Community Loses Two Local Longtime Business Owners

The Wills Point community lost two longtime business owners and residents within one day of each other this past week.

Mickey Blake Robertson, owner of Robertson Electric, passed away on January 23, and Billie Mayberry, of The Green House, died on January 24.

Billie Louise Sanders was born in Canton in 1923 and graduated from high school in 1939. The next year she married A.C. Mayberry, also from Canton. The couple lived in San Diego, where he was stationed with the armed forces, as well as Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he worked with the Cotton Belt Railroad.

The couple returned to Van Zandt County in 1955 and purchased The Green House at its present location.

"She had not been a florist or involved in that business before they bought the store," said her niece Cynthia Adams. "It was just something she wanted to do, and she and uncle taught themselves the business."

The Mayberry’s had no children of their own, but raised their niece "Cindy" from the time she was a toddler.

"I can remember them bundling me up at two or three in the morning and laying me in a flower box to sleep while they put together wreaths for funerals," Adams recalled. "Everything was done by hand back then, so the wreaths were tied together with florist twine, and prepared the morning of the service."

After purchasing The Green House from Bruce Adams (no relation to Cindy) the Mayberry’s expanded the business into a gift shop.

"They would take me with them to the Market Center to buy inventory," Adams said. "She took me with her to conventions and seminars. She loved doing this and was always learning and improving."

Adams joined Mayberry in the business in 1977, and took over after her retirement in 1986. A.C. also worked as a mail carrier and retired from the post office in 1988.

Some time after Billie’s retirement, Adams expanded the shop to include the Williams Hardware building next door, and in Mayberry’s later years, she collected and worked crafts that are now displayed in "Nana’s Corner," in the front of the store.

The Mayberry’s officially adopted Cindy in 1988, when she was 32 years old, and adopted three grandchildren along with her.

"My kids said they have an honest to goodness Nana and Papa, now," Adams said. "She could never say no to her grandkids."

Through the years, The Green House employed many students after school and in the summers. Many of those former employees remembered her gentle words and love of life.

Mayberry was a longtime and active member of the First Baptist Church, and turned a small room in the foyer of the church into a prayer room dedicated to her husband, who preceded her in death.

Mickey Robertson was born in Greenville in 1919, but was raised in China Grove, and attended high school in Martins Mill. He was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served as a medic in London, England during World War II.

"When the Rural Electric Association began providing electricity out to the farms, he worked for a man wiring those houses," said one of three sons that worked in his business, Mickey Jr. "There was one wire run to the house, and they got one plug and one pull chain light."

Robertson married Charlotte Campbell in 1948, and after a brief time in Dallas, the couple returned to her hometown of Wills Point where he opened his shop in 1949. Originally located on the north end of the Chronicle building, Robertson sold appliances, such as refrigerators, and washers and dryers. Robertson Electric installed and serviced the appliances as well as wiring houses.

Robertson also became a York air-conditioning dealer, before becoming a Carrier dealer in 1956.

"He was the only Carrier dealer in three or four counties," Mickey Jr. said. "So he installed air-conditioning systems all over East Texas, and we had jobs as far west as Waxahachie and south of Ft. Worth. We did churches, schools and homes, and we serviced everything we sold, so we had a lot of trucks and servicemen."

For many years, Robertson Electric employed an average of 12 or more servicemen, and at times had as many 16.

In the mid-60’s, Robertson purchased the south half of the Chronicle from the Campbell Estate, and relocated his business to its present location. Robertson employed four brothers at various times, as well as his sons Mickey Jr., Ellis and Kyle. Robertson was the sole proprietor of Robertson Electric for 60 years, and remained involved in it’s operation until his health failed him in 2006.

"He was not a man that would put up with too much and didn’t back down from anything," Mickey Jr., said of his father. "But a lot of people also remember him from the help that he gave them."