Ethel Elliott Special Soul

ETHEL ELLIOTT

By RICK GUNTER
BURKEVILLE, March 9, 2006 -- The Journal's newspaper carrier taking papers to Burkeville Market always looked forward to Tuesday nights. That was because no matter how challenging a day he might have had, he knew that Ethel Elliott likely would be there to greet him with a smile that was genuine and say a kind word or two.

He knew he was not the only one to whom Ethel Elliott showed such warmth. It was her trademark.

Mrs. Elliott died unexpectedly on March 1. She was 55. Tuesday nights, at least for the carrier, will never be the same.

"She knew 99 percent of the people who came in here and they liked her," Earl Moore, the market's owner, said Monday. "She was friendly to everyone."

Mrs. Elliott had worked at least a quarter century at what has become the only full-service grocery store in Burkeville and Crewe. The longevity was not lost on Moore, who recalled she was there when he began working at the store while in college.

"She was a wonderful person," said Moore. "She loved people and she enjoyed coming to work. She never wore a frown. She was sweet and kind to everyone."

Ethel Bradshaw Elliott had battled colon cancer. She told The Journal newspaper carrier mentioned at the beginning of this story that she was saved from the dreaded disease by an "angel."

"I had an angel on my shoulder," she said with a smile.

She was always urging the carriers and others to get checked for colon cancer.

Her family, in a statement released as part of Mrs. Elliott''s obituary, said Mrs. Elliott raised her children "to be strong, independent, smart, and honest adults."

The statement continued:

"She loved Christmas, always staying up until the wee hours of the morning, fixing everything just the way she liked it. Ethel had a heart of gold. She would give you her last dime. She will always be remembered and live through her family.

"Her first and only grandchild brought such joy to her life. She lit up when Larissa's name was spoken. 'Sugar' as she was called by Larissa. She will be greatly missed."

Indeed. She will be missed by many, including The Journal's newspaper carrier on Tuesday nights. He will miss seeing that smile on Ethel Elliott. But he will never forget her and the joy that flowed from her tender soul to her face.

Many, many other people in the community share in her loss. But their lives will forever continue to feel her warmth.