Myrtle Washington, a determined spirit and an inspiration

MYRTLE Eunice Kelly Washington remembered when cattle were driven along South Street on their way to a slaughterhouse.

She remembered other sometimes grim aspects of growing up in South Philadelphia in the '20s and '30s during the Depression with 15 siblings - like having to wear coats indoors because there was no heat in the house.

She liked to tell her children and grandchildren such stories as lessons on how to survive and thrive under extreme deprivation.

But Myrtle was a determined woman, and when her own children came along, she saw to it that they were not only well fed and sheltered, but were educated for success in life.

With her as inspiration, how could they go wrong?

Myrtle Kelly Washington, a beautician and a saleswoman with a reputation for being able to sell anything to anybody, died Thursday. She was 90 and lived in South Philadelphia.

Although her profession was hairdressing, Myrtle appeared to be a natural entrepreneur. She made hats and other items, which she sold on a word-of-mouth basis. Customers sought her out when they learned what she had to offer.

Myrtle's determination was directed at her children. She wanted to make sure that they would be educated, independent and successful in life, and they were.

"She taught me to cut hair at 13," said her son Andre Washington.

And nobody got to sleep in with Mom in charge. "In the morning, she'd say, 'Get up! Get up!' And she'd make us sardine sandwiches to see us through the day," Andre said.

Myrtle was born in South Philadelphia to Alonzo and Sally Kelly. She attended Stanton Elementary School, William Penn High School and Mastbaum High School.

However, she didn't receive a diploma. How could she inspire her children to be educated if she didn't even have a high school diploma?

So, she attended evening classes at Temple University, and, at the age of 60, received her GED.

Myrtle received her cosmetology license in 1937, after graduating from Craig's Beauty School, in Philadelphia. She opened her own business, Myrtle and Mary's Beauty Shop, at 18th and South streets, which she operated until 1947.

At that time, she was married to the late Albert Mead. Their son, Ronald Kelly Washington, became the owner of Ron's Ribs, a landmark restaurant at 16th and South streets and a community and civil-rights leader. He died in 2002.

During World War II, she married the late Ronald Washington and they had four children.

Myrtle attended St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, at 20th and Christian streets, most of her life. But she wasn't Catholic. She had never been baptized.

Last April, she sat in a wheelchair outside her house and a priest baptized her.

Myrtle was devoted to the English language. She believed that if you were going to speak the language you should speak it correctly.

"I went to college and she used to correct my pronunciation," Andre said. "Her diction was impeccable.

"She had a loving and endearing personality. She was very forgiving. She never held a grudge. If something went wrong in the family, she would ask everybody to pray about it."

Besides her son, she is survived by another son, Kevin Washington; two daughters, Cheryl Washington Mondel and Andrea Washington Thompson; a sister, Mary Elizabeth Kelly Thomas; eight grandchildren; and a host of great-grandchildren.

Services: Funeral Mass 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 20th and Christian streets. Friends may call at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Eden Cemetery, Collingdale.