Mrs. Grace Downard Peeples

Mrs. Grace Downard Peeples, age 86, passed away on Saturday, January 25, 2020. The family will receive friends for visitation on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. until the 11:00 a.m. service at Chancellor Funeral Home in Florence. A private family committal at the graveside will be held following the funeral service. Mrs. Peeples was born in Florence, MS on January 4, 1934. She graduated from Florence High School. Grace married Curtis Eddie Peeples on December 24, 1952. Mrs. Peeples previously worked at Farm Bureau, and she was a licensed real estate agent in Illinois and Florida, where she frequently received Salesman of the Month Awards in both states. Grace was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Florence. She was a very active member of the Florentine Club and an avid tennis player. Grace, along with her husband, Eddie, were active in raising fund for the acquisition of children’s playground equipment and for the construction of the tennis courts at Hemphill Park. The tennis courts were named in their honor. Grace and Eddie are known for their love of birdhouses which are uniquely displayed in their driveway on Main Street in Florence. Grace was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Willard Downard and Wilma Lee Prisock Downard and two siblings, Wilma Lee Robbins and Joseph Thomas Downard. She leaves behind her husband, Curtis Eddie Peeples; two sons, Joseph Ed Peeples and Stephen Edward Peeples, both of Florence; one grandson, Austin Stephen Peeples of Texas; one brother, Willard Edward Downard; one sister, Mary Alice Hydrick both of Florence; and numerous other relatives and many friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Baptist Church of Florence.