Lela Tance Eury
April 20th 1914 – April 8th 2008
Into the Life
Lela Tance Eury was born on April 20, 1914, in Stanly County, North Carolina, to Josephus Sanford Eury and Rosa Agnes Hill. Lela married Matthew Ransom Luther Sr. on July 1, 1936, in Chesterfield, South Carolina. They had seven children: Matthew Ransom Luther Jr. (1940–2016), Linda Darnell Luther (1941–2010), Brenda Joyce Luther (born 1941), Thomas Edward Luther Sr. (1943–2023), Larry Malcolm Luther (1944–2003), Audrey Jean Luther (1946–2018), and Annie Agnes Luther (1948–2016)
Lela spent much of her life in North Carolina, raising her children. She endured hardships, including an abusive marriage. When her husband became violent, her father, Josephus Eury, intervened and shot Matthew Ransom Luther Sr. in the hand to protect his daughter. They later got divorced. Lela's ex husband, Matthew, died after being hit by a train in 1971 while being intoxicated. Lela passed away on April 8, 2008, in Norwood, Stanly County, North Carolina, at the age of 93. She is buried at Cottonville Baptist Church in Norwood, North Carolina.
