John Archer Stancil |
Joseph Downing Stancil
Joseph Downing Stancil was born July 31, 1924, and died Jan. 27, 2000.
| Joe's children with Mary Jeanne Godwin |
| Gregory Hale Stancil Dec. 13, 1949 Smithfield, NC-Jan. 5, 1969 Tam Ky, Quang Nam, Vietnam |
| With Eudoxie Griffin |
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Infant Stancil Sept. 1959-Sept. 1959 Tappahannock, Essex, VA |
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Jay Archie Stancil |
| Gerry Dale Stancil Stephenson |
| Nettie Grace Stancil |
J.D. Stancil, Pinettie Stancil and John Millard Stancil at the 1947 Stancil Reunion at the home of George Ira Stancil.
Family archives
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Joseph Downing Stancil, the oldest son of Millard and Iva Knight Stancil, was born July 31, 1924.
When Joe was young, he made some bad decisions, not unlike those made by other youth. One night, he and a friend decided to pick up tobacco, the money crop, that people had put out on the grass "to get in order" (the tobacco needed moisture so it could be taken off the stick the next morning, graded, tied, and sold). Pinettie helped him all she could to stay out of trouble, making things right when he did wrong.
Another time J.D. stole some meat from Glenn Stancil and resold it. When Net found out, she repaid Glenn for his loss.
J.D. was living with Millard on his Micro farm. About 1942, J.D. was in an automobile accident. There were six riding in the automobile: his cousin Tom, Arthur's son, another friend, and three young ladies. J.D. was speeding and wrecked. The accident happened in Johnston County. The victims were taken to the hospital in Wilson. J.D. was the most seriously injured. He had a concussion and was unconscious for several days. Fortunately, no one else was injured, and J.D. recovered.
Joe met Mary Jeanne Godwin when he worked for her father in Godwin's Dry Goods Store in Selma. Mary was born on July 1, 1927. Joe was strikingly good looking with blond hair and sky blue eyes. Jeanne was equally attractive, many considered her beautiful. She had dark brown, almost raven hair, and brown eyes.
Jeanne was a twin. Tragically, her twin died. She was a tomboy growing up and preferred marbles and firecrackers to wearing dresses and learning to sew. As she matured, she blossomed and caught the attention of boys in the neighborhood. She also began drinking and had the reputation of drinking any boy under the table. Jeanne was a real party girl and enjoyed life.
Soon after she laid eyes on Joe, she changed and concentrated all her efforts on winning Joe's heart. He was receptive. Their mutual admiration was evident. Many were surprised when they married in December 1948.
Jeanne and Joe moved into a cozy cottage behind her parent's home. Joe continued to work for her father.
Joe's sister-in-law Dolores had a piano she loved, but it was out of tune. Joe offered to fix it for her. Dolores was skeptical but decided to let Joe try. Joe dismantled the piano in the store. There were parts everywhere. He put it together and tuned it perfectly. Many people were amazed, but Joe always had lots of self-confidence.
One morning in the summer of 1949, Joe wanted Jeanne to fry him some green tomatoes. Joe loved fried green tomatoes dating back to when Pinettie used to fry them for him. Jeanne, three months pregnant, was feeling woozy and told him he could fry his own tomatoes. Joe walked out in July of 1949 and never walked back in. They eventually divorced after the baby was born.
Jeanne gave birth on December 13, 1949, to Gregory Hale Stancil in Smithfield. His birth was recorded in the Johnston County Birth Records. His father was Joe Downing Stancil, 29, and his mother was Mary Jeanne Godwin, age 22, of Pine Level. Jeanne took her baby to her parent's home. Her sister Dolores helped her parents raise Greg. Greg affectionately called his grandma "Gogi."
Once when Greg was 2 1/2 years old, Joe visited the family store in Selma. They had recent photos of Greg and wanted to show them to Joe. Joe refused to look at the photographs.
During these growing up years, Jeanne would take Greg for brief periods, but she was not a responsible mother. Jeanne's parents and sister tried to monitor his times with Jeanne. When he was 4, Dolores found him eating dog food.
During the years Greg lived with his grandparents, he joined the First Baptist Church of Pine Level. He was active in the Boy Scouts and Little League. Greg began school at Pine Level. His high school was North Johnston. Greg went through a chubby period as many boys do. He had long blond hair, and when the principal required him to cut it, he did, into a mohawk!
Dolores, Jeanne's sisger, married when Greg was a teenager. These were challenging years, and Gogi needed help. The only help Jeanne offered was to remove Greg and take him with her to Virginia. She did. Greg entered Wedgefield High School. Greg had a difficult time adjusting a new state, new school and living with his mother. All he ever wanted was the unconditional love of a mother and a father. This forever eluded him.
Greg recognized his alcoholism and joined a group as a teenager to combat his addiction. He was the youngest in the group.
Greg was tall and handsome with Joe's coloring. He wore a size 14 shoe. Mary Katherine Stewart swept him off his feet. Greg met her at school. They married when Greg was only 16 in the summer of 1967. Neither returned to school. He wanted to join the Marines but had to wait until he was 17 and had to get his mother's signature. He knew Jeanne would not hesitate.
Gregory joined the Marines in May 1967. He completed training at Parris Island and was sent to Camp Jejune, North Carolina. He was happy to be so close to his grandma and Aunt Dolores. A son, Robin Dale Stancil, was born shortly before he was set to go to California. He proudly brought Mary Katherine and his son to Selma for a visit.
During this time, he had a chance to visit a childhood friend, Junior Capps. Junior kept their conversation private for a long time.
"Junior, I won't be coming back."
Junior argued with him and prayed he would be wrong.
Gregory was sent to Camp Pendleton, California, and on to Vietnam on February 29, 1968.
Greg excelled in the Marines. He was promoted to Lance Corporal. After Greg had been there over 10 months, he was sent with his men to sweep for land mines for two straight days. As soon as he returned with his men, they were told to get back out there without any rest. Greg refused, knowing his men needed sleep. He was stripped of his rank and sent back out. A sniper killed him with a deadly headshot. He died on January 5, 1969, of wounds received in hostile gunfire at Quang Nam.
Greg's body was returned embalmed to North Carolina. The glass-covered coffin was placed in the church for the viewing. When Mary Katherine observed the body, she screamed and almost fainted. Dolores looked down at her nephew through the glass. He did not look like himself at all. She wondered if it was really Greg. She spoke to the color guard privately and told them her concerns. They assured her it was Greg.
She made one request. "Please remove the glass and roll up his right sleeve, then I will be sure."
They did. Dolores observed the horseshoe-shaped scar from his childhood. Now she knew this was her beloved Greg.
His funeral was held at the Baptist Church in Pine Level on January 15, 1969, with an overflowing congregation of mourners. Gregory was buried in the Oliver-Godwin Cemetery near Pine Level.
Jeanne returned to Virginia. Mary Katherine raised Robin but never took him to visit the family in Selma. Robin grew up and did call Jeanne once. Jeanne finally returned to Goldsboro and married Willie Pate. She never lost her love for alcohol and cigarettes. She died in the Goldsboro Hospital in 2004 while recovering from a heart attack.
Joe met Eudoxie Griffin when they were both working for Burlington Mills in Franklinton, North Carolina. It was about 30 miles northeast of Raleigh. There were good jobs at the mills located there.
Eudoxie was born on March 16, 1924. She was the daughter of Addie Grace Edwards and Jasper N. Griffin. Eudoxie grew up on a farm where tobacco, soybeans, and corn were grown.
Eudoxie and her sister moved from Spring Hope, about 50 miles to the southeast. They moved into a boarding house close to the mills. Eudoxie operated one of the sewing machines.
Joe and Eudoxie began seeing each other and quickly fell in love and married in 1949. Joe and Eudoxie moved to Rockville, Maryland. This was north of Washington, D.C., and only 43 miles from Baltimore where jobs were easy to find.
Eudoxie became pregnant. Jay was born in 1950, in Norfolk. Joe joined the Merchant Marines for the duration of the Korean Conflict. Eudoxie decided to stay with Jay in Norfolk. Joe was eventually stationed in Virginia.
A little later, Joe moved Eudoxie and Jay to Johnston County, North Carolina. They stayed with Millard and Pearl. Gerry Dale Stancil was born in 1952 and Nettie Grace Stancil was born in 1955.
After Nettie was born in 1955 Joe moved his family to Waldorf, Maryland. They lived in a trailer while Joe sought employment. He was hired by the Baltimore Power Plant as a lineman. Joe had a long commute but decided to leave his family in Waldorf. While in Maryland, cousins Tom, Margaret and her daughter Marty visited Eudoxie and the children.
Joe was involved in a serious accident while at the power plant. He fell off a power pole and suffered permanent disabilities. Joe had difficulty coping and left his family, returning alone to North Carolina. Injuries from the accident prevented Joe from seeking meaningful employment.
Eudoxie moved back to Spring Hope, NC, with her three children around 1960. Spring Hope is about 25 miles from Wilson. The situation was very different from when she left. Her father had died several years earlier and her mother was renting out the farm and the tobacco allotment. In 1961, Eudoxie faced her situation and made the difficult decision of divorcing Joe.
The children adjusted to life in Spring Hope. Jay, Gerry, and Nettie earned extra money by working for local tobacco farmers in the summers. Eudoxie worked at the Devil Dog Manufacturing Plant and later worked for another mill in the Justice Community.
Eudoxie kept a close relationship with Joe's family after the divorce. They frequently visited their grandpa, Millard, and were fond of their great aunts, Alice, Martha, and Carletta.
Joe died on January 27, 2000, in Wilson County.
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