WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — On Tuesday, September 27, 2011, Nellie Mae Halsey
Bingham passed peacefully from this world to join the spirit of her beloved
husband, Luther Carr Bingham. Nellie Mae was born in Gary, W.Va. on August 23,
1925 into a family of tough constitutions and tenacious spirits. Her most
precious moments on this earth were spent tending to the love and care of
husband Luther, as well as the nourishment and affection of her children
Benton and Diann, and their families.
Nellie was strong and funny, one moment, tough as nails, and another as soft
as the African Violets she kept on her windowsill. She took amazing care of
her large family, spoiling them every holiday with enormous piles of southern
cooking, served on silver plates that she painstakingly polished every fall.
She baked and canned, sewed and cleaned, painted and gardened, and loved to
sit for hours doing crewel with her beloved boxer puppies. Her family could
always count on Nellie to lend a hand, whether it was babysitting for the
grandkids every summer, hanging wallpaper, or providing loving support in
tough times.
Nellie’s friends knew her as an elegant socialite who sewed her own dresses
and threw the best parties in town. She and Luther shared a stiff toddy every
day at 5 p.m. sharp, and on special occasions people loved to watch her and
Luther spin around the dance floor to Mac The Knife. Nellie Mae loved to dress
up and have fun. She charmed, delighted and stole hearts every chance she got.
Nellie Mae Bingham was the kind of woman who epitomized strength for a woman
of her era, beautiful, hard-working, loyal, entertaining, talented and
tirelessly committed to doing things the best she knew how. She will be deeply
missed by her son, Benton Luther Bingham and wife Sandy; her daughter, Diann
Holland and husband Dale; her grandchildren, Heather Bingham, Susanne Deitzel,
Kelly Messmer and Jonathan Holland; and her great-grandchildren, Erin,
Shannon, Cole, Keira, and Avery. Miss Nellie Mae will be remembered in a
private memorial service and interred in Sunset Memorial Garden, Charlotte,
alongside her husband.
Online condolences can be made at www.salemfh.com