Stella Mae Norman Golden

After a long and fruitful life, Stella Mae Norman Golden, 100, of the Pleasant Ridge community, died on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at Pruitt Health Care in Elkin.

Mrs. Golden was born on July 14, 1926, in Wilkes County, to Barney Franklin and Cora Belle Norman. She was raised in a large family with six siblings. She was a 1945 graduate of Mountain Park High School. She married her sweetheart, Leo Golden, on January 26, 1948, when he returned from Europe after serving in the Army during WWII.

Mrs. Golden was a lifetime member of Mining Ridge Baptist Church, where she first attended as an infant, traveling to church in a horse-drawn buggy. Her faith was an intricate part of her life. The three things she valued most were her family, her church, and her community. Until February 2026, she had lived on the same property all of her 100 years, surrounded by family. She was proud that she had lived independently for so long. She was blessed to see five generations of her family, and recently, on her 100th birthday, she was surrounded by her extended family, even getting to meet the most recent addition, a great-great-great niece.

When asked in January by a first-grade class what her favorite things to do were, she replied, “cooking and cleaning.” She took great pleasure in preparing her family’s favorite dishes each Sunday and on holidays and loved to share recipes with family and friends. She also spent her summers gardening - canning and freezing the vegetables from her garden. She was also a gifted seamstress and crocheter.

Mrs. Golden was preceded in death by her husband, Leo; her parents, Barney and Cora; her brothers, Maynard, Paul, Harold, Tom, and John Norman; and her sister, Jean Norman Wood.

Surviving are a daughter, Brenda (Vernon) Mitchell of Millers Creek; a son, Michael (Deborah) Golden of Winston-Salem; granddaughters, Natasha Mitchell (Kris) Nielsen of Mechanicsville, Va., and Lauren Golden of Raleigh; a grandson, Parker Golden of Charlotte; and a great-grandson, Landen Nielsen of Mechanicsville, Va. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

A private graveside service will be conducted by Rev. Kenny Wood at the Mining Ridge Baptist Church cemetery. A public memorial service will be held Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Mining Ridge Baptist Church, State Road, conducted by Rev. John Norman.

We would like to thank Sally Scales for her friendship with our family and the more than two years of extraordinary care she provided our mother. 

Memorials may be made to the Mining Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o Cynthia Baldwin, 487 Barker Rd. Elkin, N.C. 28621.