Mattie Sue (Burrell) Carson was born in Reese, Cherokee County, Texas to the parentage of the late Haywood Burrell and Alice Williams Burrell. While Mattie's birth certificate shows her date of birth as November 20, 1920, she insisted that, according to her mother, she was born November 9th (the date the family always celebrated). She explained that because she was delivered by a midwife, the recording of her birth was delayed. Mattie grew up in the small East Texas town of Cuney, also in Cherokee County, where she attended school and first united with the church.

Long after relocating to Dallas, Mattie met and married Oron Carson (who preceded her in death), a union which produced one child, Alice Olivia. However, Mattie was the mother of eight children, three of which preceded her in death; Zenobia Francine Barnett, Charles Perry and Cora Perry Ford.

A cook by occupation, Mattie worked in the employ of Jiffy Properties for more than thirty years, where she gained the respect of management and her peers with hard work and her outspokenness, and where she won the hearts of her customers with her delectable lunches, served with a smile and a kind word.

She was a member of the New Hope Apostolic Faith Church (now Temple of Praise Church), under the leadership of the late District Elder Johnnie Williams, where she was a Sunday School teacher and was recognized by all as "Mother Carson".

In the early 60's, Mattie was actively involved with the VISTA/War on Poverty programs and during which time was visited, at her home, by government officials to discuss a project proposed for the Southern Sector of Dallas.

Mattie loved God and enjoyed sharing her God-inspired poems. Second to her love for God was her love for family and that of being "Mother". In her words, "I have children of all colors and all kinds. I love them all because they are mine." She was a grocery store shopaholic and she loved preparing big dinners for any and all to come and enjoy; and you couldn't keep her away from a good garage sale. Win or lose, Mattie supported her Texas teams; the Dallas Cowboys, the Mavs and the Texas Rangers. During the Von Erich era, Mattie was an avid wrestling fan and could be found ringside, on her living sofa, encouraging her wrestler of choice and arguing with the referee when he made a ruling with which she didn't agree.

The last of 8 siblings, Mattie quietly passed away in the comfort of her Oak Cliff home on September 15, 2020.

Her survivors include two sons, Wallace Perry (Katherine) and Gerald Perry (Leaola); three daughters, Claudia Barnett, Sharion Davis (Ambus) and Alice Olivia Walker; one brother-in-law, Nathaniel Tanner and one sister-in-law, Viola Green. Also among her survivors are Cecelia Perry, former daughter-in-law, but a daughter forever, and Georgene Moon, who formed a special mother-daughter bond with Mattie and who bonded with the family as a whole; 15 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, 24 great-great-grandchildren; nieces, nephews and countless others who will forever hold her dear to their hearts.