Mrs. Mamie Connie McDaniels

Mamie Connie Lee McDaniels was born on January 7, 1938, in Buckingham County, Virginia to Amanda Flowers. Mamie was the oldest of five siblings. She departed this life on Friday, July 9, 2021, in Columbia, South Carolina surrounded by family, at the age of 83. The family moved to Baltimore, Maryland when she was a baby and Charm City became her childhood home. A feisty child with brownish red hair, Mamie was known for her colorful and brash personality. She had fond memories of Baltimore, and often told stories of crabbing under the Hanover Street Bridge, near her beloved Cherry Hill community. She talked about walking to the movie house to sneak in and watch the latest flicks; horror pictures were here favorite, the more gruesome and scarier the better. As a teenager, she became a history maker in helping to integrate Southern High School. Photos of her walking into the school with other Black students, as white crowds jeered at them, ran in the pages of The Baltimore Sun newspaper. At some point, her mother tried to convince her to switch schools, scared her rebellious daughter would get killed. Instead, Mamie would stay after school to protest and was arrested several times for her activism. “It was my right to go to that school,” she once said. When she wasn’t actively participating in the Civil Rights Movement, the lively teenager, whom her peers called “flame,” performed as a dancer, and would catch the latest R&B acts at Pennsylvania spots like the Royal Theater. She once let a group practice in her family’s home, to the frustration of her mother. Like many African Americans, she would leave Baltimore as part of the migration north to find better jobs and economic opportunities. She would later meet the love of her life and move to Darlington, South Carolina. Mamie was a hard worker who loved her children unconditionally, and lived her life to make sure they had the best opportunities in life. She worked in the restaurant industry as a cook at Red Lobster, Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, and Morrison’s Cafeteria, among other places. She also worked in retail for a period of time. Under her tough exterior, was a big and giving heart; Mamie would take in other family members or their children when they found themselves in difficult situations. She bought toys and other gifts for families in need at Christmas, and provided dinners at Thanksgiving. She started a summer lunch program at her church, Center Baptist Church, one year. Mamie kept the same flashy, unique fashion sense that attracted her husband throughout her life. Mamie loved cookouts, and trips to Atlantic Beach, Myrtle Beach, and the family’s favorite outing was picnics at Lee State Park. Furs and pocketbooks were fashion favorites, and she could have single-handedly kept Home Shopping Network and QVC in business with her many purchases. She watched the news daily to keep abreast of world issues, but reality shows were her favorites. Mamie’s life work was her family. She reveled in all of her children’s accomplishments. She wished for all of her grandkids to finish college, and enjoyed hearing of their latest achievements. She will be missed by them all. Mamie was preceded in death by: her mother, Amanda Flowers; two siblings, Riley Lee and Clayton McNeill, Jr.; three children, Robin Lee Williams, Phillip “Ricky” Rueben, and Boyd McDaniels, III; two brothers-in-law, Roosevelt Byrd and Joseph McDaniel; and a sister-in-law, Sally Mae McDaniel. In addition to her husband, Boyd McDaniels Jr., Mamie leaves to mourn her passing: one son, Zachary (Andrea) McDaniels, of Baltimore, MD; two daughters, Tara (Michael) Bines, of Columbia, SC and Connie McDaniels (Troy) Williams, of Florence SC; daughter-in-law, Deborah McDaniels, of Columbia, SC; two siblings, Patricia (Tyrone) Watts, of Randallstown, MD and Tyrone (Betty) McNeill, of Baltimore, MD; seven grandchildren, Kyla, Bryan, Ryan, Kelsen, Chelsea, Kiera, and Kevis; 12 sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Evelyn McDaniel, Lee Stark (Charlotte) McDaniel, Odessa (Harry) Pauling, Ola Calderon, James (Sara) McDaniel, Theodore McDaniel, Leon (Edell) McDaniel, Curley McDaniel, Terry McDaniel, Victoria (James) Beard, Pamela McNeil, and Robert McDaniel; a special cousin, Nannie Woodson; and several nieces, nephews, and other loved ones, all of whom will miss her dearly.