Goldie Fairconnetue: A Bay St. Louis Treasure

On the Shoofly - July 2026

This issue, we celebrate the life of one of Bay St. Louis's most beloved citizens and mourn our loss at her passing.

- by Maurice Singleton

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Golden Ann Fairconnetue, a beloved member of St. Rose de Lima Catholic Church and a very active citizen of Bay St. Louis, passed away last week at the age of 73.
 
Goldie, as she was affectionately known, was a member of several community organizations, including the Democratic Women, the NAACP, The Hancock County Library Board, and the Krewe of Nereids Mardi Gras krewe.
 

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Her sister, Lylie, said that Goldie followed in the footsteps of their mother, Alvina Nichols, and both grandmothers, all who worked to improve the lives of the local people who needed help.

 
“They were involved in issues that helped to improve the lives of people,” said Nichols. “They did whatever they could to make things better for others. They truly tried to help people.”
  
Goldie worked in the security department at the Hollywood Casino until her retirement 12 years ago. After retirement, she made it a point to be involved however she could to continue the work that her mother and grandmothers had started decades earlier.

“God blessed her in such a way that she was able to teach and mentor others,” said longtime friend and classmate Deborah Ishem-Alexander. “When it was time to vote, Goldie would pick up people and take them to vote.
 
“It always impressed me that Goldie was able to get the right people in the right place to make Bay St. Louis a better place,” said Ishem-Alexander.
 

 
“We’ve been best buds since grade school,” said Ishem-Alexander. “Everybody loved Goldie.”
 

 
Goldie was elected president of the Hancock County Branch of the NAACP in 2022. As president, Goldie was successful in working across the community and increasing diversity in the organization’s membership.
 
Nichols said that Goldie lived to bridge gaps between people and communities.
 
“When you have a sister like mine,” said Nichols, “she was always thoughtful, always kind, and always thinking of how to make the others happy. We can never forget this village that we were taught from the examples of our mother and grandmothers.

 
“I was taught to love, be happy, be kind, enjoy your family,” said Nichols. “And it is extremely important in times like this.”
 
Nichols said that she sincerely believes that Goldie was ready when God called her home.

“I watched her smile a half grin,” said Nichols. “I also watched her let her savior Jesus - the One who she gave it all to - take her hand and say, 'this is what you worked for.'
 
“I never saw a tear,” Nichols continued. “Not one wet tear. This confirmed for me that she gave it all to go through what she did to make her way to Heaven. I am convinced that my sister Golden Ann Fairconnetue gained her wings.”

 
Goldie is survived by her husband, Russell Fairconnetue, two children, six stepchildren, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a sister and a brother.
 
A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Rose de Lima Catholic Church on Saturday, July 18, at 11:00 a.m.

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