Eleanor Broce Mays

Eleanor Broce Mays, 95, moved from this earth to her heavenly home on December 17, 2020 in Florence, SC.  Eleanor was born on May 18, 1925, in Bristol, VA, the daughter of the late Joseph Ray and Callie Phillips Broce. 

On December 15, 1945, she married the late William James Arnold of Bristol, TN.  They had 4 beautiful children together over the 17 years that followed.  Her children were always her pride and joy.  Sadly, their marriage ended in divorce in 1968 and she then moved to Darlington, SC.  Eleanor was employed by the Bethea Baptist Home where she worked for 20 years until retiring at the age of 70 in 1995.  She was a gifted artist and a very talented musician.  She attended Sullins College in Bristol, VA, where she studied music.  She played several instruments beautifully, including the piano and the cello.  She loved her church family at Eastside Christian Church where she assisted with the choir, served as the pianist and taught Sunday school until her physical condition would no longer allow it.  She wrote several songs that the choir sang.  She called her upright piano her “old friend”.  She was a skilled seamstress and in later years enjoyed making costumes and doll clothes for her grandchildren.  In her spare time, she would knit and crochet beautiful afghans, sweaters, hats and scarves, including hats for preemies at the local hospital.  Eleanor is the health care worker who is depicted on the large mural painted in downtown Darlington, SC.  The artist captured her perfectly in her white uniform.  She spent her life caring for others and made an everlasting impression on all those she came in contact with throughout her life. 

Eleanor is survived by a daughter, Sally (George) Burnett of Spartanburg, SC; a son, Mark (Renee) Arnold of Florence, SC; seven grandchildren, Jamie Arnold of Mulberry, FL, Rachel Croft    of FL, Becky (Roland) Sharon of FL, Ruth (Johnny) Gonzales of Mulberry, FL, Kelly Murray of Greenville, SC, Lindsey Arnold of Charleston, SC, and John (Hannah) Davis of Florence, SC; one sister, Carolyn Baldwin of Brunswick, OH; and one brother, Jimmy Broce of Bristol, TN.; seventeen great-grandchildren and six great-great grandchildren as well as a host of nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death, in addition to her parents, by a daughter, Joanne Godwin and a son, William Arnold; three sisters, Helen Gaston, Bertha Lynn Garruto and Wanda Glovier; and two brothers, Joe Broce and Arman Broce. 

Visitation will be held at the Eastside Christian Church, 3541 E. Palmetto St., Florence, SC 29506, from 1:00 until 2:00 PM on Monday, December, 21, 2020, prior to a Celebration of Life service to be held at 2:00 PM.  Burial, directed by Cain Calcutt Funeral Home, will follow at Florence Memorial Gardens Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Eastside Christian Church.  Condolences may be made to the family at www.cainfuneralhome.com.

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