Freda Harper Obituary

Freda Beck Harper danced her way into Heaven on July 18, just shy of her 98th birthday. A faithful follower of Christ for her whole life, she was a believer in prayer and could often be found on her knees beside her bed praying, many times even into her 90s. Always opinionated, she would tell you what she thought, whether you agreed with her or not. Freda was born August 29, 1927, almost two months premature, weighing only 2 pounds. She was born at home as there were no hospital births in Carroll County in the 1920s. She was a miracle baby to have survived such an early birth, so small, at home. That was the beginning of the strong-willed woman we came to know. She was born to MayBell Carpenter Beck and John Calvin Beck. Their marriage did not last long. Freda was raised by her mother and grandparents. She had very fond memories of her early childhood living in Carrollton. She started school in a little one room school house just down the road from her grandfather's small farm. They didn't have a lot of money but there was a whole lot of love in that tiny house. At the age of 9 her mother married Edgar Abel who had lost his first wife in childbirth. He brought three sons and a daughter to the family--WB, Joe, Glenn, and Ena. They moved to Elliott where the family had a small sawmill. After a while, they added another brother to the family, Bob Abel. Freda attended Grenada schools, graduating from Grenada High School in 1946. It was there she caught the eye of Billy Harper. He went off to war in 1945 and she completed high school while he was away. In 1946, she entered Grenada Hospital Nursing school, graduating at the top of her class. This began a long and much-loved career as a registered nurse. Dr. J.K. Avent said she was born to nurse. She worked her entire career except for when she and Billy lived in Nashville as he completed embalming school. Her first love was surgery but she was a jack of all trades, working the recovery room, performing private duty nursing, riding as an ambulance nurse, and serving as the first head of the Emergency Room at the current Grenada Hospital. She truly loved what she did and many lives were touched by this highly skilled nurse. She retired in 1979 after working over 30 years for the people of her hometown. Freda and Billy were married for 51 years at his time of his death. Together they raised a son, Gary, and a daughter, Marsha. While raising two children she chaired annual fundraisers for the American Heart Association, the Cancer Association, along with various committees at church and her children's school. An excellent seamstress, she often shared her sewing skills making costumes for school performances, Charity Balls, and church activities, including many of the costumes for Living Pictures at First Baptist Church. Freda enjoyed studying God's word. She soaked up her Bible and was always willing to dig deep. A member of First Baptist Church in Grenada for close to 65 years, she sat in the same exact seat for over 50 years. In her late 80s she moved her membership to Emmanuel Baptist. In her 90s she moved from Grenada to Oxford to an assisted living center and quickly became engrained in First Baptist Church of Oxford. As her age and health began to deteriorate, the last time she rode the church bus to church, she craved God's word so much she crawled on her hands and knees to get on and off the church bus. It did not deter her one bit because she was there to study God's word. Freda was a member of Grenada Garden Club until her death and was an elected officer for many years. She attempted to go inactive once and the entire membership voted to rescind her resignation. Always civic minded, she chaired the Christmas parade and worked on many Club projects, serving as chairman on many of them. When Bill Harper suggested the Club restore the abandoned Confederate Cemetery, Freda chaired the project and all the members worked tirelessly to ensure it would be a place of beauty. The project received awards from the State of Mississippi and the National Garden Clubs. The Garden Clubs of Mississippi Historical Association named her Director-At-Large and she served on the State Garden Club of Mississippi. She was presented with the Prestigious Silver Award by the State Garden Association in 2013. Freda was preceded in death by her parents, MayBell Abel and John Beck; her husband, Billy H. Harper; her son, Gary Harper; daughter-in-law Linda Harper; step-father, Edgar Abel; brothers WB, Joe, Glenn, and Bob; sister, Ena; and granddaughter Tracy Lynn Harper. She is survived by her daughter, Marsha (Art) Smith of McGregor MN; grandchildren Drew Smith of McGregor MN, Corey (Bethany) Smith of Falcon Heights MN, Brad Smith of Austin TX, Dennis (Lisa) Harper, Rachel (Will) McCaulla; great-grandchildren Austin Wilbourn, Harley Harper, Teddy Smith, Franky Smith, and Benji Smith; brother-in-law, Bobby (Josephine) Harper; sisters-in-law Patricia Abel, Sally Harper and Geneva Harper; and many nieces and nephews. Her family would like to thank all the staff and friends at Ellison Senior Living, Agape Sunday School class, Gentiva Hospice, her wonderful sitters, Maddie, Tonya and Jasmine. Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement over the last 7 months. It's been a tough season of life for our family. We could not have done it without your support and prayers. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service. Interment will follow in the Harper Family Plot at Woodlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 9:30 AM until service time Wednesday at McKibben and Guinn. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.mckibbenandguinn.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service in Grenada, (662-307-2694).