She loved pretty clothes, flea markets and flowers. But above all, Macy Little Perry loved her family.
Macy died of cancer September 3, 2011. She was 73 years old. She was a native of
Cabarrus County and a graduate of Logan Senior High School.
Five years ago, Macy retired as a cashier at T.J. Maxx stores. She has also worked at Charlotte’s Western Auto on North Tryon Street.
Macy was married to Aaron Perry, but the pair parted ways after some 30 years together. She had one daughter – Wanda Alexander – and three sons – Ronny Little, Undra and Eric Perry.
Her children remember her as a stylish dresser.
“She was a snappy dresser and instilled that in us,” said her son Ronny.
“I dress pretty neat, myself,” he added.
Macy’s children say flea markets were her passion, and she enjoyed being a seller at the one located in Pineville.
“She loved meeting people at flea markets,” said Wanda. “And she loved clothes, which she’d sell at flea markets, along with odds and
ends.”
“I will truly miss Macy,” Ann Montgomery, on of Macy’s good friends from the flea market, wrote in Macy’s online guest book. “I loved her to death. I heard many stories about the children and grands, especially.”
Family and friends were important
Granddaughter Erica Perry remembers her grandmother taking her to flea markets from the time she was little.
“We never missed a Saturday,” she said, adding that Wendy’s was another favorite spot of her grandmother’s. “She’d always have a grilled chicken sandwich, a baked potato and sweet tea.”
“She loved to go fishing and took the kids when they were young,” daughter-in-law Aretha Little said. “She loved her grandkids, holidays and family time.”
“She was a quiet person who loved her family and loved to talk about her kids,” said Julia Foster, a friend of 30 years.
Julia said Macy was a sharp dresser and loved to find things for her to wear.
“She’d see something she thought I’d like and call me to say, ‘Julia, I got something for you.’ She knew my sizes from head to toe. She knew what I liked and what I didn’t like,” she said.
When Julia tried something on, Macy would say, “Girl, you look foxy in that.”
Now, when Julia goes to her closet, she asks herself, “What’s Macy got in here for me to wear today?”
Good cook, great mother
Undra remembers how good of a cook his well-dressed mother was. He loved her chicken, biscuits and lima beans with rice.
He especially remembers her Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, how full of life she was and how much she loved her friends.
“She was a good mother,” he said.
“She kept us on the right path,” said son Ronny. “She taught us to be kind and treat people the way we wanted to be treated – the Golden Rule, that’s it.”
Son Eric Perry said his mom “instilled in me and my brothers and sister to do well in life and strive for the best – don’t settle for less.”
“She supported us in all that we did,” he said. “She was at every football game; she was always there for us.”
Ronny recalled the weekends when Macy took him to visit to his grandmother’s farm in Derita.
“We’d feed the animals, the horses, pigs and chickens – I loved to do that,” he said.
“She was a very nice, respectable person and one who would give you a straight right-to-the point answer if you asked her,” said Aretha. “She was a very caring and giving person and would always give, if you didn’t have.”
We should all do what Macy did; she left her beloved family and friends with many great memories to be cherished.
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Editor’s note: This is our series called Lives That Matter. Written by Charlotte writer 
Gerry Hostetler, this weekly feature will profile individuals, recently deceased, who had a positive impact on those around them. Email editor@qcitymetro.com.
Got news to share with Qcity readers? Email us at editor@qcitymetro.com.
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