(Memaw, left and Uncle Kelsey, 1917)
Elsie Eason Piearcy age 94 of Mena died Friday, September 17, 2010 at her home. She was born on Tuesday, June 13, 1916 to James Lonnie and Llewlyn Moore Ross Keen in Binjin, Arkansas.
Elsie was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She was married to her first husband, Red for 50 years and raised seven children. After Red’s passing she married Bill Eason and was married 6 years to him before his passing. Family was very important to Elsie and they were her most treasured possession. She was a faithful member for over 50 years at the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Wickes and after moving to Mena she joined the Calvary Baptist Church in Mena. Serving and doing the Lord’s work was something Elsie took very seriously and hardly ever let a day go by without sharing her faith to someone, either by doing a good deed or just by the way she lived her life. For 15 years she worked at the Bogg Springs Missionary Baptist Camp and enjoyed seeing everyone year after year.
(Ma, Pa, Kelsey, Memaw, Inez early 1920's ) She is preceded in death by her parents James and Llewlyn Keen; her first husband Phillip “Red” Piearcy; her second husband Bill Eason; one son David Piearcy; one daughter Cleta Rose; one brother Kelsey Keen; one sister Inez Beasley; three granddaughters Deborah Jean Callahan, Cindy Gramer and Melody Smith.
Survivors include three sons and daughter in laws, Phillip and Beth Piearcy of Mena, Bob and Denise Piearcy of Mena and Jackie and Carla Piearcy of Perry, Arkansas; two daughters GeralDean Funderburk and her husband Bob of Mena and Vernie Jean Smith of Mena; one daughter in law Virginia Piearcy of Justin, Texas; one sister Betty Alexander of Little Rock; seventeen grandchildren; forty-nine great grandchildren; twenty four great-great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be Monday, September 20, 2010 at 2:00 P.M. at the Hall Funeral Service Chapel in Mena with Brother Donnie Jewel and Brother Doyne Cantrell officiating. Interment will follow in the Daniel Cemetery in Wickes. Visitation will be Sunday, September 19, 2010 from 4-6 P.M. at the Hall Funeral Service Chapel.
Pallbearers will be Michael Callahan; Greg Smith, Paul Piearcy, Todd Piearcy, Fred Rose and Derek Smith.
Honorary Pallbearers will be David Piearcy, Josh Austin, Philip Piearcy, C.J. Callahan, Jacob Gramer, Jeff Shreve, Jonathon Alexander and Hunter Piearcy.
(1936, Memaw, Jill, Mama, Inez)
I thought the obituary in the paper was lovely. At the funeral my sister read her tribute to Memaw. It was even lovelier. I know Memaw would have been very pleased. Here is Diane's tribute:
(2010, at her 94th birthday party)
I am Memmaw’s oldest living grandchild. I had occasion to live with Memmaw and Padad the first couple of years of my life. Though I do not remember it, I have always felt that that circumstance created a special bond between me and them. Actually, I thought that I was their favorite. As the years have worn on, however, I realized that other cousins thought they were the favorite. And in time, I had to concede that Iwas not the special one, but it was Memmaw. She had the ability to convey to her abundant crew of descendants that each and every one of them held a special place in her heart. I hope I can master that art like she did with my own grandchildren.
When I review my memories of Memmaw, I am glad that I can well remember beyond the last few years when she has been confined to a wheelchair and a little detached because she could not hear all that was being said around her. I remember her as busy, somewhat robust, a hard worker, loving, and proactive before the term was popular. I always smile when I think of Memmaw getting the urge to remodel her home. Not of the modern school of thought that requires one to draw up the plans and get three bids, Memmaw—in her late sixties or early seventies—took a hammer to her walls and started demolishing them. And all this in a dress!
(5 generations, 2009)
And speaking of dresses, I only saw Memmaw in pants once in my entire life. Her church was having a Sunday afternoon baseball game. Memmaw donned a pair of slacks and faithfully participated. My mom said, “Mother will do anything for the church!”
I remember hearing one of my uncles bemoaning the fact that most of his friends’ “elderly” mothers were irritating because they drove too slow. Not his mother! She got speeding tickets.
And no tribute to Memmaw would be complete without mentioning the legacy of laughter she has passed down to us. I used to think that all families were like ours—that when they get together, they laugh. It has only been this year that I have learned through a couple of observant outsiders that that is not the case. My earliest childhood memories are of Sunday afternoons at Memmaw’s house with all her kids and each of their little broods assembled for Sunday lunch and a full afternoon of laughter. Memmaw had the ability to see humor in life—even at her own expense. She would laugh at herself as quickly as she would laugh at anyone or anything else.
(Memaw visiting her parents' graves in Hugo, Oklahoma)
The greatest legacy Memmaw leaves us is a spiritual one. From earliest childhood, I heard the term, “being saved.” I knew that this was of the utmost importance, because on this subject, Memmaw did not laugh. We were taught by word and by example that everything else in life was a far second to the knowledge that you were “right with God.” This emphasis caused me to record and to always acknowledge the date of my salvation—June 30, 1969—because I intuitively knew that that date was actually more important than my “natural birthday.”
Memmaw, though minimally educated, was a student of the Word of God. Her Bible did not collect dust. She read it—even in the last weeks of her life, she read with the help of a magnifying glass. She loved discussing it, not for the sake of debate, but because she truly believed that in the word of God are the secrets of abundant life.
(2010, our last picture of Memaw. Although she looks pretty, I was amazed how she looked nothing like herself, at least not to me. This is the first time I've ever seen her not smiling.)
Of all Memmaw’s gifts to us, the rarest one is her longevity. And I am not speaking of her 94 years of life on this earth. I am speaking of her devotion to Christ. There are lots of good starters when it comes to following Christ, but very few who finish like Memmaw did. She never looked back; she never considered a different path; she never threw in the towel when the going got tough. She finished her course.
Her gentle transition from mortality to immortality has served as a reminder to me—to all of us—that this life is only the beginning; it is not the end. I am happy for Memmaw; I know all is well with her. I can only imagine the joy that she is experiencing now. I think the reason we all weep is because we feel as if a part of us has died, a part of our roots, our history.
Those of us who are walking with God can, no doubt, trace their spiritual heritage back to Memmaw’s influence and her prayers for us. And it’s not over yet. She has joined that great cloud of witnesses and now together with them she continues to cheer us on in our race here on earth. Let us—those she loved the most—resolve to honor her memory in the most noble fashion: let’s follow her footsteps and finish well!
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Many of Memaw's descendants were with her when she died and were wowed by the awesomeness of the experience. When her heart rate was down to four or five beats a minute, the nurse told them she was in the process of passing. They put in a cd made by her son David (who passed away in 1987, I think). As he finished singing Beulah Land, she breathed her last breath. Truly a peaceful and very beautiful exit from this world.
Memaw was very loved and I know she would have been (or was) very proud of her family right to the very end. Like Diane, I'm thankful for the Christian heritage she left for us. I want to follow in her footsteps and finish my race in life well.
