LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Local icon Shirley Mae Beard will be laid to rest Saturday afternoon.
"I can't tell you how much love my mom had, the capacity," said Warren Simpson, Shirley Mae's son.
"My grandmother is a, was, a force of nature," said Jessica Bellamy, Shirley Mae's granddaughter. "It's so sad to have lost her. It was way too soon."
Shirley Mae's Café. (WDRB photo)
"Her life was a masterclass in love," Warren Simpson said.
"She set a high, high bar," said Shirley "D" Simpson, Shirley Mae's daughter.
Shirley Mae Beard spent her 84 years on this planet caring for everyone she ever met.
"She always, always pushed people to be bigger and greater than you could imagine," Bellamy said.
"Food was a way for her to bring us together as family," Warren Simpson said.
That family stretched far beyond just those who sat at Shirley Mae's dinner table.
For nearly 40 years Beard was the soul of the Smoketown neighborhood. She fed community members, politicians, and celebrities at Shirley Mae's Café on South Clay Street.
"I believe there was so much attention put on the restaurant on a national level, is because of who she was, not just how delicious her food," Bellamy said.
Beard had her hands full with running the restaurant and a juke joint but somehow had enough time to cook up "Salute to Black Jockeys, Inc."
It's an annual event to celebrate the history of Black jockeys in the Kentucky Derby. She even drained her retirement funds to keep this celebration free for the whole community.
Shirley Mae Beard and a photo of Oliver Lewis, the Black jockey who rode Aristides to victory at the first Kentucky Derby in 1875. (Courtesy: Shirley Mae's Cafe on Facebook)
"She was not only a Louisville legend, but a champion of Black history," said Katrina Helmer, director of communications for the Kentucky Derby Museum. "Having that shared commitment with Shirley May and her family to uplift and elevate the Black contributions and legacies when it comes to the Kentucky Derby and to horse racing is a proud moment."
"When people use words like legend to describe your mother, it's kind of hard to reconcile," Warren Simpson said.
To honor her legacy and impact on the city, Beard will lie in repose for viewing at the Kentucky Derby Museum on Friday, January 24, from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
It's a chance to give Beard her flowers, which her daughter says is even harder to gather than the Garland of Roses.
"Writing her program took a week," Shirley Simpson said. "It's a vast field of flowers. Just want to do her justice."
"It is in an honor that is more than deserved," Bellamy said.
Her relatives believe her kindness and compassion are a gift that will last far beyond when she's laid to rest.
"We as a family will do what we can to continue to honor her legacy and her life through our lives," Warren Simpson said.
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