Pearl Robinson Whitehurst

As the sun rose on April 19, Lydia Pearl Robinson Whitehurst, age 96, left our earthly home to be with our Heavenly Father. Born March 15, 1927, near the Mildred Community in Edgecombe County, she was the daughter of the late John Augustus and Gladys Keel Robinson. When she was a child, her family moved to Old Wilson Road where they all worked on a local farm. After the death of her father, Pearl’s family moved to Tarboro Highway. At the age of 15, Pearl went to work at Rocky Mount Mills in the Card Room. She drove a motorized bike to work. She worked there for 17 years until she met the love of her life, the late Marvin Kelly Whitehurst, while buying gas for her motor bike. While living on Tarboro Hwy. with her mother and young daughter Elizabeth Ann “B-Ann” Hill, Pearl married Marvin in September 1959, and they worked together at Whitehurst Grocery. Six years later their daughter, Donna Lynn, was born. Two years later, Pearl’s family moved into her new red brick home just a half mile down the road from the store. A strong-willed, Christian woman, Pearl spent her life in service to others. After leaving the mill to take care of her family, Pearl also helped out at the store and on friends’ and families’ farms in Edgecombe and Pitt Counties when she was needed. Her hands served her well. She picked cucumbers faster than the young pickers and looped tobacco so fast two people had to hand her the tobacco leaves. Tending her garden, as well as others’ gardens, and canning fresh fruits and vegetables kept Pearl busy. After the loss of her husband in 1976, Pearl sat with, cooked and cleaned for, and drove around many elderly over the years. Cooking was her passion. No one ever left Pearl’s table hungry. She didn’t have just one specialty she had many. Her cornbread was the mainstay of every meal. Whether it was collards with a ham bone or fried herring, meals always included a meat, multiple fresh vegetables and a plateful of fried cornbread. Dessert was always homemade especially her chocolate and carrot cakes. Not only did Pearl spend hours in the kitchen, but she also spent time grilling on charcoal or cooking in her iron wash pot. All the family ate bowlfuls of Brunswick stew made in her wash pot and stirred with her wooden boat oar. Pearl’s barbecue chicken would make a grown man sweat from the heat of the sauce. She rarely read recipes but made anything she cooked delicious. Pearl made anything she wanted to create. She sewed clothes for her family. She wove baskets. She made beaded necklaces. Until her final days, Pearl knitted or crocheted blankets, sweaters, hats, scarves, and dish rags for gifts. Every grandchild and great-grandchild have some kind of creation from Pearl’s hands. Pearl spoke her mind. No one ever had to guess what she was thinking because she told it. She could not keep a secret. She had the funniest grin and laughter that made those around her laugh too. Pearl ducked out of pictures and fussed when we took them anyway. She frequently said, “Gosh knows,” when she didn’t like the situation. Affectionately known as Mama, Granny, Gigi, Aunt Pearl, and Suga, Pearl is survived by her two daughters, Elizabeth “B” Hill of Rocky Mount and Donna Matthews (Clay) of Bethel; her four grandsons, Kelly Hill (Angie), Marcus Hill (Julie), Jordan Matthews, and Jacob Matthews; her six great-grandchildren Marlie, Brinkley, Colby, Nolan, Lydia, and Bella; her sister, Gussie Gibson; sister-in-law, Barbara Whitehurst; her brothers-in-law, J.H. Whitehurst and Clayton Everett; her numerous nieces and nephews; her best friend, Daphne Hopkins; and her neighbor, Jean Fox. Pearl’s circle of friends was enormous, and she felt blessed to know so many. Pearl was preceded in death by her parents, husband, as well as her siblings, Mary Evelyn Brantley, W.A. “Billy” Robinson, Patricia Lancaster, Gladys Lucas, and Gray Freeman. A Funeral Service to celebrate Pearl’s life will be held on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at 3:00 PM at Oakdale Baptist Church, 13037 US 64 Alt., West Hwy., Rocky Mount, NC 27801, with Rev. Joe Price officiating. Burial will follow the service at Bethel Cemetery. A visitation will be from 2:00 PM to 2:45 PM prior to the service in the Sanctuary of Oakdale Baptist Church. The family will receive family and friends at Pearl’s house on Tarboro Hwy. on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Flowers are welcome or memorials may be made in Pearl’s memory to ECU Health Home Health and Hospice, 1005 WH Smith Boulevard, Greenville, NC 27834 or Oakdale Baptist Church, 13037 US 64 Alt., West Hwy, Rocky Mount, NC 27801. Arrangements entrusted to Wheeler & Woodlief Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 1130 N. Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. You may share memories and condolences with the family by visiting www.wheelerwoodlief.com.