One Word -- Maydelle

Today, as I sit and ponder the many things that face us in our present day world, I am reminded that it has been eleven years since I lost someone very, very dear to my heart -- my great aunt, plainly called Maydelle. It's so hard to believe that in February of 2000, I lost my aunt, but also my friend and well, someone with whom I share many similarities. Time heals the pain, but we never forget the memories we share with our loved ones. So I thought with Valentine's Day approaching, I'd share a few memories of my Maydelle.

Maydelle was born Ester Maydelle Sorrell in Wake County, North Carolina, on July 4th, and she was a patriot in many, many ways. Much like myself, she was an avid basketball fan. Matter of fact, she and her sister (my grandmother) both played basketball for Garner Senior High School. Many days, I often wish that I had played sports in school. It would have been an honor to look out in the stands and not only see my parents but also see my grandparents & Maydelle because she wouldn’t have missed it for the world. She was also one of my big “cheerleaders” as she often attended some of my piano recitals when she wasn’t busy taken care of her Mom.





One reason for my love of downtown Raleigh comes from Maydelle. She worked for many years with FCX and often spent countless hours shopping in the downtown stores. As a child, I used to hop in the car on Saturday mornings for “girl’s day out” with my Granny and Maydelle. Our first stop was ALWAYS downtown Raleigh whether it was the “old” Hudson Belk with lunch at the original Capital Room, or whether it was to go to McCrory’s or Woolworth’s…I’d be along for the ride.









Maydelle was also a fashionista. She LOVED wearing black and red (hmmm…now I know where I get that from!). She was always dressed very neatly no matter the occasion. On our Saturday adventures, after hitting up downtown, we would head over to North Hills (when it actually used to be an indoor mall!)…she loved her some JcPenney’s, and she has probably rolled over in her grave thirty times knowing that they’ve torn down the mall – with the exception of JcPenney’s (how ironic!).

Several of my fondest memories come from these shopping trips. One was when I was probably six years old. We were upstairs in the JcPenney’s and Maydelle got on the escalator to go to the basement. Well, many of you who know me know I have issues with going down on escalators (thanks to my lack of depth perception). My Granny followed behind her, but I was left standing upstairs in the store alone! I remember hearing my Granny tell Maydelle something about getting me downstairs. Maydelle, in her utter blunt yet Southern genteelness, replied “well, she can just stand there all day.” I had other plans though … I knew that outside JcPenney’s there was a staircase…so I ran out into the mall, down the stairs, back into Penney’s and found them (I’m not sure they ever figured out how I got downstairs and my poor Mother would have had a heart attack had she known what happened, ha!) I blame Maydelle for my constant need to feel “dressy” and match. I do not like leaving the house until I feel completely put together. But that’s okay, it’s something I gladly inherit from her!

Maydelle was also an entertainer. My Granny, Maydelle and Mama Sorrell (their Mom) were constantly hosting people over at their house, catering parties, you name it, they did it. Maydelle had a heart of a servant and she would do anything for you. She loved to decorate and cook. As a child, I used to play the piano in the living room while they were preparing for a gathering of some sorts. Even as grown-ups, sisters will fight and I witnessed one first hand as Maydelle shoved my Granny to the ground. I ran all the way to get my Granddad. I was so excited to have witnessed such an event. Now, thinking back on it and hearing my Great-Grandmother scolding “Maydelle, you shouldn’t have done that in front of that child”, I laugh. Go, Maydelle!! (Sorry, Granny, I love you, but Maydelle beat you in that match!)

One thing that always fascinated me when I was little was why did we have bags and bags of red cardinals in our smokehouse barn? It always baffled me. Years later, I found out that Maydelle was a member of a group of ladies who used to be in charge of decorating the Governor’s Mansion for Christmas. Therefore, those red cardinals were the decorations on the tree themed after the State of North Carolina. Each time, I go to the Governor's Mansion, I am always reminded of Maydelle decorating those trees and that beautiful mansion. Maydelle loved meeting people. Many of you think I'm crazy for meeting all the people I do (from Katherine Harris to Bev Perdue, from Kim Mulkey to Chris Dailey), but let me tell you one thing, Maydelle would be proud. She would be right there with me, and she would share in my joy and excitement!

If you met Maydelle, you met a very dignified lady with jet black hair and deep, deep brown eyes. To say the least, she could be very well intimidating. She was married late in life and did not have any children. After her husband passed away (1987), she lived with and took care of her Mother until she passed at the age of 99. Fortunately for me, I grew up with Maydelle living in my front yard (no joke). Our family had a big farm in Southern Wake County and my parents built their house there. After Mama Sorrell passed, I spent more time visiting Maydelle as I hated for her to stay all alone in the big farmhouse, but she wasn’t scared. I would help her plant her garden, go on walks with her, and of course, go shopping with her!! When I started middle school, we were allowed to carry soft drinks to school and diet sodas have ALWAYS been my favorite. On grocery shopping days, Maydelle would call me over to her house and I would find a case of diet sodas waiting for me. She always remembered.

Sadly, one evening, Maydelle suffered a massive stroke. I will never forget walking into the kitchen in her house and seeing her slumped on the floor in the kitchen, a place she loved so dearly. The black hair and brown eyes looked back at me, but she couldn’t speak or move. It’s a sight that some days I wish I had not seen and brings tears to my eyes just reliving that memory. The remaining few years of her life were spent in a nursing facility. My Mom and I would go over every day after school to visit with her. She was wheelchair bound but knew how to scoot around using her feet. While she never said too much to us, I knew she knew who we were. She would light up with a smile every time she saw us walking down the hall. Even in her final years, she was still a character…at the nursing facility, she was known for constantly setting off the emergency door alarms, as she always wanted to be on the go and try to get out!

From the year 1996 to 2001, I lost a family member each year and in 2000, I lost two back-to-back, Maydelle & my Granny. All happened while I was a junior in high school. Talk about growing up to be an adult quickly, I surely did. It’s very, very hard to lose a loved one. I’ve lost three grandparents, one great-grandparent and Maydelle, who may as well have been like a grandmother to me. All the funerals were hard on me in some way, shape or form. But for whatever reason, Maydelle’s is the one that I took the hardest.

Thankfully though, I know that one day I shall see her again. I hope in some ways I am able to carry on her legacy and be half the caring, compassionate soul she was. In many ways, she reminded me of Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women, but I think, even Maydelle, had more of a heart that Julia did.

Maydelle, I surely do miss you … I miss our shopping trips, I miss my cases of diet sodas and most randomly, I miss your rice … she would understand. I love you, Maydelle, thanks for leaving a huge footprint in my life and it makes me smile when people say that I am just like you!