Florence Fowler Peacock

Our beloved Florence Peacock passed away peacefully at home in Chapel Hill on January 1, 2026. She was born Florence Turner Fowler at Emory University Hospital on June 13, 1937, into an extraordinarily loving family and hometown of Covington, Georgia, the middle child of Louly (née Turner) and Robert Raphael Fowler of Covington. As a little girl, she had such good times with her siblings and cousins and charmed many people with her musical talent on stage. She continued charming throughout her 12 years in the public schools of Newton County, Georgia, and her activities as a summer camper at Camp Junaluska for Girls in North Carolina. She pranced across many stages in crepe paper costumes as well as singing all day long at home, even at the dinner table! Her mother said she was “bonnie!” - always happy!

Florence (“Totsie”) was precious in her friends’ eyes also, enjoying a lifetime of loyal friendship with three special girlfriends, riding ponies, playing tennis and spreading joy wherever she went. She sang in the choir of First Methodist Church as a soprano soloist and in duets with her musician mother and trios with mother and sister. She was a leader throughout her school years and was president of her class in high school.

She graduated from Hollins College with a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree (1959) and from Yale University with a Master of Music degree (1962). Hollins College recognized her with a Distinguished Alumnae award and the “Florence Fowler Peacock Terrace” in the Talmadge Recital Hall (dedicated in 2014).

Florence was married to Dr. James Lowe Peacock III since 1962. They met through a mutual friend in New Haven. She was discovered by a Broadway scout during a performance at Yale Repertory Company and offered a starring role in “Once Upon a Mattress” on Broadway with Carol Burnett. Instead, she chose adventure by marrying and following James to Indonesia, where he began field research for his doctoral dissertation. They climbed the great pyramid of Khufu, and lived in the slums of Jakarta, Indonesia, during what was later called “The Year of Living Dangerously.” Florence learned to speak Indonesian, and she studied vocal techniques and Javanese dance, including Gamelan music and court traditions as a part of her music career, along with working with James on his dissertation about Indonesian theater (called the Ludruk).

In 1968, James took a position at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Anthropology Department and the family settled in Chapel Hill. Florence was a loving mother to her three daughters Louly, Claire, and Natalie, balancing motherhood with a career as a professional singer and voice teacher. She specialized in Baroque music and avidly sang show-tunes. She was a long-time soprano soloist at the University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, and for some years directed the children’s choir there. Her voice was a magnificent and powerful pure high soprano. She is especially remembered for her stirring and elegant rendition of O Holy Night, that she sang for many Christmas eve midnight services. She taught voice lessons privately for many years and is fondly recalled by many generations of students.

Music was the very heart of her life, whether performing or just singing at home. Florence was a brilliant reader of emotional truths, with her warm smile, joyous laughter and wonderful sense of humor. She also overcame many life obstacles, including developing otosclerosis in her late 20’s, which resulted in profound hearing loss. She feared her music career might be over, but she overcame this disability through her determination, innate musicality, and the use of specialized hearing aids. She valued beauty and elegance, creating a home on North Boundary Street in Chapel Hill that became a center of the arts community.

As a renowned soprano, Florence performed across the country and in Canada, England, Indonesia and Russia, often during the Peacocks’ travels and cultural exchanges. She participated as a soloist at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute over a couple decades. She performed with many symphonies across the country, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and on NPR’s Performance Today singing Stephen Foster songs.

Florence contributed to the cultural life in Chapel Hill and the Triangle area, for which she received many recognitions and awards. She served on numerous boards for humanitarian, university and music organizations. In 2018, she was recognized locally as a “Hometown Hero” and was described in the accompanying article as a significant figure in Chapel Hill for her extensive community involvement and philanthropy, often recognized alongside her husband for their contributions, including naming the “James and Florence Peacock Atrium” in the FedEx Global Education Center at UNC. As a music teacher, vocalist, and active supporter of organizations like Carolina Performing Arts, the NC Opera, Preservation Society of Chapel Hill and local anti-hunger charities, she embodied kindness and generosity in the community. Throughout her life, she sponsored many young musicians’ careers, particularly musicians from communities underrepresented within the classical music field. She embraced and befriended people from all socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, races and the LGBTQ community with an open heart and loving spirit.

Most recently, as a resident of the Cedars of Chapel Hill since 2018, she continued singing and loved to sing songs from musicals, especially with her granddaughters Flora and Lucia. She watched her grandchild Bella play tennis, her grandson Yanni earn his degree from Harvard, and her grandson Nick defend his dissertation from Duke. Her last words before her passing to her husband were “I love you.”

She is survived by her devoted spouse of 63 years, Dr. James Lowe Peacock III, her loving siblings Louly Hay of Athens, Georgia, and Robert Fowler III of Covington, Georgia, and by her adoring children Dr. Louly Peacock (Simeon Hickman), Dr. Claire Raymond (Dr. Mark Raymond), and Natalie Peacock-Corral (Dr. Emiliano Corral), her precious grandchildren Dr. Nicholas Clayton Konz, Ioannis “Yanni” Markos Raphael Raymond, Flora Rochelle Konz, Isabella “Bella” Florence Corral, and Lucia Beatriz Corral, and many treasured nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Florence’s memory either to North Carolina Opera (at ncopera.org or by mail to: North Carolina Opera, 612 Wade Avenue, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27605) or to Baroque & Beyond (at baroqueandbeyond or by mail, with check to: Mallarmé Chamber Players (memo: B&B - F. Peacock), 120 Morris St, Durham, NC 27701).

A Celebration of Life will be held at University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, on Saturday, February 14, at 12:00 noon. The family will receive friends for visitation at the church from 10:45 am to 11:45 am.

The family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service.