, 2005, at the age of 90. His funeral was also held at Page Road Baptist Church, and he was laid to rest beside his soul mate and partner for life, Creola, in Woodlawn Memorial Park.
Earl Capps will be remembered for his infectious laughter, warm smiles, kind words, and genuine interest in others. He never met a stranger and always had a way of lifting people's spirits. Together, Creola and Earl left a lasting legacy of love, faith, and community spirit.
— Renn Stancil Hinton, daughter of George Ralph Stancil