HGTV star Erin Napier is mourning her Aunt Mae Mae, the family member her youngest daughter, Mae, is named after. Napier announced the loss in an Instagram post on Wednesday, Nov. 4, saying her aunt passed away that day. No cause of death or age has been shared.
Napier remembered her aunt as a lifelong retail worker who greeted customers at the couple's stores. She said anyone who met Aunt Mae Mae did not forget her, noting that her gift was "loving people."
The Home Town co-star also shared childhood memories. Her aunt watched her on days her mother worked as a part-time realtor, walked her through the woods where four generations of the family have lived, and sang Elvis songs to her. Napier said her aunt also "told me about Jesus" and nurtured her creative gifts as a young artist.
She closed the tribute with a lighthearted wish that her aunt had already met Elvis.
Fans filled the comments with condolences. Several said they had met Aunt Mae Mae at the stores and remembered her as warm, welcoming, and proud of the couple.
The loss comes as Erin and Ben Napier film Season 11 of Home Town, and less than a week after Home Town Takeover: Sebring won a Daytime Emmy. The couple share two daughters, Helen and Mae.
Please keep the Napier family in your prayers during this difficult time.
