Rosie Mae McDaniel

Rosie Mae Billing Davis Mc Daniel, 95, of El Dorado, AR, was born August 10, 1927, in the old Hillsboro community to the late Arthur Billing, Sr, Lula Brown Billing, and stepmother Lina Mae Ridgell Billing. Rosie Mae accepted Christ at an early age, was baptized in the creek, and was a lifelong member of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, where she was a faithful member until her death.

Rosie Mae's family legacy was rich; her grandparents, Tom Billing, and Elizabeth Mollenburg Billing, were most certainly slaves who appeared in Union County, Arkansas, in the 1870 census. Her step-grandparents were the late Orlander and Rosie Ridgell. Rosie Mae's parents had 13 children, and after the death of her mother, Lula Brown Billing, her father remarried Lina Mae Ridgell Billing and fathered 12 more children. Rosie was number 11 of 25 children. Nineteen of her siblings lived into adulthood, and she had a very special relationship with each of them and their families. Although Rosie Mae had no biological children of her own, she nurtured her younger siblings, nieces, and nephews, and after the death of her sister Laura, she raised her nephews Herman and Mark.

Proceeding Rosie Mae in death is her parents, grandparents, first husband Elgin Davis, second husband Andrew Mc Daniel, Sr. brothers, Beeman Billing, Grady Billing, Sr., Cordell Billing, Jack Billing, Lennis (Nehmo) Billing, Daniel Billing, Charles Billing, Bishop Robert L. Billing, James O. Billing; sisters Exie Billing-Benton, Earlen Billing-Taylor, Addie Billing-Crew, Elizabeth Billing-Ganter, Laura Billing-Hunter, Sylvia Billing-Murry, nephew she raised Herman Hunter, stepson David Mc Daniel, and special nephew Mc Arthur Billing, Sr.

Rosie Mae, with her second husband Andrew Mc Daniel, Sr., bought land and moved a house to 82 Highway near her nephew Mc Arthur Billing and his family so she could get out of town and live closer to her home place Old Hillsboro. For nearly 50 years, she took pride in her flowers, garden, chickens, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, and fruit trees. Rosie Mae enjoyed fishing, canning, cooking, and sending care packages to her siblings and family in Michigan. Rosie Mae always exhibited a love for family. She would host out-of-state guests while rolling out the red carpet anytime someone came home to visit. Rosie Mae had a unique way with children and could calm any crying baby well into her senior years.

Over the years, Rosie Mae maintained an excellent work history at Martin Dry Cleaners and Urban Sawmill. She finally retired from J&M Poultry/ConAgra/Pilgrim Pride after more than 20 years of working graveyards and packing a lunch each night big enough to feed an Army.

Rosie Mae Mc Daniel's loving memories will be cherished by her remaining siblings, Arthur Billing, Jr of Muskegon, MI, Gerthia Mattison of Sacramento, CA, Emma Jean Norman of Crossett, AR, stepchildren, Andrew Mc Daniel, Jr. of El Dorado, Janice Mc Daniel, Joyce Mc Daniel, Nettie Mc Daniel of Little Rock, AR, Kris Mc Daniel, of Dallas, TX, Daughters in law Virginia Mc Daniel, Betty Jones, of El Dorado, special nieces, Delois Pippen of Hamburg, AR, Mary H. Billing, of El Dorado, Kimberly Thomas, of Strong, AR, and a host of nieces, nephews, grandchildren, cousins, relatives, extended family and friends.