Aunt Effie Belle Purdy-Smith

Sexy, Sassy & Sultry

Happy Thursday, Golden Divas!

Today is a ‘Special Edition’ of Club Fifty. I am paying tribute to my Aunt Effie Belle Purdy-Smith. A couple of years ago (2 years, to be exact), I had the pleasure of introducing the world to my favorite Aunt in her glorious splendor in her golden diva interview. You can read all about ‘Mary Kay for Christmas,’ here. http://theclubfifty.com/effie-b-purdy-smith/.

Since that post in December 2020, my beloved Aunt has passed away. She received her heavenly wings on October 13, 2022, and her birthday is today, December 1, 2022. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Aunt Belle; she would have been 75 years young.

However, God’s will was done in her life, and He brought her home to celebrate, free from pain and suffering. I’m not going to go through what she went through the last year of her life, but I am going to say God allowed me to have such a superb, beautiful, wise, and fun aunt for 56 years.

This year and last have taught me a lot, especially how short life is. Last year in July, I saw my effervescent aunt at my brother-in-law’s funeral, making her mark at the services by putting a smile on our faces during this tragic time. You couldn’t have told me we would be at her funeral services this year.

I’m going, to be honest; I took her death quite hard. This one has pierced my soul a little bit, not because I’m afraid of death, I am not, not because she will be sorely missed; she definitely will. But, you see, I always admired Aunt Belle from a little girl going to Memphis, Tennessee, and her coming to Chicago. I used to watch her as a child, wondering why so many people gravitated toward her; I now know it was and has always been her infectious spirit.  

I remember thinking I want to be like my Aunt (except for her smoking). Apparently, in life and death, my Aunt Belle affected people. It was something very special about how she moved around in this world and how she made people feel when she talked to them. You know the quote from Maya Angelou…

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

  ‘She was always vivacious, generous, and very loving when she said certain things to reiterate her point; in her southern charm always made me feel loved. 

One of my fondest memories of my beautiful S3 (sexy, sassy, sultry Aunt Belle) is when she told me, “I’m doing your face for your wedding. We are going to master this cat-eye look!” Of course, back then, I didn’t have a say in who I wanted to do my make-up for my wedding. However, I didn’t think she would want to do it. I didn’t ask, but she commanded in her special way. As you can imagine, I was honored and pleased with the outcome. Thank you, Aunt Belle. I’m still wearing my perfect cat-eye look!

Aunt Belle was a school teacher who sold Mary Kay for 35 years and was a true hustler. She loved fashion and always knew how to command a room when she entered it. Now, if there was a soundtrack of someone’s life, Motown, was it for me when I thought about her; however, as of late, three songs that are not of Motown come to mind and bring a big smile to my face when I hear them.

‘Someday We Will Be Together,’ by Dianna Ross and The Supremes (well, we know Diana Ross is Motown). However, the other two songs are ‘Tell Me Something Good, by Rufus, featuring Chaka Khan, and ‘Electric Boogie,’ by Marcia Griffiths. While in her presence, these songs made me smile to see her dance while trying to sing the lyrics, and neither of us could sing.

Some of my other favorite moments of making memories with her were when she loved being in front of the camera, being in pictures, and making memories no matter where she was; I got that honest from my mom and Aunt Belle. Another one is, If she knew you were coming to Memphis, she stopped what she was doing to ensure your pleasant visit. She will tour you around her great city and have a home-cooked meal and dessert ready for you to devour. When she came to Chicago, Aunt Belle quickly handed over her car keys and told you to drive her beloved Cadillac so she could see the best of Chicago.

As for those family trips when we were young, I first noticed her style of dressing, her persona, and how she wrapped my uncle around her pinky finger. I also learned to appreciate her womanhood and hustling skills in my older years, even with her 9-to-5 jobs before she received her college degree.

Like my mom, one of her unique attributes was that she always made you feel special and listened to whatever you told her. Don’t get me wrong; this firecracker will tell you the truth whether you want to hear it. But Auntie gave it to you straight, with no chaser!

I loved that about her, primarily when the truth serum wasn’t targeted at me. But either way, in our many conversations, some light-hearted and some too heavy for my pockets, she had a way of breaking life down. So, with some suggestions tailored to how she thought you could handle it, I thank her for that and much more—lots of teachable moments.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Aunt Belle was my ‘Golden Diva’ two years ago; while working on the interview, our endless conversations about her beloved Mary Kay tickled me. She was excited, and so was I; my Aunt was a gangster hustler when it came to selling Mary Kay. She went above and beyond to make her customers happy with the products. She was so pleased to be interviewed, and she was very encouraging. She made a point to tell me never to give up. NEVER on my dreams!!

In October, when we went to Memphis to lay her to rest, we had the pleasure of visiting her house for the last time; when I went into her office, I noticed she framed her Golden Diva poster I made for her interview. Although I was saddened due to the occasion, my heart swelled with joy to see the poster framed hanging on her wall. It made me feel she appreciated the interview as much as I did.

These are the special moments and memories that I shared with my Aunt that I am sharing with you. I will always cherish these moments of her leaving her blueprint in my life.

You will be missed and always cherished!
Your Loving niece,
Brenda