Macie May was born Oct. 9, 1916, to parents Delbert and Sarah Howell Renfro in the town of Burnsville, in Yancy County, North Carolina. Macie grew up with five siblings—two sisters and three brothers. Macie’s father passed away when Macie was only 11 years old. This left many struggles for the family, but with her mother’s willingness, and the help of her oldest brother (who was 14 at the time), they managed to stay together and survive as a family. 

Macie grew up working on the family farm and worked at the store they owned and ran for several years. She graduated from Clearmont High School in in 1934 and soon joined America’s workforce. Macie worked for 15 years at the textile mill in Burnsville, North Carolina, where she grew up. Macie married in 1935 to Ivan Renfro. Their marriage was more than solid, lasting to within a couple months of 70 years at the time of Ivan’s death a few years back.

Macie’s oldest brother, Jay, was the first to begin listening to the Radio Church of God, and she said soon after she opened her Bible and found the truth, she stopped attending church on Sunday. Macie was baptized in 1961 and attended the Feast of Tabernacles in Jekyll Island the second year the Feast was held there. Mr. Renfro was also baptized into the work, a few years after Macie. They enjoyed many years supporting the work, and attending the Feast throughout our great country.

Ivan and Macie Renfro had began their lives together in the mountains of North Carolina, and both worked hard to provide for their family, they had four young boys to feed and raise. Ivan moved his family to East Tennessee to be able to farm and raise burley tobacco where it was much easier on the rolling hills. He told Macie that they would move there where he would be able to farm with a tractor and not just on the sides of the mountains with a horse and a turning plow, as he did in the mountains of North Carolina. After they both were baptized they knew that their means of survival had to change, and this took faith. Ivan went from growing tobacco for his main means of survival to milking 18 to 20 head of cattle and also driving a laundry truck. But Macie said they made do, and God blessed their efforts.

Macie’s sisters Madge and Ethel both had started coming to church services almost regularly, and they went to the Feast for the first time with Macie and her family. Macie had told them that they could do as they pleased—they could attend services or walk the beach since they were attending the Feast at Jekyll Island. Macie said that they both attended every service with her that Feast, and when they returned home, they pursued counseling. Soon, both were baptized.

I think it’s fair to say that Macie and her family fought the good fight, and they continue to do so. Her husband and sisters have passed away now, but she and her son Darrel come each week and do their part to encourage to serve in whatever way they can. We are all humbled when we see Macie week in and week out, 99 years old and still serving.

Macie is a fine person, a fine wife and mother, but she is first a fine Christian.