of Mountain Home, AR

February 22, 1956 - February 1, 2024

Let me set the stage:

I could start this story with the classic ''once upon a time'' or ''it was a dark and stormy night,'' but honestly, I have no idea what time of day Mary Aleeta Reed burst into the world-only the date. It was February 22, 1956.

In my mind's eye, I can see three colorful fairy godmothers surrounding that small baby, each giving a blessing for the future. They could see that this child would face challenges throughout her life, but they could temper those experiences to ease her way.

The first fairy godmother said, ''Though she may know heartbreak, let her also know love and devotion.''

The second fairy godmother said, ''Though she may know pain, let her also know laughter and light.''

The third fairy godmother said, ''Though she may know struggle, let her also know determination and perseverance.''

Aleeta loved with her entire heart and soul. She loved her parents and her siblings and spoke fondly of her childhood-stories often repeated, as her daughters can attest.

She loved her family, but she didn't love being the middle child-and she never let anyone forget it. She had hand-me-down clothes from her older sister Janet, a hand-me-down car from her older brother Larry and the indignity of having to share a bed and room with her younger sister, Tammy.

With all of the struggles in her life-to hear her tell it with a sparkle in her eye-sharing with Tammy was the most trying.

She was particularly close to her father who shared her love of cooking. He also shared her love of creating things. They painted and quilted-often together. He did woodworking while she conquered stained glass.

She loved books and dreamed of owning a library or bookstore. She learned that love from her parents, shared that love with her siblings and gifted that love to her daughters. While she was perpetually disappointed that her oldest daughter abhorred horror, she found her partner in all things scary with her youngest.

While she loved Christmas with her whole body and the house looked like a wrapping paper factory exploded on Christmas morning, she also loved Halloween. She would make costumes for her daughters-there were black cats, mummies, medieval dresses when the girls were young and even a Jedi Knight for a daughter all grown up.

She loved learning-a lasting gift to her daughters. She encouraged every interest they had through books and family trips. She supported them as they worked to achieve their dreams. She never let them give up or settle.

She loved animals. She treated her dog, Ollie, like the son she never had and accepted her daughters' pets as her grandchildren. She kept photos of Sam, Ruger, Murray, Doug, Hilde and Cody around her room and always wanted more.

Her wit was quick, her tongue sharp. She loved to laugh and make other people laugh. She was irreverent and sometimes crude. She had some strict rules in her life and in her home-the most important of which was this: we don't listen to country music in her house. Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath were encouraged, but she also liked Nu Metal in the late 90s.

She was smart too. In the 1980s, she decided to get a degree in nursing through a federal program for single mothers. She took classes during the day and studied most nights. She was a problem-solver. When she realized that her education was taking time away from her five year-old daughter, she asked that daughter to become her study buddy. And when that daughter used all of those anatomy lessons to call the other kids names they didn't understand, she just laughed. And when President Reagan cut that program halfway through her degree, she cursed his name for the rest of her days.

Aleeta was like that. She loved hard and fought when she could, but she could also hold a grudge. She was strong but also so, so stubborn. And for someone who raised strong, independent daughters-it often became a pain point.

She continually pushed herself to be better and do more. After a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis caused her to be bed-bound for more than a year, she fought her way back to health. She trained for nearly a year before walking a marathon in Ireland with her younger sister, her youngest daughter cheering on the sidelines.

And when I say she was stubborn, I am not kidding. She rubbed a blister on the bottom of her foot within the first few miles, but she refused to stop. She was as proud of the photo of her blister as she was of that finisher's medal. Like I said-she was stubborn.

And while her romances may not have ended in a happily ever after story, she had few regrets in her life. She never wished those experiences away; those two marriages gave her three daughters who made her so proud.

Mary Aleeta Reed, 67, died on February 1, 2024 in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

She is survived by her daughters, Heather Anne Tolliver, Kyna Leanne Stys (Zeke) and Eliza Crystal Stockfisch (John); her sisters, Janet Lea Fouts (Randy) and Tammy Sue Reed and her brother, Larry Charles Reed (Janet); as well as her niece, her five nephews and their children. She is preceded in death by her parents, Charles Albert Reed and Delores Queen Reed, both of blessed memory.

A ceremony to honor Aleeta's life will be held on Monday, February 5 from 6-8pm at Roller Funeral Home in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

Please join us in remembering and celebrating her life. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

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