Eleanor (Lowrey) Lindsay passed away peacefully on July 20th, 2024, after a quick decline after suffering two surgeries for breaks in her leg. Up until the last surgery Eleanor maintained her kindness, compassion, appreciation of beauty, love of family and friends, and expressed gratitude for her long life, full of wonderful and varied experiences. She is survived by her daughters (Barbara Underwood and Amy Kratovil), sons-in-law (Shawn Underwood and Morgan Kratovil), grandsons (Adam Kratovil, Joseph Underwood, and Dane Kratovil), nieces (Nancy Waldron, Mary Rachui, Harriet Morris, Beth Keij and Becky Palek) and nephews (Bob Lindsay, Reid Lindsay, Ed Vinay and Ty Collins), special great-nieces (Maryann Vinay-Ricks and Dorothy Vinay), special great-nephews (Eli and Milo Collins), and many other cousins, great-nieces and great-nephews on both sides of her family. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Harold Lindsay, her parents, Clyde and Cicero Lowrey, and her sisters, Elizabeth Cooper and Shirley Collins.

Eleanor’s life can best be encapsulated by four “F” words: Family, Friends, Food, and Fun. In her 83 years here with us, she experienced an abundance of each.

Family: Eleanor spent her early years in Geraldine, Alabama, living with her mother and father, Clyde and Cicero Lowrey, and two sisters, Shirley Maude and Elizabeth Ann, where she felt very loved and supported. Eleanor also had close relationships with her various cousins, especially Adna Roden and Jimmy Washington. Eleanor always knew she wanted to someday raise a family of her own. She met Harold J. Lindsay while attending Jacksonville State University. They dated for a few years and married in June of 1963 just two days after she graduated with her bachelor’s degree. They moved to Tennessee where Harold finished his undergraduate degree at East Tennessee State University and Eleanor received her master’s in education. After college, they moved to North Carolina and eventually built a house in Hildebran. Eleanor and Harold maintained a loving and supportive marriage of almost 49 years up until Harold’s passing in 2012. Together they raised two daughters, Barbara (Lindsay) Underwood and Amy (Lindsay) Kratovil, and regularly engaged with their large extended family in Hildebran and Hickory on Harold’s side and Alabama and Georgia on Eleanor’s side. Throughout this time, Eleanor excelled in creating a beautiful and gracious home on top of Henry River Hill where she and Harold hosted many friends and families for meals, parties, and swimming. The crowning glory for Eleanor was the arrival of her grandsons: Adam Kratovil, Joseph Underwood, and Dane Kratovil. Eleanor delighted in everything about her new role as a grandmother and took on the name of “Granny” in honor of her mother. She made it a point to be as engaged as possible with her grandsons. From babysitting to buying matching outfits for them, from attending birthday parties and school performances to watching them in sporting events. Eleanor delighted in her grandsons as much, if not more than she delighted in raising her daughters.

Friends: Eleanor cherished her friendships, developing them at each stage of her life, with most of these lasting the remainder of her life. At the time of her passing, Eleanor still had friendships that she developed in Geraldine as a young child. She is survived by her best friends from Geraldine: Dot Holcomb, Edna Upton and Lavon Smith. Another best friend is Linda Ingle. Linda was a coworker at East Burke High School who became a lifelong friend. Linda hauled Eleanor to Alabama and many places after Harold’s death and is a wonderful friend. Bob and Linda Lindsay, Harold’s nephew and wife, were also very close friends and very attentive to Eleanor after Harold’s passing. From phone call chats to joint family outings to sharing informal and formal meals and entertaining, to class reunions, to adventures near and far, to helping in times of sadness and difficulty, Eleanor was up for it all. High school class reunions were very important to Eleanor. She planned many class reunions until she couldn’t do it anymore. She recruited her daughters and friends to continue planning these reunions yearly towards the end. She was known not just for enjoying her friendships but for being a good friend as well. She was known to send flowers to every funeral she ever found out about. Eleanor knew that friendships, like gardens, take work to maintain and she was willing to put in the effort, thus got to reap the rewards.

Food: Eleanor was known for being a good baker. She delighted in preparing tasty food to share with her family and friends! Eleanor loved baking blueberry pies and cobblers made from their blueberry bushes bounties. Amy’s high school friends still remember always having blueberry cobbler at the Lindsay house. Harold was a fantastic cook as well. Eleanor and Harold loved to plan family meals for all occasions, whether it was a 4th of July cookout, Thanksgiving meal or family birthdays. Eleanor planned her decorations, and it was always a treat to sit at Eleanor Lindsay’s table!

Fun: Eleanor delighted in fun and maintained a love of adventure and learning throughout her life. She retired at age 52 after 30 years of teaching high school science and she and Harold traveled extensively for many years until their health declined. They visited England, France, Italy, and the Netherlands before their daughters were born. They continued traveling by taking their daughters to the UK where they met and befriended the Armstrong family in Newcastle upon Tyne. Bob and Wendy Armstrong took the Lindsays into their home when their car broke down. The Armstrong family’s children (Heather, Kim and Terry) and Amy and Barbara still carry on the family friendship and continue to keep in contact and visit when possible. Eleanor and Harold also took Amy and Barbara to Mexico, Nassau, and most of the states in the US traveling by car or train. After retirement, they traveled back to the UK to visit the Armstrongs, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Australia, all 50 states and several tropical destinations.

Eleanor was a gem of a person who appreciated all that life gave her. Even near the end of her life, she quickly made friends in her assisted living facilities, where she was known for her infectious Alabama accent. Eleanor quickly became a favorite of the caregiving staff at each facility. She maintained a cute, inviting living space with fresh flowers and displayed her artwork. She enjoyed Sunday lunches with her daughters, son-in-law, and grandsons each week.

Eleanor always expressed how grateful she was to have lived a long life full of wonderful experiences as well as a loving family and many good friends. She wanted to live to be 100, but unfortunately her little body gave out 17 years too soon. She truly embodied the adage of a life well lived.

A Funeral Service will be held on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in the Chapel of Heritage Funeral Service in Valdese at 2:30 PM. Interment will follow the service at the Burke Memorial Park Mausoleum.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home prior to the service on Sunday, July 28, 2024, from 12 PM to 2 PM.
Heritage Funeral Service and Crematory is assisting the Lindsay family.