Maudie Mae Murphy Jackson

"A Beautifully Aged Red"

Maudie Mae Murphy Jackson, of Raleigh, NC, age 94, passed away beautifully and peacefully after a brief illness January 31st and went to see her God, her friend, Jesus, joined her daughter, Betty, and all the loved ones that were waiting for her. She was surrounded by family and wonderful, wonderful, wonderful caregivers. Her great grandson, Stone, age 5, said she was "the oldest and wisest person" he knows.

She was born June 5, 1929, and raised in Rocky Mount and Bunn to William Pierce and Maudie Adeline Casper Murphy. She was the baby girl and the most competitive of 6 children. Maudie Mae made her own merry-go-round and see-saw when she was a child. She graduated with honors from Bunn High School, was a Girl Scout, a member of the Beta Club and Voted The Best Guard in Girls Basketball in Franklin County. Although she had opportunities to move away, she chose to be the caretaker of her parents throughout their lives and remained in NC. She grew up during the depression and knew the value of the small things that added up to the big things. Growing up in the country she could cut down trees, roof a house, pick cotton, barn tobacco, skin a possum, shoot a squirrel and catch catfish. Maudie Mae could catch 2 fish at a time. She said, "If it's big enough to bite my hook, it's big enough to stink my pan."

She loved gardening and yard work. She said, "I love anything that blooms in the garden ... even a weed." She went to Nursing School at Rex Hospital off St. Mary's Street, and trained at Dorothea Dix, Computer Data School, Real Estate School and Photography School. She was a member of the Raleigh Ramblers Red Hatters and The Eastern Star. She was a member of the RWBA Bowlers Association, competed in many City and State Tournaments and over 25 National Tournaments. She was a City and State Champion and one of the Founding Members of the RWBA 600 Club of which she was also the Grand Marshall of their 600 Friendship Tournament in 10/2023. Mae was a proud member of the DITS (Daughters In Training) and loved "Carolina Moon" and performing it at Wild Women's Weekend. She was a member of Temple Baptist Church for over 70 years and loved her church friends and weekly helped feed the Hungry through Temple's Table Feeding Ministry.

Mae was a wonderful cook: best collard greens, chili with cloves, scrambled eggs, fried chicken, cornbread, potato salad, and vegetable soup. Back in 1980 she had a bottle of wine she had won for highest sales while she was working at The Angus Barn. Her 2 daughters came for lunch and she pulled out that bottle to serve with her delicious vegetable soup. Later she found out that bottle had been worth $700.00! It was a perfect pairing with her vegetable soup.

In her early working career Maudie Mae was a secretary for 2 years and could type 80 words a minute, sold World Book Encyclopedias and Stanley Home Products. She was Manager/Hostess at Ballentine's Restaurant for 13 years and that's where she got the nickname, "Red." She worked at Corning Glass Works in the early 1960's on 2 major projects. She helped solve prototype problems with the design engineers working on electric microchips and integrated circuits for NASA. At the same time, she was working on High Reliability Capacitors for the 1st Minuteman Missile Project requiring a Zero Failure Rate.

While working at Corning, Mae worked part-time at The Velvet Cloak Inn. She became the Manager of all their banquets and parties until Mr. Thad Eure, Jr. asked her to come work at The Angus Barn. Mae worked at The Barn for 42 years as Top Trainer/Waitress and loved every minute. There are only 2 named seating stations at The Barn and one is called "Mae's Station." She was the longest serving waitress at The Barn and said there was no restaurant in the whole world that served a better steak than The Angus Barn. After she retired, Van said she could come and just give out apples if she wanted to anytime. She continued to support The Walk For Hope and The Angus Barn treated her like a queen.

For 23 years at the same time she was working at The Barn, Mae had her own business with her brother, Leroy, at the Atlantic Beach North Carolina Circle Boardwalk. They owned The Pit Stop Go-Cart Track/Arcade/Snack Bar. She would work at The Barn from Labor Day to Memorial Day and then head for the beach to run the track for the summers. Her 3 grandsons would get to spend a week each summer working with her, riding go-carts, playing arcade games, swimming and staying up late-they LOVED it! Grandma Mae was a card shark and taught them how to be good losers. She later leased the location to Lisa Hill for Lisa's Bar and then to her daughter, Betty, for Changing Colors Arcade and Snack Bar.

Also, while she worked at The Barn, Mae worked at Ford's Gourmet Foods at the NC State Farmers Market as Credit Manager. Again, growing up in the Depression, it was hard to get credit with her. Of course she won Top Salesperson year after year selling Bone Suckin' Sauce. She inspired the sauce's name because she would suck the bones until there was no meat left. She traveled with her daughter and grandson around the USA and many foreign counties working trade shows and making friends. She loved Paris! If you asked her which job she loved and enjoyed the longest, she would say being a Mother.

Maudie Mae was married to Reginald "Ray" Lafayette Jackson for 15 years. Although she had many suitors and proposals, she never remarried and remained lifelong friends with Ray. They had 2 daughters, Sandra and Betty Mae. He later became a Chaplain for the DAV. She said they would have stayed married if not for "that mean old lady Jackson," her mother-in-law. Even though she sometimes worked 3 jobs, Mae made time to be a wonderful mother: Brownie and Girl Scout Leader, PTA Mother, Sunday School Teacher and was always pushing and supporting her girls in all parts of life. While caring for her dear parents, she also helped raise a grandson. She always said if you needed help, look first at the hand at the bottom of your own arm.

She lived in the same house for 70 years in Raleigh (Belvidere Park also known as Antenna Hill) and had the prettiest home and yard in the neighborhood. In 2020, The Tarheel Traveler with Scott Mason on WRAL featured Maudie Mae in an episode named "Grandmother Rocks and Relishes In Raleigh Front Yard." For 70 years she had grown a black walnut tree from a sapling given to her by her Daddy. It grew over 100 feet tall and she cut it down and made 28 adult rocking chairs and 4 child rocking chairs for her family. A sleeping burial urn for her ashes was handcrafted out of that same black walnut tree by her grandson, Vaughn Ford. An update from the Tarheel Travler will air on WRAL Monday, February 26, 2024 (A URL link will be posted in the obituary following the broadcast).

Maudie Mae asked, "I did a good job, didn't I?"

Yes you did Mama!

She was preceded in death by her precious daughter, Betty Mae Jackson Rush of Raleigh; her son, Phillip Ray Murphy of California; her parents, William and Maudie Murphy of Spring Hope; brothers, Glenn Murphy and Thomas Murphy of California; brother, Leroy Murphy of NC; and a sister, Glennie Leigh Good of North Dakota.

She is survived by her sister, Alice Virginia Murphy Wilson of El Cajon, California, who will be 100 on May 5th; sister-in-law, Betty Murphy Taylor of Florida; daughter, Sandra Ford and son-in-law, Lynn of Raleigh; granddaughter, Michele Adams and husband, Stephen of Raleigh; grandson, Vaughn Ford and wife, Tyler of Clayton; grandson, Patrick Ford and wife, Liz of Raleigh; grandson, Scott Buchanan and wife, Nancy of Raleigh; 15 great grandchildren, Patrick Tyler Ford, Jr., Cameron Ford, Graeson Ford, Scout Ford, Stone Ford, James Geigel, Gray Young, Maxwell Young, Tyler Buchanan, Travis Buchanan, Cassidy Mae Buchanan, Kayla Rush-Jack, and Ryan Hartman, Gracie Felber, and Ailey Felber; 6 great-great grandchildren, London Ford, Violet Ford, Harper Ford, River Ford, Chandler Buchanan, Cheyanne Buchanan; nieces and nephews, Billy, Dee, Jerry, Geri, Anita, Carol Leigh, Ruth Ann, April Mae, Helen Jane, Billy, Rommie, Loyal, Randy, Kerry, Shae, and their families; cousins, Cheryl and Michie Coppedge, Watson and Fran Pugh, Lloyd and DiAnn Murphy, Mary Lou Murphy, Stephanie and Thomas Faulkner, Edna Hill, and their families; like a son, Larry Delong; like daughters, Gayle Chandler, Lisa Hill, and Van Eure; best friends, Ethel Pearce, Sue King, and Yvonne "Blood" Ruebin; like a grandson, Jon Card; wonderful Caregivers, Martha Dunston, Linda Bond, Jackie Hinson, Paige Newby, Karen Tramburrino, Sherry Jerigan, Katrina Massenburg; Best Chef In The World, Chef Michael Saunders; and Best Dance Partner, Dwyane Carter.

A few things about Mae, her favorite color: All of Them; favorite flower: Trumpet Tree; favorite candy: Southern Yum Pecan Brittle (911); favorite drink: Bailey's Irish Cream; AND Buttons: The Smartest Dog In The World.

If you didn't know her, you would have been "thrilled" to meet Maudie Mae. She gave the best tightest hugs and was always the last to let go. Thank YOU to everyone that loved and took care of my wonderful Mama!

Funeral Service will be held at Temple Baptist Church, 1417 Clifton Street, Raleigh on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 10:00 AM, with visitation beginning at 9:30 AM. Burial will follow in Pineview Cemetery in Rocky Mount, NC.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Temple's Table Feeding Ministry: Temple Baptist Church, www.templeraleigh.org; or by calling 919-834-5584 for details.

Funeral arrangements are by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Raleigh. Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com