Ida B. Huntley had 'a heart of gold'

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Ida B. Huntley had 'a heart of gold'

By Gerry Hostetler – June 1, 2011

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The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it. We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. ~ Mother Teresa

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Ida B. Huntley, whose joy was to spread love and knowledge to all whom she touched, died May 12, 2011 of colon cancer. She was 59 and a Mecklenburg County native.

If you had no place to lay your head, said her sister, Odessa Glenn, “If you went to her house, you had a place to sleep.” Their mother, the late Queen Esther Brown, called Ida “Mother Teresa.”

Daughter Clara Young said, “She had a beautiful smile, and she touched a lot of people. She had a heart of gold, fed people who were hungry and raised and housed other people’s children.”

Ida was a teacher’s assistant for special-needs children at Ranson Middle and Reedy Creek Elementary schools for about 20 years.

“She left a big legacy,” Clara said. She kept in touch with many of those children and they, in turn, visited her in her illness. One came calling on his Navy shore leaves, and another that the family called “Brother Joe” Coleman referred to Ida as “Mom.”

Ida also mothered her youngest sister, Velvet Wigfall.

“She kept me all the time on weekends,” Velvet said. “She’d plait my hair and put clothes on me. When Sunday came, she’d say, ‘I’ll keep you ‘till Sunday night,’ but she’d end up taking me to school Monday morning. Every time she got paid, she’d make sure I had shoes to wear to school.”

“She was my hero,” Odessa said. “She was a tough lady. She loved the kids at schools, and the kids loved Ms. Huntley. She took me to school and introduced me to her children. She said, ‘Those kids need someone to help them,’ and she looked forward to helping them. She’d bring them home and meet with the parents later when they came to get them.”

Odessa was the go-between when Ida met James Huntley in their off-Graham Street neighborhood. James bribed Odessa to convince Ida to come out and talk to him. It must have worked, as they were wed for 40 years. Their family included daughters Clara and Sharon, sons James Jr., Sanchez, Jamarcus and Milo.

“She loved him, and no matter what came up, he was always there for her.” Odessa said. “She usually called him ‘James,’ but when she got mad, she called him his nickname, ‘Moose.’ ”

It was indeed a love-match. Clara said her father often told Ida she was his “Baby, the love of my life.”

Ida was a longtime member of First Mayfield Baptist Church and accepted the Lord at an early age, Clara said. She was also a member of the choir. “She touched a lot of people there and drove them to the doctors or pain center. She was outgoing and will be missed by a lot of people.”

“She was a great person,” Velvet said. “She loved her sisters and brothers and the kids were crazy about her. I miss her a lot.”

Yes, Velvet. And countless others will continue to miss her smile, her love and her help for a long, long time to come.

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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.