Alice Madge Slade Gleaton, known to her friends as Madge, and to her family as “Moe,” passed out of this world on Friday, October 21, 2022. Born in Cordele, GA, in March of 1940, she moved to Hendersonville in 1972 and remained in the area until her death, in large part because she could not bear to move away from her adopted home, Hendersonville, NC.
A rough-and-tumble little girl who liked to keep up with the boys of her neighborhood, Madge soon developed into a serious student, piano player, and lover of books, majoring in literature when she got to college. But, even more than her books, she loved listening to the personal stories of others, most especially when they made her laugh. Madge loved laughter. Not only would she gently tease others, in order to elicit a chuckle or two, she also enjoyed laughing at herself, and then would share those self-deprecating stories with others in order to spread her gift of laughter. Stories, whether she read them from a book or heard them directly from a friend or acquaintance, thrilled her. She had a talent for deep listening and, with that talent, she always conveyed to others that she truly cared.
But her kindness manifested itself in other ways as well. Ever since she was a young child, she was known for her acts of generosity. If she knew, for instance, that someone admired a particular shirt of hers, she would literally take the shirt off her back (stepping, first, into another room to change) in order to present that shirt as a gift. Her family and friends will greatly miss her kind and generous soul, her beautiful smile, her sense of humor, and her soft southern drawl.
Proceeded in death by her husband of almost 60 years, Hugh E. Gleaton, Jr., and her much beloved older brother Jerry Slade, Madge is survived by her four children and their spouses (Shelley Gleaton Bourdon, and her husband Paul; Slade Gleaton, and his wife Lori; Whitney Gleaton Jackson, and her husband Jeff; and Mark Gleaton, and his wife Elaine). She also leaves behind nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, her brother-in-law Fred Gleaton, her two sisters-in-law, Kay Gleaton Turner and Dee Gleaton Tyner, and many nieces and nephews.
The family thanks the close-knit community of Sunnybrook Assisted Living for their genuine love of our mother, and we express a huge amount of gratitude for Moe’s wonderful personal caregivers (Bea Moody, especially, who went over and beyond the call of duty). In memory of our mother, we encourage those who loved Madge (“Moe”) to listen, in that same deep and earnest way, to family members and friends, and, whenever possible, to provide them with the gift of laughter or a smile.
Madge will be buried during a private graveside service at the Carolina Memorial Sanctuary of Mills River, NC. In lieu of flowers, donations supporting land conservation and natural-habitat restoration at the Sanctuary can be made here:https://carolinamemorialsanctuary.org/memorial-gifting-contributions/. Condolence cards and/or personal stories about Madge (“Moe”) may be sent to her family at www.jacksonfuneralservice.com or 1101 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville, NC 28792.