On Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, God called home our beloved Nellie Mae Anderton.
Nellie Mae was born May 4, 1921 in Mathews County on the family farm “Cedar Cove” which was renamed “Willowby” in 1979. The family moved to the Eastern Shore in 1923 and returned to Mathews in December 1935.
She met her Saviour at Emmanuel Methodist Church in Mobjack before graduating from Lee-Jackson High School in 1938. In September of 1939 she married Roland Crowder Anderton Jr. at Cedar Cove.
In June of 1940 she and her husband moved to the last home of his deceased parents at Bohannon, where she lived for 64 years until she moved to Gloucester in 2004 to be closer to her children.
Nellie Mae and Roland operated a country store at “Big Stump,” Miles, from 1941-1955 at which time they relocated the business to Bohannon.
After Roland’s death in 1967, Nellie Mae continued to run the store until July 1970. At that time, she began employment with Gloucester Social Services where she retired as an Eligibility Supervisor in 1983.
She was a member of the Disciples of Heritage Fellowship which is the conservative arm of the Disciples of Christ Christian Church. As such, she served faithfully in Oak Grove Christian Church, Mobjack, for 53 years. In her latter years she attended Providence Baptist Church in Gloucester where she was a member of the “Friendly” Sunday morning Bible class.
She leaves to cherish her blessed memories two children, Roland Thomas Anderton (wife Cindy) and Laurel Anderton Robins (husband Allen) both of Gloucester; three grandchildren, Sharyn Gay Robins and Allen William Robins Jr., both of Gloucester and Mary Rebecca Anderton of Williamsburg; three great-grandchildren, McKenzie Robins, Sarah Robins and Madison Paige Badlam, and one great-great-grandchild, Brandon Christopher Emerson.
She was predeceased by her parents, Frank Outten, Mary Rebeccca Abbott Outten (Mamie); a brother, Ernest Outten (Buddy), who was a second father to her, and her husband of 28 years, Roland Crowder Anderton.
She appreciated the sand and the sea and all things beautiful, especially soft music, wisdom, poetry and her beloved King James Bible.
She left this message: The most astounding thing learned is to get to the end of life and find it is only the beginning.
A funeral service was held on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, at 2 p.m. at Emmanuel Methodist Church, Mobjack, with burial at Providence Cemetery, Miles. The family received friends from 12:30-1:30 prior to the service at Emmanuel. Service was conducted by the Rev. J. Kim with arrangements made by Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home.