Fannie Moss Stalcup, 106, passed away Sunday, May, 16, 2021.
She was a native and lifelong resident of Cherokee County. She was the daughter of Columbus and Rebecca Garrett Moss, and was born Nov. 16, 1914 in Marble, into a vastly different world than we know today, when the population of the United States was only 30 percent of the now 331 million.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Horace David Stalcup; four sisters; two brothers; and all of his and her contemporaries.
She is survived by her three sons, Roy Stalcup, Winston Stalcup and John Stalcup. Roy has one daughter, Lisa Graves, and one granddaughter, Krystal Miller. Winston has three daughters and two sons, Angela, John, Thad, Cindy and Heather Stalcup, and two grandsons, Anders and Zane Stalcup. John and his wife, Shirley Guffey Stalcup, have three daughters, Melissa, Melanie and Michele Stalcup. Her sons were the focus and inspiration that dominated her life.
She and her husband were descendants of immigrants that arrived in the early 1600s. The Moss brothers, from England, settled in Virginia and the first Stalcup sailed from Sweden in 1641 and landed in Delaware to help establish a Swedish colony. Her life was a living history of more than a century in rural Cherokee County, N.C.
World War I began the year she was born in 1914. The Spanish flu swept the world in 1918 leaving millions of dead. The Great Depression followed in the 1930s when the world economy collapsed. Then occurred World War II in the 1940s and the Korean War in the early 1950s. Times were hard with a scarcity of goods and services including food. She had a special fondness for little children and befriended many.
A new level of worry and anxiety came into her life as the polio pandemic appeared widespread in Cherokee and neighboring counties and across the nation in 1948 into the 1950s. Her three young sons, their cousins and schoolmates of the same ages were the most vulnerable. The virus caused paralysis and in some cases death. There were no known causes and no known cures until massive vaccinations began in 1954 with the experimental Salk vaccine. Within a decade the virus was slowly eradicated.
Of the many positive developments that occurred during her lifetime none was more important than the establishment of the TVA and the resulting electrification of rural Cherokee County and the region. With electricity came most of the modern conveniences taken for granted today. Large and small appliances, telephones and televisions, heating and air conditioning. This provided immediate improvement in quality of life and had the lasting benefit of raising the standard of living for thousands.
Over the course of the next half century additional technological advancements accelerated: computers, radar, microelectronics, DNA analysis and gene-editing, the internet, smart phones, satellites, space exploration, travel to the moon, electronic money and more.
On a personal level she had the unique ability to view life’s events as transitory, readily accepting a constantly changing world while confident about the future. An avid reader, she kept up with current events and enjoyed watching history-based documentaries and wildlife programs. Even in old age her mental acuity was exceptional.
She led a very active life from childhood and as a teen played basketball. She was an enthusiastic gardener; vegetables were a large portion of her diet. She was never overweight, ate one or more apples every day, baked biscuits, cakes and pies, and made jelly and went to bed with a clear conscience.
She was endowed with a lively spirited personality. She was the beneficial recipient of numerous advancements in medical care, medicines, vaccines and nutritional science. She was never hesitant to seek medical care.
With support of family, friends and caregivers, the last decades of her life were comfortable and largely stress free. She was out and about most days doing whatever made her happy, going to church, visiting vegetable stands and the like.
At the age of 103, she suffered a debilitating injury from a fall and could no longer stay at home.
The family expresses deep appreciation to the staff of Murphy Rehabilitation & Nursing for the care and support they provided during the course of an unforgiving pandemic. Their efforts sustained her in the absence of the comfort that can only come from the warm embrace of loved ones.
She will be remembered for her love of family and a life of graceful equanimity with dignity and courage. She leaves us with endless gratitude and sorrow in our hearts.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 23, at Martins Creek United Methodist Church with the Revs. Shelley Chastain and David Feathers officiating. Inurnment will take place at a later date in Old Martins Creek Cemetery.
Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy, is in charge of all arrangements.
An online guest register is available at www.iviefuneralhome.com.