It’s not often that someone can name herself at birth, but such was the case for Mrs. Easter Mildreth Gatewood Rhue, one of eleven children born to the late Hugh and Hallie Gatewood. Born on Easter Sunday, April 8, 1928, the doctor who delivered her, the elder “Dr. Jim” Covington, said to her mother, Hallie, “Well it seems she’s named herself….thus the name “Easter.” Most people affectionately called her “Miss Easter.” She was a strong woman with a good heart and a great sense of humor, who loved people and enjoyed helping her family and others.
“Miss Easter” graduated Valedictorian in 1947 from Henry Grove High School and enrolled in cosmetology school at Morgan & Bands Beauty College in Charlotte, NC. She graduated from there in 1949 and opened her first shop in her mother’s house, in Lilesville, NC. She was one of the first Small Business owners in Anson County. She later built her first shop on a “piece of land” beside her brother’s home. She chose that location because it was “handy in the neighborhood” and customers would not have to walk far to get their hair “fixed.” Mrs. Rhue’s shop was a gathering place for women to come to laugh, to talk, and to be pampered. As a young widow, she created a livelihood that would provide a service to ladies in the community, a place to strategize civil rights activities, and an independent livelihood for her family that would span decades.
Mrs. Rhue was committed to excellence in her chosen field and worked as a beautician for over 64 years and was the resident beautician for Smith’s Funeral Home for 52 years. She was a Life Member of the NAACP, promoting voter registration and carrying people to the polls well into her 80’s. Her legacy of service included being a lifelong member and “Mother of the Church Emeritus” at Parsons Grove Missionary Baptist Church, working with the Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Association to ensure fair treatment of laborers, being a member of the Beauticians and Barbers Association, and opening her home to young professionals in need of housing (one of her dear guests is now president of a major university). She was a fighter who battled multiple health issues including diabetes, cancer(breast and lung), Alzheimer’s, Dementia; yet, she never lost her joy, her laughter, or her creative spirit. She enjoyed writing, reciting poetry for the church, and singing hymns and songs of faith.
Mrs. Rhue was preceded in death by her parents, Hugh and Hallie Gatewood, and her ten siblings: Danny, Beecher, Vance, Chris, James, Haywood, Reatha, Hallie Bell, Naomi and Theodia (Otis).
She is survived by her devoted daughters, Phanalphie Rhue Still (Kenneth) and Charlette Rhue Bennett (Vernon) and Carmen Gatewood, her very special niece, who was her caregiver for many months, providing loving comfort and care, as her health declined; grandchildren, Kimberly Bennett (Cedrick) and Ray Bennett (Brittanie); five grandchildren; a host of amazing nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and a special family friend, Magnolia Ingram.
The Services to Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Mother Gatewood were held on Sunday, November 28, 2021, 2:00pm, Parson Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Lilesville, North Carolina. Interment will followed in the family plot of the Church Cemetery.
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