Service Announcements

Mrs. Mary Bell McIlwain, 89, of Charlotte, NC passed away Monday, March 28, 2022 at Pelican Health @ Randolph. Celebration of her life will be held Tuesday, April 5 , 2022 at Greater Galilee Missionary Baptist Church 501 W. Park Ave. Charlotte, NC 28203. Visitation will begin at 11:00 am and the Service will follow at 12:00 pm. Interment will be in the York Memorial Park Cemetery 5150 S. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28217.

Marybell “Snowbird” McIlwain was born on August 4, 1932 in Camden, South Carolina. She was the youngest daughter of Daisy and Robert Carter, the mother of 4, grandmother of 5, and great-grandmother of 8. God called her home on March 28, 2022.

She was a faithful woman who loved the Lord, her family and church. She was a member of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church under Reverend L.D. Parker for over 50 years. She looked forward to attending church services every Sunday. She would hum and tap her feet to the sweet melodies of the spiritual hymns.

The simplest pleasures in life brought her great joy. Her curiosity for most things within her eyesight would often make her immediately stop what she was doing and observe. She never met a stranger and would greet everyone with a friendly hello. Her favorite hobby was shopping at the department stores where she enjoyed mixing and matching colors and styles of clothing. The best part of her day was having a cold glass of iced tea and sharing a good laugh.

Her career in the dry-cleaning industry began as a young inspiring teenager. She landed her first job at one of Charlotte’s finest uptown dry cleaners, Millers Cleaners. She seldomly shied away from hard work and discovered a passion for customer service as she worked the front counter. At a young age, she learned that every penny is important and how to maintain a balanced work and home lifestyle. The owners of Millers Cleaners decided to close the business, which pushed her to seek new job opportunities. Within days, she embarked on a new job with New York Cleaners in East Charlotte where she later retired. She kept customers happy through her humbleness, can-do attitude and hard work.

She was greeted in heaven by her parents, brothers – Ferry, Cole Lewis, Max B, Cornell, Roosevelt, Claybon Jr. and sisters – Lula Mae Foster, Mamie Lee Seegars. She leaves precious memories to cherish to her three daughters: Nadine Harry, Bridget Belk and Belinda Patterson (Roosevelt) and one son Eldred McIlwain all of Charlotte; one sister Lille Mae Dixon and one brother Robert Allen McIlwain of Charlotte; five grandchildren: Narvis Harry (Deborah), Natola Harry, Jontilla Coe (Eric), Tanisha Patterson-Powe (Corey) all of Charlotte and Tomeka Conner (Decoma) of Mooresville; eight great-grandchildren; a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.