The daughter of Otis Lee & Eula Mae Jackson.

She grew up in Clarksdale, and Mobile, Ala., with her parents; and two sisters, Carolyn and Jean, who preceded her in death. Eloise met her sailor sweetheart, William Alfred Barrow, while working at Walgreen's in Mobile, during World War II, and they were married on May 18, 1946, in Mobile. They raised two sons, Robert M. Barrow and William A. Barrow Jr., in Mobile, La Center, Ky., and Kirkwood, Mo., and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1996, at their church in Webb City, Mo. Her husband, William Alfred Barrow Sr. preceded her in death on Dec. 6, 1999. Survivors include son, Robert Barrow and his wife, Cindy, of Robertsville, Mo.; grandchildren, Benjie, Nathan and Lindsey Barrow, of the Robertsville area and their respective spouses, Monica, Angie and Doug; great-grandson, J.J. Barrow; son, Bill Barrow and his wife, Lynn, of Columbia; and grandchildren, Patty Soderman, of St. Louis, and Chris Tobin, of Columbia, and their spouses and children; grandson, Jay Barrow and his wife, Jessica, of Lenexa, Kan. Also surviving are niece, Jimmy Lee Janes and her husband, Billy Ray and children, of Chickesaw, Ala.; and longtime family friend, Mrs. Bernice Strange, of La Center, Ky. Eloise was a homemaker and a sales clerk at the Lambert Department Store in Webster Groves, Mo., in the 1960s and 70s, where she had many friends. Later, after her children were grown, she helped manage Kirkshire Apartments in Kirkwood, with her husband and began taking liberal arts courses at Meramec Community College. She earned her associates degree at Meramec in 1978, and worked toward a degree at nearby Webster College, majoring in photography and journalism. A true writer at heart, she wrote many interesting stories and beautiful poems, often centered on her innocent and deep love for her beloved "sailor" husband. She was also a volunteer reporter, a Southwest Missouri correspondent for the Southern Baptist Word and Way and often volunteered for clothing drives and delivered meals to the elderly while living in Carl Junction, Mo. Eloise and her husband were always very active in their church wherever they lived. She was a member of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala., La Center Baptist Church in La Center, Ky., Sherwood Baptist Church in Webster Groves, Geyer Road Baptist Church in Kirkwood, First Baptist Church in Webb City, and Bethany Baptist Church, of Columbia, Mo. She taught Sunday school classes throughout most of her adult life and was a devoted Bible student. Very active in the WMU, she was a leader of that organization while at First Baptist Church in Webb City, where she and her husband had many wonderful friends and memories. Family was very important to Mrs. Barrow and she spent many hours playing baseball in the back yard with her young sons, teaching and encouraging them as they grew up, taking her grandchildren swimming and fishing, playing board games and laughing with the family, cooking great meals during the holidays and many other family activities. Eloise was diagnosed with MS in 1968, and though the illness gradually limited her mobility, initiated many hurtful falls and caused her to use a cane, then a walker, and finally a wheelchair, she never complained about her condition. She was always optimistic about the future and never stopped working on the many tasks that she mapped out for herself each day, often involving helping other people.