Thelma Lee Stancil Pipkin|
Thelma Lee Stancil Pipkin
Thelma Lee Stancil Pipkin was born Nov. 19, 1920, and died May 12, 2013.
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Thelma's children
With George Dallas Pipkin Sr. |
George "Dee Dee" Dallas Pipkin Jr. |
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Shirley Ann Pipkin Dec. 29, 1942 Newport News, Virginia-Jan. 30, 2022 Virginia |
| Alice Leigh Pipkin Parker |
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| Dee Dee and Gayle Pipkin, Alice Pipkin Parker, Thelma Stancil Pipkin, Shirley Pipkin, Roselyn Stancil Brown and Jerry Stancil. Family photo |
Thelma Lee Stancil Pipkin was the first daughter and third child of Freeman Elbert Stancil and his second wife Annie Viola Renfrow, daughter of James Ransome Renfrow and Linda Holland. Elbert’s first wife, Flora Hinnant, died of pneumonia in 1918.
Thelma is the granddaughter of Samuel Stancil, daughter of Freeman Elbert Stancil, wife of the late George Dallas Pipkin, mother of Dee Dee, Shirley and Alice.
Thelma was born Nov. 21, 1920. At first she was named Myrtle Viola Stancil, but soon it was changed to Thelma Lee.
Thelma's earliest memory of Grandpa Sam Stancil and grandma Missouri Howell Stancil was in 1923. Grandma Missouri was ugly and stern. At 3 years old on Sundays, they walked 5 miles down a dusty road to church, much too far for a little girl!
Thelma had two older brothers, Freeman Durward, born in 1914 and Josiah ‘Fernie’ Fernandas, born in 1917. She had two younger sisters, Eloise Virginia, born in 1922 and Annie Laurie, born in 1924. Eloise died in 1924.
Elbert and Annie began having difficulties, Thelma was sent to live with her mother’s sister, Aunt Alice (Renfrow) and Uncle George Dewey Morris. They also lived in Wilson and had 2 girls, Pansy and Linda. Thelma attended the Baptist church with Aunt Alice. Throughout the next 10 years, Thelma spent quite a bit of time with them off and on.
After her parents divorced, Annie, Thelma and Annie Laurie initially moved in with Annie’s parents, James Ransom and Linda Holland Renfrow. Then she moved with her daughters to Virginia for a time. When the situation did not work out for Annie in Virginia, Uncle Lonnie traveled there to move them all back to Wilson. Thelma recalled crying all the way to Wilson.
Elbert rented a farm in Wilson in the 1930s; Thelma found herself stringing tobacco at age 10 and working long hours with Annie Laurie, Durward and ‘Fernie’ on the farm.
Thelma Lee Stancil Pipkin and youngest Stancil Reunion attendee Ethan Thomas Gunst.
Thelma died on May 12, 2013.
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Thelma joined us for many reunions, including the 2012. Thelma was the oldest present and held the youngest member, Ethan Thomas Gunst, 10 ½ months, son of Ross and Elizabeth Stancil Gunst of the George Branch.
All of her children; Shirley, Alice, Dee Dee & wife Gayle joined Thelma for her last four Reunions and grandchildren Tyrone and Samantha came in 2011.
At an early Stancil Reunion, Thelma remembers Uncle Harvey Stancil saying to the children, “OK you youngums, drink the lemonade.” Years later Thelma figured out his real message, drink so you will eat less!
At 15, Thelma decided to run away from Elbert and Gladys’ home and moved in with her mother and stepfather in Wilson. By this time Elbert and Gladys had two children, Jay and Sheila and Thelma did a lot of babysitting.
Thelma accomplished the move over several days, taking a few clothes each time she went to school and returning home well before Elbert came home. The last keepsake Thelma took was a Christmas doll her mama had given her years before. When Durward saw it, he asked her why she was taking the doll to school. Thelma replied that she was in a play and needed the doll. When she did not return home, Elbert drove to school looking for her, her friends helped her hide. After a week, Elbert gave up and let her stay with her mother.
A girlfriend introduced Thelma to George Dallas Pipkin, son of John Harvey and Armeta Pipkin. He came from a large farming family in the Black Creek Community of Wilson, County. George was working at a restaurant. Thelma was smitten and they both fell deeply in love. Thelma quit high school. George and Thelma joined another couple for a quick trip to Lawrenceville, Va., where they both were married on March 29, 1937. Thelma only told her mother, who really liked George. Her dad heard it through the grapevine and reserved judgment until he met George. After all, Elbert felt protective towards his oldest daughter.
George rented them an apartment in Wilson. They attended George’s church, a Free Will Baptist, as long as they lived in Wilson.
Thelma and George moved to Virginia; the shipyards offered a better job for George. When he was laid off, they returned to Wilson. Uncle Lonnie Stancil and first cousin L.P. Stancil helped them move back by furnishing a truck and labor. George and Thelma moved between Virginia and Wilson throughout the years.
Virginia is where they raised their three children; George "Dee Dee" Dallas Pipkin Jr. who was nicknamed “Doodlebug” by his Uncle Fernie, Shirley Ann Pipkin and Alice Leigh Pipkin. Virginia is also where the family joined the Methodist Church.
Thelma Stancil Pipkin
Thelma died at 92 after a brief illness on Mother's Day of 2013 in Hayes, Virginia.
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While in Virginia, Thelma’s first cousin, Bobby Renfrow was hired by the shipyards; he and wife Gayle moved there. Bobby was the son of Thelma’s Uncle Robert and Aunt Effie Stancil Renfrow. They all visited Bobby’s sister Grace and husband George Dettenmayer, children Gary, Lynn and Heather, in Spotsylvania, Virginia; they were snowed in for several days.
In 1982, Thelma and George bought a grocery store they named Pipkins in Wilson. A full-service grocery, it was open from 7 to 7 and Thelma made deliveries too. Thelma ran the store while George continued to work until his retirement from the shipyards in Va. After years with no days off, the grocery store was sold in 1985.
After retirement, George and Thelma pursed a new hobby, riding motorcycles. The freedom of the road was perfect for them. They made many new friends on their scenic travels. They also became active members of the Moose Lodge and proved to be a pair of the best dancers. Thelma and George rented a Silver Lake cabin with friends Henry Parker, Blackie and Red Smilie, so they could turn up the music and danced till dawn!
Thelma grew up extra close to older brother Durward, who was her protector when she was a child. This bond lasted a life time. When Durward and Bessie traveled in their motor home, they often invited Thelma and George. Favorite destinations included Myrtle Beach, Nashville, where they enjoyed shows, and the picturesque mountains of North Carolina.
Thelma lived in a close knit neighborhood in Hayes, Va. For many years she took an early morning walk with her neighbors. They all looked out for one another.
Thelma was famous for her Cornbread and has this recipe in the Stancil Family Cookbook Vol. II, published in 2008.
Note: A recipe I have had for years and everyone loves my cornbread.
Thelma always had an independent streak with a ‘can do’ attitude. Several years ago she fell while hanging curtains. When she told her children, they asked, “Why didn’t you call?” Typical of Thelma, she replied, “I know how to hang curtains!”
Thelma died at 92 following a brief illness, on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2013, at home in Hayes, Va., surrounded by her family. Just hours before, Dee Dee played guitar while Alice sang one of her favorite songs, “How Great Thou Art.”
Thelma was buried beside her beloved husband, George, at a graveside service at 3 p.m. in the Peninsula Memorial Park Cemetery, 12750 Warwick Blvd., Newport News, Va.
Nephew Jerry Stancil, son of Durward and Bessie, recalled the wonderful summers he and Roselyn spent with Thelma and George in their large 2 story house near a creek and the James River. After several weeks, Dee Dee, Shirley and Alice visited them in Wilson.
Thelma expected you to have a large appetite in the mornings. She was known for her huge breakfasts that included fried eggs, country cured ham, red eyed gravy, sausage, bacon, grits, toast and a large pot of perked Maxwell House coffee.
When Dee Dee told his mom, “I love you the BEST," she would always reply, “But I love you the Most!"
Granddaughter Samantha recalls memories of her grandmother: “My grandmother could always make me laugh. I will never forget the New Year's Eve I spent playing cards with her, I had the best time! On my birthday, her card was always the first one I received and her lemon cake cannot be duplicated. She taught all her children how to make the world's best fried chicken. She had many talents and many friends. Her mind was so very sharp as she could remember so many things. ‘On the Road Again,’ is a song that reminds me of my grandmother as a free spirited and strong-willed woman who loved to stay on the go.”
Granddaughter Jessica shared this, “I am so lucky to have many wonderful memories of grandma (Thelma)! She has always been there for me from the day I was born. She called me her "little tootie" and never stopped! She and granddaddy lived with my family when I was young and always took care of me. She was also one of my best friends and would play all kinds of games with me. Granddaddy always said she acted like one of the kids! She was always full of energy and always made time for me. She was such a special woman and such an inspiration to me. I hope that I can follow in her foot steps and live life to the fullest as she did.”
Grandson Tyrone Pipkin, shared this: At the 2011 Reunion, the Pipkin Group arranged to meet in a hotel lobby. Tyrone was afraid Thelma might not know him, as it had been several years since he had seen her. Shirley asked her, “Do you know who this is?”
Thelma quipped, “Why hell, my mind might be gone but I can still see!”
Thelma left a lasting imprint on the Stancil Family. Her love, wisdom and wit will be missed.
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