Mary Ridgeway is Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministry’s (CMCM) oldest living donor. Her journey of helping the children of Connie Maxwell began when she was a child.
On May 14, she turned 101 years old, and while her memory may sometimes falter, she fondly recalls her time serving at Connie Maxwell.
She says, “When I say something about Connie Maxwell, I know who I’m talking about — a good place with good people. I couldn’t ask for better.”
Ms. Ridgeway was raised by her mother, Lula Jordan, and father, James Mack, and had two siblings, a twin sister and a brother.
Growing up, Ms. Ridgeway’s father would donate some of his crops to CMCM. As a child, she would make this trip with him, dropping off goods from their farm in the Fork Shoals, S.C., area on Augusta Road and their neighbors’ farms.
Ms. Ridgeway says, “I just know my daddy would do anything he could do to make us a better person and to help us in life. Whatever we needed, he was going to see that we got it.”
Her father’s love and generosity made an impression on her, and she has spent her life making sure the Connie Maxwell children feel the same way — loved.
She remembers visiting the campus as a little girl. “When I was younger, I liked what I saw and how I was treated, and so I wanted to keep on doing it.”
And sure enough, Ms. Ridgeway continued to invest in the dreams of the Connie Maxwell children. Due to her generosity, Self Cottage, a girls’ house on campus, was renovated, and she celebrated the progress by having dinner with the residents. She also funded the Mary Ridgeway Conference Room, an expansion to the Neb Cline Center, providing a private area for families to meet.
While championing the dreams of Connie Maxwell children, she chased her own. She worked for the Campbell Tile Company in Greenville, S.C., for 40 years. She began her career in bookkeeping and later advanced to Mr. Campbell’s right-hand person. She served as Secretary-Treasurer and ended her career as part owner of the company.
As a female during that time, she impacted the corporate world. In the 1960s, she became one of the founding members of the Greenville Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), an association committed to supporting and providing advocacy for women in the construction field. She also served as president of the Greenville Chapter.
Throughout her life, she was a longtime member of Daventon Baptist Church in Pelzer, S.C., and is now a member of Northgate Baptist Church in Greenville.
She has served as a children’s Sunday school teacher and has also been involved in the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), an organization focused on training others to live on mission for Jesus and impact the world for the sake of the gospel.
Ms. Ridgeway never married or had children. “She considered the children at Connie Maxwell her own,” says Eric Taylor, Vice President for Advancement and Campaign Director at CMCM.
He is also one of Ms. Ridgeway’s dearest friends. “I have known Ms. Ridgeway since 1997 when I was called to serve at Connie Maxwell. We have visited together many, many times through the years.”
Ms. Ridgeway’s investment in children doesn’t end at CMCM. She has also played a part in the lives of Eric’s children as well. “Ms. Mary has been another ‘grandmother’ to my own two daughters who love her dearly and are now in their mid to late twenties. She still has all the little handwritten notes my girls scribbled to her when they were toddlers.”
“Although many of my visits to Ms. Ridgeway are to express our thanks for her support, I always leave them feeling as though I am the one who has been blessed. In her own sweet way, Ms. Mary always ministers to me. Often she can sense a burden I am carrying. She smiles, takes my hand, leans in and tells me to ‘quit worrying about everything.’ Once she did this from her own hospital bed while her life literally hung in the balance. Such a powerful example of her own faith and a lot of wisdom,” says Eric.
“Don’t worry — pray” has been the motto of Ms. Ridgeway’s life. Not only has she been a prayer warrior for CMCM, she has played a large role in helping the dreams of Connie Maxwell children come true and has made a difference in the lives of those she’s touched.
We are grateful to Ms. Ridgeway and her lifelong dedication to the dreams of Connie Maxwell children.
If you would like to donate to CMCM, visit conniemaxwell.com/give. Every donation is a step in making our children’s dreams a reality.
