Source: MEATINGPLACE, 12/30/11

Madeline Perdue, first wife of Perdue Farms founder Frank Perdue and mother of Jim Perdue, the company’s current chief executive, has died at the age of 91.

Mrs. Perdue passed away Wednesday in her Salisbury home.

Mrs. Perdue and Frank wed in 1941 and were married for 35 years. During that time, she became a key part of the family business, managing payroll, serving as corporate secretary and working in the hatchery, according to her obituary on the Holloway Funeral Home website.

“On behalf of my sisters, our children and grandchildren, I am saddened to announce the death of our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Madeline Godfrey Perdue,” said Jim Perdue in a family statement emailed to Meatingplace. “She died as she lived, surrounded by her family. She was a farm girl, golfer, wife, mother, matriarch, grandmother and great grandmother who lived a wonderful life and will be missed by all.”

“We appreciate her contributions to the company during its transition from a local provider of fresh eggs to one of the country’s premier fresh chicken brands,” the board of FPP Family Investments said in a statement.

Memorial services are Saturday, Dec. 31. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Madeline Perdue Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 766, Salisbury, MD 21803.

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