Elizabeth Grimes McRae

Elizabeth Grimes McRae died on June 23, 2021. She was the only child of Maude Vosburgh Grimes and William Grimes. She was born in Greenville, South Carolina on August 10, 1924 and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. She attended St. Mary’s School in Raleigh, Hollins College, and graduated from the University of North Carolina.

After moving to Jacksonville at the age of 22, she began her lifelong career as an Interior Designer with the design firm of McCullough and Baker. Known by the nickname “Bitty”, she married Walter A. McRae Jr. in 1969 and was instantly absorbed into a family of five.

Bitty served the Jacksonville community throughout her life. She was a founding member of The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital. She served on the board of directors of The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens and, as a member of the garden committee, worked on the full restoration of the historic Cummer gardens as they were originally designed. Bitty also served on the board of the Memorial Park Association and could be seen on a regular basis digging in the dirt, planting flowers and working hard to keep Memorial Park refurbished and beautifully maintained. For each celebration or event undertaken, Bitty was known for her unfathomable dedication to detail and relentless pursuit of perfection, exhausting all avenues in the process, and achieving memorable and beautiful results.

Throughout her life Bitty maintained her Carolina roots, visiting with childhood friends and family each year in Linville, NC., where she and Walter spent their summer months.

Bitty was predeceased by her husband, Walter. They were married for 42 years.

She is survived by Diane McRae Graham, Patricia McRae Washington, Glory McRae Bowen, and Walter Clay McRae, seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Bitty is also survived by her beloved cousins William Grimes and Parkie Thomas of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Mrs. Mary Anne Thomas of Charlotte, North Carolina.

A funeral to celebrate Bitty’s life will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 4129 Oxford Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 32210, on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 10:00 AM followed by a reception in Leatherbury Hall. Bitty’s family wishes to thank her very kind and generous caregivers Rexanne McCoy, Lynn Fleurimond, Ashley Kelley, and Leticia Martin. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Alice Turner and Stewart Geiger for decades of executive assistance and accounting expertise they provided to Walter and years of continued support and assistance to Bitty following his passing.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, The Memorial Park Association, The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Episcopal School of Jacksonville, or Community Hospice and Palliative Care.