Madison reminds Wellborn of Mississippi, English hamlets

MADISON – Living in Madison’s historic district, Suzanne Wellborn finds downtown “beautiful and rich with history. Someone is always stopping visit or waving hello.”

“I always find little gifts from neighbors on Valentine’s Day or Christmas at the doorstep. They always remember our children on holidays. My children see good examples of how gracious, mannerly people act,” she said.

Madison is reminiscent of her hometown, Kosciusko, Miss, population 9,000. Six generations of her family grew up there.

Living in Kosciusko’s historic area, Suzanne and her sister walked to town square and bought gummy bears. “Now, my kids can walk to Whistle Stop Sweet Shop and enjoy that same experience,” she said.

In Kosciusko, “older folks told about my grandfather riding his pony, Spot, around town. Once, he climbed up on the courthouse’s roof to walk around the ledge. My great-grandfather was horrified,” Suzanne said.

Madison also reminds Suzanne of Croxton, England, one of husband Chris’ deployments with the Air Force. These 200 families”took us into their hearts and homes,” she said.

However, Madison differs from another duty station, Washington, D.C. Stationed at the Pentagon, the Wellborns witnessed 9/11 events. Also, “people were very focused on work; socializing was not easy,” Suzanne said.

“I firmly believe the Lord led us to Madison,” she said. Many months, Chris and she prayed about where to live after his military retirement. After TDY at Redstone Arsenal in 2009, Chris suggested moving here.

Suzanne wanted to return to the Deep South to raise their children and live closer to family in Mississippi. “I’m quite sure a major reason the Lord led us here is so our kids could have such a fine education. They attend Providence Classical School. In my dreams, I always saw a historic house with a white picket fence. My husband fulfilled that dream,” Suzanne said.

After attending Ole Miss, Suzanne earned a master’s degree at Old Dominion. Chris works as a defense consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton. Their children are Marshall, 12, Elizabeth, 9, and Benton, 2.

Their rescue cats are Harry and brothers Socks and Daniel.

A stay-at-home mom, Suzanne volunteers at school and church, especially enjoying interior decorating committees. She coordinates Madison Belles, “an organization of young girls who want to learn the arts of ladyhood.”

“My absolute favorite Madison restaurant is Main Street Cafe. Besides the hometown atmosphere, the fried grouper is amazing. Old Black Bear makes a mean cheeseburger,” she said.