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Betty Gregory Leavell, age 85 of Monticello, passed away Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at Baptist Health Medical Center North Little Rock. She was born March 21, 1933 in Bell, CA to the late Rev. Laurence V. Gregory and Julia Ellen Williams Gregory.
She was the widow of Marlin Leavell, a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church in Monticello for 59 years. While Marlin was manager of Sterling’s here in Monticello, she worked at the store quite a lot during the busy time of the year and really enjoyed it because she liked working with people. She considered herself Sterling’s Easter Bunny because she made up all the Easter baskets, buckets, paddle balls, and etc. that were sold. She said it was fun making them and thinking about all the happy children who would receive them on Easter Morning. She worked a few years in the late 70’s at radio station KHBM here in Monticello and found it to be very interesting and met a lot of people she probably would not have met otherwise. After working at KHBM, she worked at the University of Arkansas at Monticello for a few years. Over the years, she was very active in First Baptist Church as a Sunday School Teacher, choir member, nursery worker and Vacation Bible School worker. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by an infant son, Larry Stephen Leavell and one brother, Richard Laurence Gregory.
Survivors include a daughter, Joyce Keeling and husband James of McGehee; a son, Larry Leavell and wife Diane of Amory, MS; grandchildren, Bryan Keeling of McGehee, Melanie Reynolds and husband James of McGehee, John Tyler Leavell of Anderson, SC, Jared Leavell and wife Lindsey of Amory, MS; great-grandchildren, Brianna and Brayden Reynolds, Luke and Hannah Keeling and Sawyer Leavell.
Funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, March 30, 2018 at Stephenson-Dearman Chapel with burial to follow in Oakland Cemetery. Visitation 6:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home. Online guestbook www.stephensondearman.com.
She was the widow of Marlin Leavell, a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church in Monticello for 59 years. While Marlin was manager of Sterling’s here in Monticello, she worked at the store quite a lot during the busy time of the year and really enjoyed it because she liked working with people. She considered herself Sterling’s Easter Bunny because she made up all the Easter baskets, buckets, paddle balls, and etc. that were sold. She said it was fun making them and thinking about all the happy children who would receive them on Easter Morning. She worked a few years in the late 70’s at radio station KHBM here in Monticello and found it to be very interesting and met a lot of people she probably would not have met otherwise. After working at KHBM, she worked at the University of Arkansas at Monticello for a few years. Over the years, she was very active in First Baptist Church as a Sunday School Teacher, choir member, nursery worker and Vacation Bible School worker. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by an infant son, Larry Stephen Leavell and one brother, Richard Laurence Gregory.
Survivors include a daughter, Joyce Keeling and husband James of McGehee; a son, Larry Leavell and wife Diane of Amory, MS; grandchildren, Bryan Keeling of McGehee, Melanie Reynolds and husband James of McGehee, John Tyler Leavell of Anderson, SC, Jared Leavell and wife Lindsey of Amory, MS; great-grandchildren, Brianna and Brayden Reynolds, Luke and Hannah Keeling and Sawyer Leavell.
Funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, March 30, 2018 at Stephenson-Dearman Chapel with burial to follow in Oakland Cemetery. Visitation 6:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home. Online guestbook www.stephensondearman.com.