On Tuesday, Mae Edmondson will turn 100, marking a century rooted in North Georgia. The milestone was celebrated early with a large gathering of family and friends on Saturday at Wimpy Farms in Dahlonega. Mae’s daughter, Nellie Bracken, who lives in Cleveland, said the day was overwhelming in the best possible way.
“We probably had 140 family and friends there,” Bracken said. “It was huge.”
Relatives and friends traveled from out of state to be part of the celebration, something that deeply touched both mother and daughter. “That meant everything to me and to her,” Bracken said. “It showed how many lives she has touched in her century of living. It showed how much everyone loves her and respects her.”
Mae, who cheerfully admits she “can’t hear good and can’t see good,” soaked in every moment. “I had a good day,” she told Now Habersham. By her family’s account, Mae has had a good life, too, one shaped by family, faith, and a lifelong habit of helping others.
Born before the Great Depression
Born January 6, 1926, in Dahlonega, Mae grew up in the mountains of North Georgia. Her family says those early roots shaped everything that followed. She later settled in Clermont, where she has lived for 67 years, raising three children and growing a family tree that now spans generations.
That tree has weathered deep loss through the century. Mae was widowed at 37 when her husband was killed in a tractor-trailer accident 63 years ago. She never remarried. She devoted her life to raising her children, grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. To make ends meet, Mae cleaned houses and babysat for others…