Year Later, Friends Still Miss Martha

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Year Later, Friends Still Miss Martha

BY MATTHEW MORIARTY: Staff Writer

Even Martha Tattersall’s death couldn’t stop her from making a difference, says Lou , her longtime boyfriend.

After her death in December 2004 — the victim of a tragic accident — she became the first organ donor after cardiac death in New Hanover Regional Medical Center history. Doctors flew her liver to a man in Kentucky whose liver was failing due to Hepatitis C. The 56-year-old recipient is a veteran of two foreign wars, having served in Germany and Vietnam. Her kidneys both went to people in North Carolina, and her corneas would be used to bring sight back to the blind. The daughter of A.B. Hardee, founder of Whispering Pines, Tattersall spent her life doing good deeds, says . It’s therefore fitting, he says, that she would continue to do so after her death. He still wears an organ donor pin on his chest. “She wasn’t done,” he says. “She had so much left to do.” She and began a 23-year love affair in 1981, when he was food and beverage manager at the Whispering Pines Country Club, where Tattersall was the general manager. He was going through a divorce and she was already divorced. They began going out for a Coke or a pizza, says, and it became something else. “Every day was a story,” he says, “a new adventure.” Tattersall once told him that she wanted to work another 15 years. She was working for a home mortgage lender by then. Another 15 years would have put her well into her 70s. “I said, ‘You don’t know how old you are, do you?’” says. “She said, ‘Probably not.’”

Struck in Parking Lot Tattersall was fatally injured on Dec. 11, 2004, in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Wilmington. She had gone to Wilmington to watch a friend’s son graduate from college. She was walking back to her car in the parking lot with friends. In another part of the parking lot, two women were fighting. Phelps jumped into her Ford Mustang and sped away from Shelton, who was threatening her. Both women worked together at Pure Gold, a Wilmington strip club. According to the investigating police, Phelps sped away from the scene. She lost control of the vehicle and struck Tattersall, pinning her between the Mustang and her own car. Doctors kept Tattersall alive on life support for three days so that they could harvest her organs. Investigators charged both Phelps and Shelton with involuntary manslaughter. Tattersall’s family and friends worked with the district attorney’s office in Wilmington to get as strong a sentence as they could. But in the end, there really wasn’t much that could be done. Phelps pleaded guilty to a lesser charge: misdemeanor death by vehicle. She received a sentence of 45 days. Shelton pleaded guilty to the rather minor charge of injury to personal property. The family agreed to the plea bargain because it didn’t want to go through a trial, says Tate Tattersall Garrison, Martha’s daughter. “She [Phelps] apologized to the family and was remorseful,” Garrison says. “It was a tragic accident. Her punishment will sit with her for some time.” says that he believes that Tattersall has forgiven the young girl and that in time the family can as well. “Mom wasn’t a vengeful person,” Garrison says.

‘Magical to So Many’ Tattersall’s friend Sandy Berger presented with a book inscribed with the words “She Brought Magic Into Our Lives.” says he never thought about it that way, but now he’s sure of it. “She was magical to so many people,” he says. lives in the home Tattersall grew up in, the former home of Hardee. When he misses her, he can look out over the lawn designed by her father. He feels her presence there. Across the street is a memorial garden put there by the Whispering Pines Garden Club. In the back yard is another memorial garden overlooking Pine Lake. “You feel like she’s here a lot,” says. ’s company is a cat named Caroline that Tattersall took in as a stray. Though he didn’t like the cat when Tattersall was alive, he says that now the two of them comfort each other. “She’s kind of become my confidant,” he says. Now that it’s been a year since Tattersall’s death, says things have gotten easier. He recently got to the point where he could talk about her and reminisce about the good times. He says there are many people who are dedicated to keeping her memory alive. Tattersall is missed at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines, where she was an active parishioner and clerk of vestry and taught Sunday school.

‘Made a Difference’ The Rev. Janet Watrous, interim rector at Emmanuel Episcopal, says the church unveiled a memorial children’s library for Tattersall on Nov. 27. Many of Tattersall’s family and friends showed up for the unveiling. “It’s clear to me how dear a person she was to this congregation’s life,” says Watrous, who joined the church after Tattersall’s death, “She had a love for children. [The books will] all get dog-eared, and I think that would make her very happy.” Garrison agrees. She says that her mother always said she would like to read to her grandchildren. Those who knew Tattersall say that the past year hasn’t diminished her effect on the community. “When I die, if two to three people say I made a difference I’ll be happy,” says. “If you polled all the people who knew her, they’d all say she made a difference. That’s about the best thing you can say about somebody.”

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