Mrs. Mable McBride Curtis

Obituary For Mrs. Mable McBride Curtis

Augusta, Georgia-Mrs. Mable McBride Curtis, a long-time resident of Augusta, died peacefully on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at University Hospital with her loving husband at her side. A memorial service will be held Friday, September 4, 2020 at 1:00 pm at Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery, with Reverend Richard Holland, officiating.

Born on November 16, 1936, to Resinol and Elmira McBride, Mable was reared and educated in Princess Anne, Maryland. She has one older sister, Elmire Price, of Philadelphia, PA. A graduate of Somerset High School, Mable was a standout forward and leading scorer on the basketball team. She graduated from Bowie State University with a degree in Elementary Education in 1958 and became a teacher in Somerset County at Mount Vernon Elementary School. While in Princess Anne, Mable was a member of the Metropolitan United Methodist Church, where she was a dedicated Sunday School teacher. Early in her career, Mable met James Paul Curtis, an Air Force veteran and standout football player at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She affectionately referred to him as “Curtis” after mistakenly thinking that was his first name when they began dating. To this union, two children were born, Paula Francis Curtis, on October 30, 1966, and Yolanda Kaye Curtis, who preceded her in death exactly 50 years prior on August 26, 1970. After moving to Augusta, Georgia, Mable received her Master’s degree in Education from Augusta University and educated children at A.C. Griggs, Southside Elementary, and John Milledge for another 30 years. She retired from Richmond County Board of Education in June 1993 with a total of 35 years of services as a teacher. A faithful member and servant at the Belle-Terrace Presbyterian Church, Mable was a Charter member and Elder, serving in many capacities. She was a member of Church Women United and the Northeast Georgia Presbyterian Women. She also chaired the Church Anniversary and the Strategic Operation Plan Writing Committees and was the Director of Vacation Bible School. Mable was also a member of the Steering Committee for Cotton Patch Sunday, which focused on Black history and survivorship. In addition to chairing the Church anniversary, she helped coordinate the annual church picnic in which she was genuinely proud. Belle-Terrace was important to Mable for many reasons, including the fact it originated in her old neighborhood at Terrace Manor Elementary school on Tate Road near Dent Street. Mable, an archivist of sorts, collected 100s of photographs over the years of the kids that lived and played up and down Dent Street in between crab boils and cookouts she and her husband hosted. Mable, an outstanding organizer, was a quick-witted and sharp thinker with a great sense of humor. Her favorite past-times were reading and writing; and, she just recently took up photography and gardening. She also worked with the Girl Scouts of USA organization and was initiated in the Zeta Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Mable was a faithful and loving wife to “Curtis” and a profoundly committed mother and friend to her daughter, Paula. She will be missed deeply by them both as well as by her sister, sister-in-law, Margaret Hardy, an uncle, Sylvester (Jack) Boston, Jr. of Princess Anne, a special cousin, Carol Hayward Cottman Baltimore, her close friend and confidante, Viola Elam, her Goddaughter, Teri Elam, as well as a host of nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. W. H. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30901. (706)722-6401.