Grace Simmons Shambley

Grace Brody Simmons Shambley, 102 years young, of Elon, North Carolina, left this world in peace and grace to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday November 27th, 2022, surrounded by her family and loved ones.   Grace was born on June 9th, 1920 to Elisha Lyndon Simmons (father) and Martha Susan Rice Simmons (mother) in Yanceyville, North Carolina. Grace was one of eighteen siblings, who precede her in death (Roy, Otis, Porter, Luther, Ben, Robert, Clyde, Felix, Leonard, Augrum and Warren (brothers) - Eunice, Daisy, Pearl, Gladys, Frances and Lessie (sisters)). She married Alfred Greene Shambley Jr. on June 29, 1946.  Grace and Alfred were married for 35 years until his death in 1981. She will be lovingly remembered and cherished by her three children, Nancy Bolton and her husband Phil (of Burlington), Eddie Shambley and his wife Judy (of Swepsonville), and Amy Zachary and her husband Jerry (of Snow Camp).  She is also survived by four grandchildren, Tiffany Fort (husband Raymond Fort), Phillip Bolton Jr. (wife Ashley Bolton), Angie Zachary and Katie Holt (husband Eric Holt), nine great grandchildren, Aaron Fort, Wesley Fort, Carson Bolton, Porter Bolton, Braxton Ware, Ava Bolton, Karlee Phillippie (husband Austin) and Brynn Holt and one great great grandchild Easton Phillippie. 

Grace, also known as Miss Grace and Gracie to many, grew up in Yanceyville on a farm with her siblings.  She attended Pleasant Grove School and began a career working in hosiery mills.  Grace worked for several mills over the next forty years, including Tower Hosiery, Liberty Hosiery, Kaiser Roth and McEwen Hosiery.  After retirement, she continued her working career with Ted Bleecker, a local farmer in Elon, growing alfalfa and mung bean sprouts to be sold in grocery stores and restaurants all over the southeast. 

Miss Grace was raised in the Primitive Baptist church, attending Bush Arbor Primitive Baptist  for the majority of her early life.  In her later years, she visited Belmont United Methodist Church, Center United Methodist Church and Salem United Methodist Church from time to time with her family. However, you would most often find her in front of the TV on Sunday mornings watching Charles Stanley with a very hot cup of coffee. 

Grace loved buttermilk and cornbread, always together, and had a sweet tooth for butter cookies and Mounds.  You rarely found her without a cup of coffee nearby.   If you were ever in need of hard candy, Grace always had a peppermint or butterscotch in her pocketbook.  She was a meticulous folder of clothes and always kept a pristine and tidy living space. Miss Grace would get “tickled” at some of the most inopportune moments, sending everyone nearby into a fit of laughter themselves.  She took pride in push-mowing her two acre yard and was an extraordinary seamstress.  Grace never let you leave without walking you to the door and waving as you drove away.   

Miss Grace had an unwavering faith and devotion to Christ that was apparent in all that she was and all that she did.  She cherished and took great pride in her family, providing them all with a strong foundation of love and faith.  Miss Grace had a generous spirit and was selfless beyond measure.  Her smile and laugh were contagious.  Grace was truly goodness embodied, a woman of extraordinary strength and an inspiration to many.  She will be missed terribly by all, but her family and friends find comfort in knowing that she is in her heavenly and long awaited home.

The family would like to invite all who wish to celebrate Grace’s life to attend a visitation at Lowe Funeral Home in Burlington, North Carolina on Wednesday November 30th, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.   A memorial service will be held on Thursday December 1st, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. in the Coble Creek Chapel of Twin Lakes.  As this is a healthcare facility, all guests attending the service will be required to check in at the front desk of Coble Creek and wear a mask while in the facility.  Masks will be provided upon check-in.  A grave side service will immediately follow the memorial service at Alamance Memorial Park.  Prior to the visitation and memorial service, the family will be at the residence of Tiffany and Ray Fort, located at 1224 Ravenwood Dr. Graham, North Carolina. 

The family wishes to extend a special thank you to all of the nurses, staff and residents of Coble Creek Healthcare at Twin Lakes Community who made Twin Lakes a home for Grace.  Their compassion, service, friendship and kindness were an indescribable source of comfort for the family throughout the last few years of Miss Grace’s life.   

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make a donation in honor of Grace with AuthoraCare/Hospice or a charity of your choice.  Donations can be made online at: https://www.authoracare.org/give/donate-online.