Mary Whitfield Andrews

Mary Whitfield Andrews, 101, of Hillsborough, was called to her eternal resting place on July 7, 2025.  Born Mary Mable Whitfield on June 11, 1924, in Orange County, NC, she was the daughter of John Festus Whitfield and Swannie Hobby Whitfield.  Mary was raised in the White Cross community where she spent most of her time playing and working outdoors with her siblings.  She attended Antioch Baptist Church in her youth and graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 1941.  In December of 1941, she married her sweetheart, Norbert King Andrews.  They shared over 58 years of marriage, building a home, raising three sons, traveling, and tending to their pets and gardens together.  One of Mary’s greatest joys was watching their family grow through her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who lovingly called her “B-Boo.”  She most recently added the rank of great-great grandmother to her life’s accomplishments, highlighting her legacy of love across five generations.

Mary’s long, healthy life was unmistakably woven together by threads of hard work, unwavering faith, love of family, and selfless service to others.  Mary worked diligently her whole life, as a school girl milking cows on her family’s dairy farm before or after class, as a young woman working at Roses in Chapel Hill, and as a wife who pressure cooked many family meals after a long day’s work “in town” at UNC.  As a grandmother, B-Boo worked hard to not only create custom crocheted gifts, miniature Christmas tree stockings, and quilts for each grandchild, but also to attend as many family gatherings and significant events as able.  Throughout her adult life, Mary was a faithful member of Cane Creek Baptist Church, where she joined and thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Cane Creek Quilters group in her 90s, sharing her time and talents with many dear friends and family.

Publicly, Mary devoted 27 years to serving in various roles up to supervisor of UNC’s Printing and Duplicating mail room until her retirement in 1986.  Her co-workers often praised her for having an equally organized and efficient approach to tasks, while consistently maintaining her characteristically calm and cheerful spirit.  Mary was known to take walks on her lunch breaks and similarly loved to walk on the beach during family vacations.  She shared her love of the outdoors with her extended family and had a remarkably positive outlook in all regards, demonstrating continual thanksgiving to God, no matter the circumstance.

Mary always found beauty and joy in life’s simple pleasures, whether the hum of activity around a birdhouse or butterfly bush, new blooms or blossoms in the yard, the bounty of her garden, or the movement of ducks and fish she enjoyed feeding at her pond.  She loved receiving greeting cards, candy, gifts, and phone calls from relatives near to far, and established a sizeable souvenir spoon collection through her extended family’s travels.  Although she was never one to brag about herself, Mary sold her produce and persimmons to local Chapel Hill restaurants for decades, particularly contributing to the acclaim of a seasonal persimmon pudding dessert at Crook’s Corner.  Mary’s peaceful, humble nature was a fitting match for the quiet, careful skill she often applied to her remarkable crocheted, knitted, cross stitched, or quilted handiwork.

Mary’s family, friends, and community will miss her gentle smile and easy manner, her Sunday meals and famous chocolate pies, her allegiance to the Tarheels and Atlanta Braves, and her remarkable ability to recall names, dates, family history, and community events spanning her lifetime of over a century.  “Mrs. Mary” genuinely found a way to offer positivity and praise to everyone on the narrow path she walked in life and she has undoubtedly been welcomed into her long-awaited Heavenly home with a returned praise, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”  An irreplaceable and remarkable woman, Mary bloomed where she was planted along the same rural road for 101 years, adding beauty and blessings her friends and family will cherish forevermore.

Mary was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Norbert Andrews, her middle son, Ted Andrews, and her grandson, Mitchell Andrews, along with her parents, siblings, in-laws, several nieces and nephews, and many cousins.

Mary is survived by her sons, Donald Andrews (Dorothy) of Asheville, NC, Everette Andrews (Dale) of Hillsborough, NC, daughter-in-law, Katherine Andrews of Hillsborough, NC, grandchildren, Christi Andrews Sherman of Greenville, SC, Douglas Andrews of Asheville, NC, Elaine Andrews of Weaverville, NC, Carla Andrews Elliott (Kenny) of Candler, NC, Jim Andrews of Hillsborough, NC, Elizabeth Andrews of Chapel Hill, NC, and Meredith Andrews Bagley (Chad) of Greenville, NC, 11 great-grandchildren and four respective spouses, and one great-great-grandchild.  She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews, along with their families, all of whom she loved dearly.

The Andrews family invites anyone wishing to honor Mary’s life to a funeral service on Friday, July 11, 2025, at 2:00 pm at Cane Creek Baptist Church (6901 Orange Grove Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278).  Visitation will be held in the sanctuary one hour prior to the service and burial will follow at Cane Creek Baptist Church cemetery.

Mary’s family extends their sincere appreciation to providers and staff from UNC Health and Southern Comfort Home Care who assisted Mary with kindness and compassion in her final days.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be offered in Mary’s memory to Cane Creek Baptist Church (Cane Creek Baptist Church, c/o Education Building Fund, 6901 Orange Grove Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278), Meals on Wheels Orange County NC (Meals on Wheels Orange County NC, P.O. Box 2102, Chapel Hill, NC 27515), or Baptist Children’s Homes of NC (Baptist Children’s Homes of NC, P.O. Box 338, Thomasville, NC 27361 or 1-800-476-3669).