Ella Apple

Ella Holt Apple passed away on February 19, 2017 at the Hospice House in Burlington following a period of declining health. The funeral service will be held at the Twin Lakes May Foley Chapel on Sunday, February 26, 2017 at 2pm with Rev. Bill Zima officiating. There will be a reception immediately following the service in the adjoining Peppertree Café. A private committal service will be held at Alamance Memorial Park following the reception.

Ella and her late husband, Dr. Jay Lawrence Apple, were deeply rooted in their Lutheran faith that sustained them throughout their lives. They were long time members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Raleigh during their time at NC State University. After retirement in 2001, Lawrence and Ella moved to the Twin Lakes Community and returned to their home church, Friedens's Lutheran in Gibsonville. They sang in the choirs at both churches as well as the choir at Twin Lakes Retirement Community. Both Ella and Lawrence were involved in a number of church and social activities throughout their lives.

Ella married her high school sweetheart, Lawrence, on October 3, 1945 following his WW II military service with the 99th Infantry in the Battle of the Bulge. As a recipient of the GI Bill, Lawrence and Ella moved to Raleigh in 1946 to begin a forty five year relationship with NCSU, first as a student and then a faculty member. During those years, Ella and Lawrence were very involved at NCSU with a variety of professional organizations as well as advocacy for the NCSU Libraries. They were generous supporters of the Plant Pathology Department and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Through various roles at NCSU, Lawrence and Ella got the opportunity to travel the world. They shared in later years that they had been blessed with lives full of opportunities, achievements, adventure and most importantly, a wealth of relationships with family and friends around the world.

Ella was one of five children born to Charlie Gilmer Holt and Ethel Livvie Ingle Holt on October 11, 1925. She is predeceased in death by her husband of 69 years, Dr. Jay Lawrence Apple; her parents,; her brother, CG Holt, Jr.; and her three sisters, Vera Somers, Harue Overman and Thelma Lowe. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Ann Holt; four nieces - Lelia S. Moore, Lou Ellen Runyan (Bruce), Susan Gillespie, and Nancy Apple ; and seven nephews- Jim Overman (Susan), Perry Lowe, Charlie Holt III, David Summers (Karen), Dennis Summers, and Edwin Apple (Patsy). There are multiple great nephews and great nieces.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to Frieden's Lutheran Church, 6001 North Carolina NC 61 N, Gibsonville, NC 27249 or to the NCSU James B Hunt Library, 1070 Partner's Way, Campus Box 7132, Raleigh, NC 27606.

The family would like to offer their heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Letvak and the nurses and staff of Deacon Pointe and Moneta Springs Assisted Living who have shown such loving care and compassion for Ella over the past few challenging years.

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