Mame Caldwell, local real estate icon, dies at 73

Longtime Blytheville real estate legend Mary Alice "Mame" Caldwell, 73, died Monday at Great River Medical Center.

She was the wife of Dan Caldwell and served as the owner and operator of Century 21/McWaters Realty in Blytheville for many years.

Ironically, Caldwell, along with her husband and co-workers had recently returned from the Century 21 Annual Awards Banquet in Hot Springs, where they received several awards, including the "Per Person Productivity Award for Top Sales Production." This is the fifth year in a row the office has won the award.

In a press release prepared by Caldwell just before her death Monday, she commented on the awards banquet and related training over the weekend.

"It was a marvelous weekend of training and professional development. We look forward to using our new tools to make home buying and home selling more profitable and easy for our clients and customers," Caldwell stated.

Lola Gifford, a longtime co-worker of Caldwell, called Mame her mentor.

"I'd never met anybody like Mame Caldwell in my life," Gifford said. "She had a heart of gold. In her own way, she loved everybody."

Caldwell was especially proud to be able to help everyone with their home purchases and sales, Gifford said.

"It didn't matter if you were buying a $2,000 house or a $500,000, she worked hard for you," Gifford said of Caldwell.

Caldwell was also good to treat everyone the same.

"She was good to help people find financing," Gifford said. "She didn't care if your credit score was zero, she'd make you feel like you could buy your dream house."

Gifford said she credited all her success in real estate "to God and to Mame."

Just to be associated with Mame Caldwell was a "step up" in the business, Gifford said. "People think they're insulting me when they call me Mame Jr., but it's a compliment."

Caldwell was the hardest worker she knew in the business, Gifford said.

Gifford said that Caldwell collapsed at her desk Monday. "She had said she wasn't feeling well, but she was at work, on the phone."

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Carney Funeral Home of Blytheville.

dhilton@blythevillecourier.com