Alene "Mother Ene" Chambers Pettigrew

On Thursday, September 3, 2020, Alene Chambers Pettigrew met Jesus and joined the Angels, exactly how she wanted to – peacefully and on her own terms. It has brought great comfort to our family to know that she was here with us in one breath, and in Heaven with the next. One hundred years of life, so well lived to the very end!

Born on April 6, 1920, to Jim and Mary Lou Chambers of McNairy County, Tennessee, Alene was the oldest of nine children, with brothers and sisters: Willie Mae, Mildred, Warren, JR, Audrey, Abb, Bear, and Jo Ann. Alene wasn’t going to let you forget how much she loved being the oldest! This is probably where her love of “being in charge” was born.

When Alene was young, she excelled in school, even when school was a single room classroom at New Delight School with all the students of all ages. She met Lawrence Pettigrew in Lawton when she was 16 years old at a church dance. He was the love of her life! After Alene met him, she never “went” with anyone else, as she would say. They married on December 23, 1937 in Alcorn County, Mississippi. Once married, she joined Lawrence Pettigrew’s family as a beloved wife and mother, where she ultimately became our “Mother Ene” that we all know and love today. She enjoyed her time spent with sisters-in-law, Kathleen Hendrix and Marie Bolton along with her best friend, Lois Templeton.

Alene was a loving mother to Joe David (Dorothy) Pettigrew, whom everyone knew as Daddy Joe. Even though she only had one son, she took care of everyone who walked through her doors.

She cherished her role as mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and more famously, being our Mother Ene. Mother Ene was proud to have such a large family! She was well-loved by all her grandchildren – Mitzi (Steve) Mitchell, Marty (Michelle) Pettigrew, Dave (Tammy) Pettigrew, Clay Pettigrew and Leigh (David Lynn) Evans; great grandchildren, Blake Mitchell, Jill Smith Keen, Madison (Abigail) Pettigrew, Morgan Pettigrew, Daniel Pettigrew, Cole Pettigrew, Dalton Pettigrew, Garrett (Tess) Pettigrew, Preston Pettigrew, Jay Pettigrew, Montana Pettigrew, and Megan (Michael) Moore; great-great-grandchildren, Mekenzi (Tyler) Mitchell, Luke Keen, Halle Kate Keen, Trace Mitchell, Jagger Mitchell, Joseph Pettigrew, Thomas Pettigrew, Rylee Pettigrew, Reid Pettigrew, Paisley Pettigrew, Ty Smith and Kaley Pettigrew; great-great-great grandchildren, Annysten and Tuck Mitchell.

She loved well and was quick to tell you if you were wrong, but would always stick up for you no matter what! She was loyal and wouldn’t stand for anyone tearing down her family. She was proud to tell us that she called out every grandchild, by name, each night in her prayers before bed. Her grandchildren would describe her as amazing, stubborn, steadfast, and straightforward. She was also soft, kind and full of wisdom. She was always someone that you could come to with your problems or your secrets. She believed in the best for her family and we hope to continue to honor her legacy. You never had to question if Mother Ene loved you, she just made it easy and reminded you every chance she got!

Alene told stories of working on the farm, picking cotton, canning cucumbers, and anything else that “needed doing.” She started work as a teacher in her early years before a long and successful career at Brown Shoe Company. Alene got to be her favorite thing at the shoe company – the Boss. She retired when she was 62 years old. She took great pride in everything she did!

An amazing decorator and collector of gorgeous glassware and antiques, Mother Ene knew how to keep a house beautiful and understood the value of creating an inviting home. She had traditional values, mostly, except Alene never “asked” Lawrence if she could buy anything. If she wanted it, she bought it. When once asked if she discussed the pink floral carpet in the parlor with Lawrence before deciding on it…to which she responded, “No, he saw it when they came to put it in and that was that.” She loved to tell a story about where a certain piece came from and what she “gave” for it. Each antique had meaning and brought her joy. Even when she couldn’t get around so well anymore, it brought her great joy to look around the room and see years of her beautiful collection.

She was well known for all her pretty things and her love of fashion. You’d never catch Alene Pettigrew without five to ten pieces of jewelry on at any given time. Either with one of her granddaughters, Lois and Marie, a sister or sometimes Marty would take road trips together to Jackson, Corinth, and Memphis to go shopping and to Tammy’s beauty shop. Clothes, Shoes, and Jewelry…she loved it all. She loved to shop and was able to do that with her friends and family up until the very end.

Mother Ene was notorious for talking on that landline phone. She would stay up for hours just talking to friends and family. She treasured a phone call almost as much as a visit! Even those that were just down the street could be found having an in-depth telephone conversation with Mother Ene. She had a way about her that made people want to stay connected. She was unforgettable!

Known for her incredible cake baking you are lucky if you can say you had Alene’s homemade coconut cake, strawberry cake, or red velvet cake. We’re not sure if she ever gave the recipes out to anyone outside of the family, but it wouldn’t really matter because our recreations will never be as good as her originals.

Mother Ene would want everyone to know that she always tried to live a good, clean life. She was honest, she worked hard, and she loved well. She was the kind of person that you wanted in your corner. If you knew she loved you, you were pretty lucky! You could meet her once and she would treat you like she’d known you her whole life. The Gilchrist community, church, and other community members were very important to her!

Alene Pettigrew loved the Lord with all of her heart, all of her soul, and all of her mind. She was diligent in prayer and faithful in service. She woke up every morning and thanked the Angels watching over her. Mother Ene would not want us to be sad that she is gone. Instead, she would want us to continue to live well, to be kind to our neighbor, to love our family, to be quick to forgive one another, and to keep the faith. She is no longer confined to her aging her body and she is free to use the gifts the Lord has given her, now that she is made whole with him. We’d be willing to bet that she’s up in Heaven, rearranging the décor, if Heaven has that sort of thing! One thing we know for sure, the world lost a legend this week and we will never be the same. We are thanking God that her love can last a lifetime in our hearts.

Please respect social distancing and wear masks when attending visitation.