Ella Mae Jernigan (Shorter)

Ella Mae (Shorter) Jernigan, was born on January 14, 1941, in Church Hill, Maryland. She departed this earth on May 16, 2019, following a lengthy illness. Ella was the 6th child born to the late Melvin and Eleanor Shorter of Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Her fondest memories involved her mother, whom she often described as an amazing woman, filled with many talents and lots of love. Growing up, Ella attended the Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church, and was a student at the small schoolhouse next to the church. She would reminisce about coming home from school to find shelves of her mother’s homemade sticky buns and other goodies. A graduate of Kennard High School, class of 1959, Ella would also reminisce about her friendships, her home economics classes and her teachers. She talked about prom and how the teachers made breakfast and served the students when the dance was over. Such happy memories remained with her as she went on to attend Maryland State College, now known as the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES). No matter where life took her, throughout her journey, her heart remained drawn to the early sights and sounds of home, just as described in Brook Benton’s song, “Don’t It Make You Wanta to Go Home.” He described it perfectly---right down to the sound of the Whippoorwill and the nearby creek. Over the years, she and her siblings enjoyed taking that stroll down memory lane whenever they saw each other or talked on the phone. A self-declared tomboy in her youth, Ella maintained a deep love for sports throughout her lifetime. She and her brothers and sisters would regularly play baseball in the yard and on local teams. This early interest in sports led to her participation in other athletic activities, such as basketball and volleyball. She loved to watch boxing at the card parties hosted by her uncle Norman Wright and later her brother, John Dudley Shorter. They were big fun, for Ella, who also had a love for music. As a young woman, she spent time sitting in John Dudley’s car, singing along to the radio tunes. She would later be able to play these tunes while driving in her own car, a convertible 1964 Pontiac LeMans---straight from the show room. “I want that one”, she told the salesman. With that car, she was able to pick up friends and relatives for excursions to Carrs Beach, the Uptown Club, and other venues where she saw headline performers such as Fats Domino, Etta James, Solomon Burke and Jackie Wilson. She cherished those memories throughout her life and relived them by listening to her collection of music, which she kept in the car and on each level of the house. In the mid 1960’s, Ella met Leroy Jernigan, a young teacher from North Carolina, who was a boarder at her aunt Georgia Bowser’s home. They fell in love, married, and had two children---Ivy and Tony Jernigan. Date nights involved dancing and attendance at sporting events. They also enjoyed going to Ivy’s musical performances and Tony’s various practices and games. Her two grandsons continued in their father’s footsteps by calling their grandmother to discuss who fumbled, who made a phenomenal catch, who was the most talented, and who was being paid entirely too much money to do absolutely nothing. She enjoyed nearly every sporting event on television---even race car driving and golf. She would spend hours watching golf and loved watching Tiger Woods. Her favorite sport, however, was football; and she loved the Baltimore Ravens. She also loved seeing her older grandson play in the Turkey Bowl and her younger grandson make the game-winning touchdown a few years ago. During that game, she was seen running up and down the sidelines in celebration. It was a joyous occasion. While Ella would have been a “natural” working in the field of sports, as a women’s basketball or volleyball coach, she did find great satisfaction in her chosen area of work. Having her start working at Vitafoods and Campbell Soup, she would go on to establish a career working in the banking industry and retired in 2008, after 35 years of service, with Bank of America. While at Bank of America, she played on the company’s softball team and enjoyed every minute of it. Those who worked with Ella remember that she was a hard worker whom others respected highly. She always went to work and was always on time and ready to get the job done. One former co-worker remarked that “Ms. Ella didn’t play. She did her job.” Co-workers also remember that her love of sports was infectious; and they enjoyed speaking to her about various games. She also enjoyed managing the football pool, which brought fun and excitement to her colleagues. She greatly enjoyed the work environment and decided to return to her vocation, post-retirement, in 2014. She worked for two years, until the onset of her illness. Affectionately called “grandmom” by all members of the immediate family (young and old) Ella generously shared with those who entered the home. She kept a supply of water, juices and snacks for her grandchildren and great-grandchild; but also kept a supply for her children, daughter-in-law, and neighborhood friends. The children loved going to grandmom’s house. Her famous macaroni and cheese was always a favorite. She made it nearly every holiday because she knew that the family enjoyed it. She would also bring it to the Thanksgiving gatherings on the Shore. She would share, with others, of how her family would come out in large numbers, for Thanksgiving. She was thankful for her entire family and often talked about how her baby brother, Tommy, would jump in the car and travel from Alabama to Maryland as if he were driving to the grocery store in the next town. She was amazed by his sense of adventure and proud of his inner strength. Ella was preceded in death by her husband, Leroy Jernigan (1987), as well as her mother and father, Eleanor and Melvin Shorter, and sister, Marion Shorter. She leaves to mourn, her daughter, Ivy Jernigan of Baltimore, MD; son, Tony Jernigan and daughter-in-law, Stacey Jernigan of Baltimore, MD, six grandchildren, Kiera Douglas Jernigan, Asha Jernigan, Tony Jernigan II, Dalia Jernigan, Makeda Jernigan, and Tariq Jernigan; two great-grandchildren, Khenja and Nahla; siblings, John Dudley Shorter of Worton, MD, Melvin Shorter, Jr. of Pondtown, MD, Cecelia Shorter of Chestertown, MD, George Shorter of Salisbury, MD, Eleanor Brown of Pondtown, MD, Margaret Hawkins of Upper Marlboro, MD, Thomas Shorter (Vera) of Harvest, AL, and Kelvin Copper, Sr. (Pamela) of Millington, MD. She also leaves to mourn, a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Ella Mae Jernigan (Shorter)

January 14, 1941 - May 16, 2019