Mary Sue Austell Wilson

At her mountain home and always feeling blessed by a wonderful life, Mary Sue Austell Wilson went home to be with Jesus and a host of family, friends and her beloved husband Homer, on October 15, 2017, just short of her 102nd birthday.

Born in Gaffney, SC to George and John Austell, she spent most of her childhood there. Along with her two brothers, Marshall and Will, the family then moved to Spindale, NC. Mary Sue attended Limestone College in Gaffney after graduating from R-S Central High School.

She was a member of Snow Hill Baptist Church in Bakersville, NC where she was actively involved in service for many years. Mary Sue was a Sunday School Teacher, taught in Bible School, helped to establish the church library and was the secretary-treasurer of the church for many years. She loved her church family.

Along with being a homemaker, she was the bookkeeper for Spruce Pine Wholesale Company and she worked with the American Heart Association.

Her love for children and desire to always help them led to her next career as an assistant teacher at Gouge Elementary School for many years. A member of the Penland Homemakers Club and the Red Hat Ladies were groups she enjoyed. Her passion and active involvement in the Democratic Party were well known to all who knew her. She never missed voting and even carried neighbors to the polls to vote when she was driving.

Mary Sue had such a zeal for life and living it to the fullest. She loved and adored her grandchildren and great grans! One of her favorite words were "Best", (denoting her positive attitude). The food she ate, places she went, all her friends, a gift or new clothing, everything she encountered, was the " BEST" !

Her wisdom and advise, appreciation for family, God, and Country, and her courageous spirit, are all legacies she leaves behind.

Left to cherish her memory are: her daughter, Mary L. Wilson (Charles), sons: David Wilson (Avril) and John Wilson (Betty) all of Bakersville; grandchildren: Stephanie Frazier, Amanda Gibson, Chris Wilson, Brandi Mull, Chelsea Thayer, and Michael Wilson; great grans: Miles Frazier, Cassidy Mull, Clair Mull, Serena Wilson, Blake Thayer, Beckett Thayer, Brandt Thayer, and Stokes Thayer.

A celebration of her life will be Friday, October 20, 2017 at 12:00 noon in the Snow Hill Baptist Church on Slagle Road in Bakersville, NC. The family will receive friends from 11:00 am to 12:00. Pastor Dean Honeycutt will officiate.

Memorials may be made to: Hospice and Palliative Care of the Blue Ridge, 236 Hospital Dr, Spruce Pine, NC 28777, or Snow Hill Cemetery Fund, Box 302 Slagle Rd, Bakersville, NC 28705, or Mitchell County Senior Center, 152 Ledger School Rd, Bakersville, NC 28705.