Ida Lee Fleming

Mrs. Ida Lee Fleming, also lovingly known as Aunt Nute and Mother Fleming, died peacefully on Saturday, May 30, 2020, at home.  

Mrs. Fleming was born March 6, 1929, in Manning, South Carolina to the late Milton and Francis (Britton} Brown.  Subsequently, her family relocated to Pinewood, SC where her father earned a living as a sharecropper in rural Clarendon County.  At age 91, she was the last surviving of ten children and highly respected as the family matriarch.

Mrs. Fleming was extremely fortunate in that she had the opportunity to attend the Clarendon County public schools despite having to endure racial segregation and being born during the period of the Great Depression. She attended Gum Springs Elementary, Manning, SC and was a member of the first class to attend 12th grade in 1949, the same year she graduated from Scott’s Branch High School.  Later that year, she married the late Nathaniel Fleming and relocated to Eastover, South Carolina.  Mrs. Fleming was preceded in death by a daughter, Dora Lee and is survived by four children, Mable Deloris Fleming, Camden, New Jersey; Elaine Bennett and Tony Fleming, Columbia, South Carolina; and Terry (Je’Shand) Fleming, Atlanta, Georgia; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren and a host of family and friends.

Mrs. Fleming retired after working 19 years as a sewing machine operator, Fort Jackson, SC.  She was a faithful member of Unity Missionary Baptist Church, Hopkins, SC where she served as a member of the Missionary Society and Jubilee Choir, and past President of both auxiliaries.  Additionally, Mrs. Fleming was honored to have served as one of three church mothers, and many people affectionately considered her their surrogate mother.  She loved singing and visiting churches throughout the local community where they would often hear her favorite expression, “I will go if I have to go by myself.”

After suffering a debilitating stroke in December 2015, Mrs. Fleming moved to Columbia, South Carolina to reside with her daughter, Elaine.  She enjoyed word search puzzles, reading the State Newspaper, watching television, and sharing with others her favorite Bible scripture John 14:1-3.   

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Day Break Adult Care Services, Lexington, SC; Central Midlands Council of Government, Columbia, SC and Heartstrings Hospice’s staff, specifically Teela (CNA) and Kay (Nurse) for the compassionate care shown during our mother’s illness. 

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