Bobbie Mcleod

Mrs. Bobbie Jean Caldwell McLeod, 89, of Winston-Salem, passed away peacefully at Trellis Supportive Care on Monday, May 24, 2021, surrounded by her family.

Bobbie was born at home, on August 6, 1931, in Wadeville, NC, to the late Jackson Walter Caldwell and Mary Jeanette Hurley Caldwell.  As a child, she lived in several places, as her father traveled during the Depression to find work.  The family eventually settled in Wadeville, NC, buying the Hurley family homeplace. She enjoyed a wonderful childhood with her three sisters and extended family close by. She graduated from Mt. Gilead High School in 1949.  Determined about what she wanted to do with her life and with her love of children, Bobbie attended East Carolina University and earned her undergraduate teaching degree, Master’s degree, and Principal’s license in four years. While attending ECU and working together on a school play, she met Gilbert, the love of her life.  They were married in December 1953. Upon graduation, her first teaching job was at the Children’s Home in Winston-Salem.  She taught at several public schools throughout the area, was selected to participate in multiple leadership programs, was one of the first Reading Coordinators, and was invited to join Delta Kappa Gamma, an international society to promote excellence for women educators.  She served as Principal at multiple local schools, including Ashley Middle School and Griffith Elementary School. Her love for children and teaching extended outside of her profession, as well. She was actively involved with the Girl Scouts, even serving as Troop Leader when her daughters were young. After retiring as a professional educator, she started her most important life work, that of Grandmother and chief babysitter for her four grandchildren. Her teaching skills were well used, as she taught them their letters and colors, pushed them in swings, made delicious lunches, and took them on her own special field trips. She attended all their school programs, scouting functions and recitals.  After the last grandchild started kindergarten, she found she missed working with children, so she taught preschool for several area churches, as long as her health permitted. Bobbie was a longtime member of Trinity Presbyterian Church, where she served as a Deacon and an Elder, sang in the choir, and taught Vacation Bible School.  In her free time, she loved to garden and cook, and her family enjoyed the beautiful gardens she created, as well as the meals she would make.  In addition to her parents, Bobbie was preceded in death by her sisters, Ramona Bennett and husband Don, Peggy Ellers and husband Buster, and Nancy Blades and husband Lem.

Bobbie is survived by her devoted husband of more than 67 years, Gilbert McLeod; daughters, Laura Vance (Ken) of Clemmons, and Catherine Chitty (Rick) of Winston-Salem; grandchildren, Elizabeth Vance, Michael Chitty, Sarah Vance, and Mary Catherine Chitty; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Bobbie’s life will be held Sunday, May 30, 2021, at 2 PM, at Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel. The family will receive friends immediately following the service. If you are not fully vaccinated, the family requests that you please wear a mask when attending the service and visitation. A private family interment will be held in Carthage, NC.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Bobbie’s caregivers over the years: Rickus, Darryl, Diane, Karen, and all the staff at Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home, especially Emily K.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Trellis Supportive Care (formerly Hospice & Palliative Care Center), 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC  27103.