Lela Peterson Council Prevatte

Lela Peterson Council Prevatte died at Sterling House in Rocky Mount, NC, on March 28. She would have been 84 on April 13. Her daughters, Carol Council Frederick of Goldsboro, NC, and Jamie Council Garvey, of Augusta, GA, were with her, along with grandchildren Stephen James Frederick Jr., Christie Lynn Frederick, and son-in-law James Garvey. Lela was the daughter of Colin and Sybil Peterson of Samson County, NC. She was born and raised on a tobacco farm there along with her sister and six brothers, all of them tall, smart, and strong. Through the years of the Depression, despite the lack of electricity and plumbing, they worked hard and enjoyed each other. The brothers and sisters remained close all their lives. Three brothers survive her: Henry DeWitt Peterson of Macon, GA, Wayne Ashley Peterson of Todd, NC, and Robert Pugh Peterson of Hampton, VA. Also surviving her are her grandson's wife, Camille Hatch Frederick, and five great grandchildren. After a year attending Wake Forest, Lela moved to Rocky Mount in 1948. She married James Cornelius "Buck" Council in 1950, had two daughters, and was a working mother long before that was the norm. After working all day as office manager at Farris Motors, she would come home and cook dinner; and the girls often went to sleep with the sound of the sewing machine whirring in the next room as their mother made their clothes. Her husband died in 1973. She continued working at Farris until she retired in 1993 after 42 years. She was a faithful, hard-working member of Arlington Baptist Church, where she served on many committees and has been a member of the Scripture Gleaners Sunday School class since 1948. Her church affiliation was always important to her; her church friends were her closest friends. In 1990, after 18 years of widowhood, she married Jack Edmund Prevatte of Rocky Mount. He died in 2001. As friends and relatives grew old and frail, she was a devoted caretaker. She sacrificed her own joys to care for others, and did so without expecting praise or notice. It was simply an office of love to which Christ called her. In her last 15 months, it was she who was ailing. She was well cared for at Sterling House, and her many friends visited and tried to keep her connected with the community she loved. Services will be at Arlington Baptist Church at 11 am Thursday, the Rev. Tim Lowry officiating. Visitation will take place at the church in the hour preceding the service. Burial will be at Pineview Cemetery, Section 33. The family is grateful for the kind, caring staff members at Sterling House and Community Hospice who loved and cared for Lela during her final months of life. Memorials may be made to Arlington Baptist Church, 1500 Bethlehem Road, Rocky Mount NC 27803 or Community Hospice, 3124 Zebulon Road, Rocky Mount NC 27804 or The Sterling House of Rocky Mount, 600 Goldrock Road, Rocky Mount NC 27804. Arrangements entrusted to Wheeler and Woodlief Funeral Home, 1130 N. Winstead Ave., Rocky Mount, NC. You may share your memories and send condolences to the family by visiting www.wheelerwoodlief.com. Visitation Arlington Baptist Church 1500 Bethlehem Road Rocky Mount, NC 27803 ID ) ); ?>"> --> 252-937-7729 --> | Thursday 3/31, 10:00 am - 11:00 am Service Arlington Baptist Church 1500 Bethlehem Road Rocky Mount, NC 27803 ID ) ); ?>"> --> 252-937-7729 --> | Thursday 3/31, 11:00 am Cemetery Pineview Cemetery 761 N. Raleigh Road Rocky Mount, NC 27801