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TO CONGRATULATE MARY MAGDALENE MCFARLAND STEPHENS OF DARLINGTON COUNTY ON THE OCCASION OF HER ONE HUNDRED FIFTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HER A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.
Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is delighted to learn that Mary Magdalene McFarland Stephens will celebrate her one hundred fifth birthday over Memorial Day weekend in 2022, surrounded by her family and friends; and
Whereas, born on May 23, 1917, in the first quarter of the twentieth century, she has witnessed the many remarkable social changes, technological advancements, and international developments that have spanned the globe from that time into the first quarter of the twenty-first century; and
Whereas, the daughter of the late Clarence McFarland and Bessie Hall, she moved from Chesterfield County where she was born to the Greenhill community in Darlington County early in her childhood; and
Whereas, at a young age she accepted Christ as her Savior and became a member of the Greenhill Baptist Church where she would become known as the mother of the church, a title which she still holds today; and
Whereas, Mrs. McFarland received her education in the Darlington County school system and taught a sort of mathematics through her example, not in a school classroom but in her home and community, when she added the values of love and hard work to her life; subtracted a can't-do attitude from her mind; multiplied these concepts in her home, church, and community; and divided them among her children; and
Whereas, together with her beloved husband, the late Bonnie Stephens, they were blessed with eight children, one of whom died at an early age. The seven fine children they reared included Mary Waters, Essie Chandler, Janie Pooler, Clarence Stephens, Harvey Stephens, I. John Stephens, and Bonnie Stephens, Jr.; and
Whereas, upon the death of her sister, she accepted the awesome responsibility of raising her sister's four children, which she did so without complaint: Sarah Zollicoffer, Evelyn Graham, Verna Graham, and James Graham; and
Whereas, her children blessed her with a large legacy: thirty-one loving grandchildren, fifty-one great-grandchildren, thirty-nine great-great-grandchildren, and four great-great-great-grandchildren; and
Whereas, even though she worked for various companies throughout her life, a dedicated and very hard worker, she found time to enjoy her hobbies of quilting, canning, and crocheting; and
Whereas, her home was ever open to all who needed help in her community, and she took the added responsibility as neighborhood mother to ensure that neighborhood children made it to school; and
Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to honor this daughter of South Carolina at the celebration of her one hundred fifth birthday and joins with her family and friends to commend her on reaching this amazing milestone. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate Mary Magdalene McFarland Stephens of Darlington County on the occasion of her one hundred fifth birthday and wish her a joyous birthday celebration and many years of continued health and happiness.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mary Magdalene McFarland Stephens.
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