Mrs. Hulene Blackwell Totten entered eternal rest on Monday, March 20, 2023 at Cypress Valley Rehabilitation Center in Reidsville, North Carolina.  Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 7236 US Highway 29 Business, Reidsville, NC with family visitation one half hour prior to the service.  Burial will follow at Greenview Cemetery, Montgomery Street, Reidsville, NC.  Public viewing will be held on Sunday, March 26, 2023 from 2:30 until 7:00 p.m. at McLaurin Memorial Chapel.

Mrs. Hulene Blackwell Totten was born August 21,1927 to the late Carrie and Doc Blackwell in Rockingham County.  She was married to the late Gordon Totten and their union was blessed with 13 children which spanned five generations in her lifetime.  Baptized at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church at an early age, she later joined Assembly of Faith Christian Ministries for a short period but returned to Shiloh serving in both the Gospel and Senior Choirs.

In her spare time, she wrote many journals about her life and about the history of her community, most recently providing background information for the murals erected on "The Block".  Born and raised during the Great Depression, she endured segregation but would later become employed as the first black cashier at Lucky Strike Grocery Store and would go on to expand her customer service career in many stores throughout the downtown Reidsville community.  She retired as a dispatcher from Yellow Flash Cab Company. After retirement, she would spend her time volunteering at Annie Penn Hospital and delivering for the Meals on Wheels food distribution service.  As a resident of the Meadowgreen Apartments, she was the chairperson for the annual "Watch Night Out" helping to keep her neighborhood safe until her health declined.

Instilling in her children and grandchildren the importance of education, she returned to Rockingham Community College and obtain her GED after her children were grown.  Her perseverance would continue as she even obtained her driver's license long after she became a grandmother.

In addition to her parents and her husband, she was proceeded in death by: her daughters, Earlene Totten, Patricia Fitzgerald and Elder Catherine Wilson; sons, Edward Totten, Marvin Totten and Gregory Totten; and grandchildren, Shaun Totten, Kaden Ramzy-Keesee and Stephanie Totten.

She leaves to cherish her memories:  daughter, Linda Johnson (Robert); sons, Ernest Totten, William Totten (Nettie), Jerry Totten, Johnny Totten (Wanda), and Tony Totten all of Reidsville, NC, and George Totten of Sacramento, CA; sister, Shirley Graves (Ernest) and brother, Samuel Blackwell (Lena), all of Reidsville, NC;  18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and 17 great-great grandchildren; special friends, Donna Neal and Teresa Clark; and a host of other relatives and dear friends.

The family of Mrs. Hulene Blackwell Totten will be meeting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Totten at 407 Cypress Drive, Reidsville, NC.

Ashton and Yolanda McLaurin and the staff of the McLaurin Funeral Home are serving the family.   Covid-19 precautions will be followed with social distancing, masks and sanitizing required.

At the designated date and time, you may connect to the Virtual services through FaceBook livestreaming via McLaurin Funeral Home's FB page.  To join via YouTube, click here