In the tv series "The Andy Griffin Show" what is the history of Opies mother?

Question

What was her name? What happened to her?

Answer 1

All we were ever told is that she died and that was told us on the pilot for "The Andy Griffith Show" which appeared on "The Danny Thomas Show". Opie's pet turtle , Wilford, was stepped on and killed by "Mrs. Balford" out in front of the ice cream parlor and he wants Andy to arrest her for 'murder', give her a fair trial and "hang her." Andy tries to help Opie deal with the loss by talking about how it was when Opie's 'ma' died. Opie looks to Andy and says, "Who stepped on Ma?" That was the only time Andy's first wife was mentioned.
Besides the pilot, she is also mentioned in "Wedding Bells for Aunt Bee." Opie asks Andy, "Did you and Ma have that kind of love?" Andy replies, "Yes, son, we did."

We never do learn her name, or anything else about her, but there are a few hints here and there.

In the pilot episode, Andy reminds Opie, "I lost your mom when you was just the least little speck of a baby." Of course, there are lots of things in the pilot episode that changed before the first episode, but I'd consider this official since it established from the very beginning that Andy was a widower raising a boy, and that never changed throughout the entire series.

Therefore, Opie never knew his mother. Perhaps she died giving birth. Andy might have meant something else by "lost," but I doubt it. It would have been unthinkable for a woman to "run off" from a good man like Sheriff Taylor.

We also learn in other episodes that Barney was Andy's best man (he says "I stood up for you when you first got married," which I assume means he was best man), and that Barney is Opie's Godfather. I suppose it is possible that Andy had been married twice (before Helen came along), but there's no evidence to suggest this.

Answer 2

i honestly don't believe they ever said. i believe it was referred to as passing, when aunt bee came to live with them, and she tried everyting to make him happy. and opie was being a spoiled little thing. he just wanted pwaw. said they could make it just the two of them. then she let the bird out of the cage, and that was all she wrote. aunt bee heartbrroken decided to leave and opie over heard them iearly morining hours, and ran outside and said she cant go, pwaw how will she live, she needs us, she cant do anything. and then the bird flew back, and they lived happily ever after, without mom, other than knowing it was just the two of them now.

Answer 3

It seems like she had a car wreck and she died poor opie.

Answer 4

I don't think they ever talked about her at all. (His name is Andy Griffith, not Griffin)

Answer 5

She ran off with gomer pyle.. naw she died.

Answer 6

I assumed she died but they never said why.

Answer 7

i wonder the same thing