You would never guess by looking at her that she is 104 years old. She is lively and quick to smile. In fact, it looks very much like the joy inside of her just can't help but spill out all over her face, even first thing in the morning. Though her mind can be a bit foggy, her quick answers and ready laugh make it barely noticeable. 

It is a Saturday, and all around Mary Fannie and me, the staff of Woodruff's Pies (which includes two of Mary Fannie's daughters, Darnelle and Angie) is busily preparing to open the store in just a few minutes. The aroma of baking pies wafts throughout while several freshly baked pies are placed in the showcase. Tables have been pushed together on one side of the small store with dozens of pie boxes piled on top. “Getting ready for Thanksgiving,” Darnelle explains.


Mary Fannie Woodruff

Memorabilia line the shelves on the opposite side of the store—evidence that this store is owned and operated by a family, and that this family loves the Lord. Mary Fannie is the matriarch and she sits now— and most every day—behind a table in the corner where she can easily greet customers as they stand behind the counter waiting to select a pie. The smile spreads easily over her face as she engages them in conversation.

Mary Fannie's history with the building that houses this business in Monroe, Virginia, is a long one. Born into this very community in 1916 when the small town was better known as Salt Creek, she married James Woodruff in 1934. His father urged James to build a shelter for the children who had to wait for the school bus at the intersection of routes 130 and 650. James did build one, but never envisioned that this small shelter would soon be expanded into a business which he and his wife would run for nearly 30 years. Actually, Mary Fannie pretty much ran the business, which sold gas as well as groceries and cigarettes. James continued to work a factory job.


Woodruff's Store in Monroe, Virginia

When the store opened in 1952, the Woodruff family moved upstairs. Darnelle remembers growing up there and the good times they had. It was good to be close to the business and Mary Fannie recalls that James often got up in the middle of the night to help travelers who had run out of gas or had gotten lost. “He couldn't say no to anyone,” she says proudly. During store hours, the place became a friendly neighborhood gathering place. Even now, so many years later, Mary Fannie looks back on those years, remembering the precious friends and family, most of whom she has outlived.

Mary Fannie and James had a long, strong, and good marriage. James, a few years older than Mary Fannie, had come with his mother to visit Mary Fannie's mother when Mary Fannie was just a baby.  The story is told that James spent the time watching Mary Fannie in her crib. When her mother asked James if he wanted that baby, he replied, “Yes ma'am. I'd love to take her home.” About 16 years later, James did take Mary Fannie home. They had been married 64 years when James went on to his eternal home. 


Freshly baked pies in showcase

James and Mary Fannie had five children. Two boys to start with; 14 years later, twin girls; and finally eight years after that, another baby girl. Today there are eight grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. There are foster children, too. Darnelle explains that case workers who knew of her parents' great love for all children, came to them first. They had at least four foster children. The last were twin boys who still come and visit Mary Fannie from time to time. 

One of Mary Fannie's favorite topics of conversation is her love for music—mostly church music. Mary Fannie took piano lessons as a child, and by the age of 13 she became her church's pianist. Later she became the organist, and she continued playing right into her 90's. When her daughter, Angie, started a nursing home ministry a few years ago, Mary Fannie went along with her, playing the piano. As recently as February 2020 they continued to do this, until Covid-19 restrictions prevented them. She has been playing for so long that she knows most hymns and gospel songs by heart. And I do mean they are in her heart. When I asked what her favorite was she quickly said, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Another, she added, is “I Dreamed I Searched Heaven for You.”


Mary Fannie greets customers

As a child, Mary Fannie went to Sunday School and church with her family. It's what they did. She loved Sunday School and she loved reading the Bible and memorizing it. She remembers that once she represented her Sunday School at a union meeting. The attendees had to exactly and correctly recite Bible verses. The winner was the one who could recite the most verses, and the winner on that occasion was Mary Fannie.


Mary Fannie's ever present smile

When I asked her what her favorite verse was, she began to recite Matthew 23:1-13. Darnelle quickly explained that she hadn't completely understood my question but I was impressed in her ability to remember such a long passage. Apparently, that is only one of many that have settled and stayed in her mind. But when Mary Fannie understood my question with the help of Darnelle, her emphatic answer was Psalm 1:1-2: 

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

 nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

As a beloved and respected mother, I wanted to know what advice Mary Fannie had for younger parents. First, she said, it is important to bring up children to know the Lord. Second, live as an example before them. And finally, teach them right from wrong. She explained that one of her foster sons once spoke “ugly” words to her. She stopped him by telling him those were ugly and unkind words and no one should speak them to anyone. He was taken aback and said that he hadn't known that before. No one had ever told him.


Mary Fannie's memoirs

But it seems like the best advice Mary Fannie could give me about parenting, was to honor your own parents and be good to them. “The Bible says you will be blessed by doing just that.” Mary Fannie believes that. “My mom was my friend.”

Definitely, Mary Fannie's children “rise up and call her blessed.” (Proverbs 31:28) Darnelle says that she thinks what made her mother such a good mother was that she listened to her kids, didn't dismiss them or what they thought. “She was supportive of us, not the wrong we did, but us.”


Photos and clippings tell the store's history

“Now that you have lived this long, what advice do you have for others about living a long life?” I asked Mary Fannie. “I go right back to Psalm 1,” she answered. Angie says that Mary Fannie eats a hearty breakfast every day and always has coffee with it. “I think it's her good attitude that helped her have long life,” Angie says. “She keeps busy. Most of those pie boxes, she folded,” she says as she points to the pile. “She always wants to do something. For the most part, she feels good and she always has a zest for life.”

Mary Fannie has been featured on the Today Show, and on the wall above the table we are sitting at, is a framed letter from President Obama wishing her a happy 100th birthday. She has been recognized by many government officials and community leaders. 


Angie looks on while I interview Mary Fannie

There have been sad times. In 1997, Mary Fannie's and James' younger son died of a heart attack at the age of 60. At the same time, James was diagnosed with lung cancer and died months later. It is hard to lose a child at any age, but even more difficult when the death of a spouse occurs such a short time after. Nevertheless, Mary Fannie says it was faith in a faithful God that kept her going. “We could move forward with acceptance,” she comments.

In the midst of the sadness, however, a new good thing was beginning. Mary Fannie's daughter, Angie, decided to open up a pie business in the same building that had once housed her parents' store. Twin sisters, Darnelle and Darnette agreed to help out as well. That was August 10, 1998. Twenty-two years later, Woodruff's Pies is still going strong. Mary Fannie was very pleased with this new business venture. “I wanted to help all I could and be as much a part of the business as possible. I am happy to be the entertainer,” she says. Now a new group of regulars come in often and chat with her, and Mary Fannie knows many by name. 


Angie prepares to open the store for the day

A friend first mentioned this business to me back in June when I was planning a family reunion and asked of a place that might make good pies. When I found its website (https://woodruffspieshop.com/), and read a little of the history I just shared about Mary Fannie and James, I decided to order a pie. It was everything I had hoped for—strawberry-rhubarb back in June, when both fruits were in season.  I then ordered a variety of pies for the family reunion. Through these trips, I learned that Woodruff Pies also serves lunch, and have enjoyed eating there a few times.

Covid-19 hasn't stopped Woodruff Pies. At the beginning, they offered curbside service. When outdoor seating was allowed, they spaced a few tables outdoors for the warm months. They don't have enough room to do any kind of indoor seating with the social distance requirements, but customers can come in, order, and pick up their orders with no problems. Whole pies should be ordered the day before to ensure availability. Business has continually increased through the years and is stronger than ever. There are always multiple customers whenever I have been there; and on the morning of this interview, as soon as the doors opened, customers lined up behind the counter.


Darnelle talks about her mom

If you are reading this in the Lynchburg, Virginia area, I heartily recommend purchasing pies from Woodruff Pies for the holiday season. I don't think you can get better anywhere else, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed in the pies or the folks you meet there. If you aren't in the Lynchburg area but visit at times because you have kids going to Liberty University, visit this place. If you come to Lynchburg to visit Kim and me, we'll take you there.

This positive sentiment of mine was strengthened this Saturday morning, as I visited in mid-November to get this story. When I looked behind me just a few minutes before ten o'clock, the kitchen staff had joined the behind-the-counter staff. Someone shouted, “Quiet everybody. We're going to pray so we can open.” Now several hours since, I can't remember which of Mary Fannie's daughters prayed. But the name of Jesus Christ was evoked in such a way that I knew they knew they needed Him throughout their day, whatever it might bring. Mary Fannie, silent through the prayer, was exuberant in her agreement at the end with that big smile beaming across her face. I have to say with her, “Amen.”

(All photos by Kim Perez)