With sadness we share the news of the death of Eloise Virginia Morris Canzater, 88, on December 22, 2018. She was the mother-in-law of the Rev. Canon Gregory A. Jacobs, Canon to the Ordinary of the diocese, and the mother of his late wife Beverly Canzater Jacobs.
The eldest of four children of Robert Flemuel “Doc” Morris and Mollie Pearl Morgan Morris, Eloise was born on September 14, 1930 on the family farm in White Plains, Calhoun County, Alabama owned by her grandparents, the first Black landowners in White Plains. Eloise was proud of remarking that her father learned the brick masonry trade from his father, a trade taught from Slavery days.
After graduating from Alabama State University for Negroes in 1949, Eloise became a lifelong educator, with teaching positions at Eastwood High School in Jacksonville, AL; Lincoln High School in Lincoln, AL, and New York City Public Schools.
In 1951, Eloise married Theodore (Ted) Roosevelt Canzater; they had two daughters, Beverly Canzater Jacobs and Pamela Annette Canzater. After Eloise and Ted studied for and passed the Alabama Voter Registration Test, they began tutoring other Black friends and students who wished to pass the voting test. In 1957, while “Ms. Eloise” was giving a lecture, one of their students, Cleotis Smith, overheard the plans of the Klu Klux Klan to lynch the entire Canzater family – Ted, Eloise, Beverly (then age 4) and Pamela (18 months). The family immediately left Alabama and moved to Corona, Queens, in New York City, later settling in Hollis, Queens in 1963.
The four members of the Canzater family were all extremely active members of Corona Congregational Church (CCC), where Eloise served as a Youth Counselor and Church Clerk for more than 15 years. She also served as co-chair of the fundraiser to build the church community center and was involved in other ongoing mission work. Eloise was a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the NAACP and the United Federation of Teachers.
In addition to Canon Jacobs, Eloise is survived by her daughter Pamela; five granddaughters, Charlotte Elizabeth Jacobs, Kathryn-Anne Canzater Barney-Cheney, Stephanie Nicole Jacobs Snyder (Gregory Frantz Snyder), Dominique Canzater Cheney and Elizabeth Braswell Cheney; two great-granddaughters, Norah Faye Snyder and Natalie Frantz Snyder; and a number of nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends who mourn her passing. She was predeceased by her husband Ted, her daughter Beverly and her three younger siblings, Earl Morris, Julia (Peggy) Morris Harris and Tommy Morris.
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, February 9, 2019 at the First Congregational Christian Church, UCC in Birmingham, AL.
Condolences may be sent to Canon Jacobs care of Episcopal House, 31 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to organizations whose missions and values were close to Eloise’s heart: the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
Lord, for your faithful people life is changed, not ended. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven. Lord, grant eternal rest, forever in the radiance of your light. Amen.
