My mom, Maude Elsie Parfitt/Plunkett, celebrated her 100th birthday on February 16, 2006!
On that day in Atlanta, Georgia, the forsythia, Lenten Rose, daffodils and red bud trees were in bloom; it was 69 degrees and a perfect day. We thought to ourselves, "It's a salute from the Lord to Mom for her life of faithfulness to Him.
Twenty four of her kin had one incredible day... and Mom was up to it to the very end. We had a delightful celebration with 24 family members here in Atlanta to help celebrate. Maude held up extremely well. The "Birthday Celebration" was held at the China Inn nearby. It's the first time she's eaten out at a restaurant in at least 15 years. A cake eating, coffee drinking, sparklin' cider toasting, card opening orgy was held at one of the homes with the whole gang. What a wit and controling factor as she had us all in rolling laughter with her sharp responses. The party broke up at about 10:30 pm. When she arrived back at her house she wanted to have more cake and coffee and wanted her daughter, Judy, to read the rest of the pile of birthday cards. Maude Elsie Plunkett was so hyped and excited that she stayed up until 2 a.m. She is an amazing lady.
She received well over a hundred cards of congratulation -- from the President and staff of Moody Bible Institute, four living United States Presidents, five of my childhood freinds, and scores and scores of beloved relatives and friends.
Maude was born in Claridge, PA, near Pittsburgh, on February 16, 1906. Her father was one of the first electricians in the area and was responsible for lighting and air pumps in the mines of the Westmoreland Coal Company – the first to export coal to Europe at the turn of the century.
Maude finished high school in West Park, Pittsburgh at age 16 and went to work for the Horne Department Store assigned to keep the 50 seamstresses supplied with sewing accessories and was being groomed as a buyer when she chose to go to Chicago and attend Moody Bible Institute in 1923. There she met and married Meredith Plunkett of Chicago. The Plunketts were one of the first caterers in Chicago and Maude became involved in the business until they moved to Milwaukee in the 1930’s where they co-pastored a small Bible church until 1962.
In the 1920’s, Maude was the featured actress in hundreds of commercials her husband filmed for the advertising dinners the family served in Chicago,
Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Cleveland. After serving the meal that was basically free, the attendees were presented with a lecture about Kraft Foods, Pepsi Cola, Sealtest, Tenderoni Salad, Mickleberry sausage, Karo Syrup, Johnson & Johnson of Racine and scores of other products. Her husband spiffed up the lectures with 16mm movies of how the products were made and how they were to be prepared which is where Maude came in. She still uses many of these products.
When she was 80 and still a beauty, we informed Kraft Foods that they could use a film of Maude making salad in her Los Angeles kitchen in 1928 and a current segment to show that Kraft Mayo is a great product of choice, but they were not interested. The family still has thousands of feet of film from the 1920’s through the 1940’s when the advertising dinners turned into catering.
During her “church years,” Maude conducted neighborhood Sunday Schools,
Co-pastored the Church of the Open Bible near Allis Chalmers in Milwaukee, and was an accomplished musician – piano, marimba, and had (has) an operatic soprano voice that is as sweet as you couid imagine.
Maude has lived in the Dunwoody area since 1981 and is still “active” and fully in-charge! She has to deal with arthritis and macular degeneration but it has not slowed her down very much. Her eyesight was saved when The Emory Clinic needed a 94 year-old-eye for the experimental program that was developing photo-dynamic, low-power laser surgery for macular degeneration. This technique is now commonly used all over the world.
Her mind remains keen with perfect memory and reasoning. It’s more difficult for her to write but not much. She still writes notes on birthday and get-well cards and regularly sends notes of encouragement. Her daughter, Judy Kreklow, has been living with her for the past five years. Her presence has allowed Maude to maintain her independence. Maude still practices her “old-fashioned” to our present culture, Intercessory Prayer Ministry, praying for others, and is know to wake up in the middle of the night creating her own personal concert, singing the songs she has sung for so many years.
Two years ago she was hospitalized for the first time in her life when she fell and broke her hip. She had four of her six children in a hospital but this was the first time it was for illness or accident. At the ER of Northside Hospital a technician came rolling into the room with an EEG machine, made a big circle looking at Maude and then left. A few moments later she returned and asked if she was Maude Plunkett. “Oh, my goodness, I was looking for someone born in 1906 and knew it couldn’t be you!” Because of that accident she now uses a walker, but not all the time, especially when she’s washing and drying dishes, which brings a frown to Judy’s brow.
Maude Plunkett keeps up with politics and local issues being a frequent viewer of Fox Cable News, C-Span 1 & 2 when something is cooking in Congress, and is a daily listener to the Rush Limbaugh Show.
Her birthday party was held at the China Inn at Chamblee Plaze, her favorite restaurant, and was celebrated by 23 family members who had come in from Arizona, Wisconsin and Florida.
Maude has six children, (one who had lived in North Dekalb since 1963 and was an associate pastor of First Baptist Chamblee for 15 years before it chose to leave the area), 16 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, five great great-grandchildren, three step grandchildren and seven step great grandchildren and three step great great-grandchildren. What a legacy of life!
The last visit of Haley’s comet in 1986, Maude joined a group of celestial observers who had gathered on the front lawn of the First United Methodist Church of Chamblee on Chamblee Dunwoody Road. The group was thrilled when her son announced this was the second time Maude had seen it, though she was only four years old in 1910. She remembers everyone going outside to look up into the clear sky that was not diminished by electrical lighting and hearing her father say, “It looks like a street light in Pittsburgh!” An interesting side story is that her father was one of the first electricians in the country, becoming one in the late 1800’s. He made a set of electrical lights for their Christmas tree in 1898 and had the only “lit tree” in the neighborhood; maybe even the countryside for many years. The remarkable thing is that the family in Pennsylvania still uses that very string to light their Christmas tree today. Seems like Dad Parfitt could teach the Chinese a thing or two about Christmas lights.
Four years ago, Maude’s optimism and joy was interrupted by several family crises that impacted her loved ones. At a time of great stress she cried out to her Lord and asked why all of this was happening to grieve her so. Maude enjoys telling the story. “It was the first time I had gotten such a quick answer from the Lord. Clearly in my heart and mind the answer came loud and clear. 'Maude, you’re not supposed to still be here. I’m sorry you have to endure right now but there are some side benefits you can focus on.' ”
The family has been video taping her historical recollections and stories for several years and have many hours of amazing information that will not be lost. Maude recently went through all photographs putting date and names on all of them. It was astonishing to watch her identify photos she had not see for 40- 50 years.
“Conestoga Lady!” is what the family calls Maude -- who has been a pioneer woman in so many ways. She recently asked to have her clothes alterd to fit better because she has things to do. "This birthday is an amazing milestone for me and I realize, as never before there are a lot of things I still want to do. I plan to get to it."
