Ella Marie Knight Dailey
Ella Marie Knight Dailey, 78, formerly of Pea Ridge, Ark., and a long-time resident of Lonoke, Ark., died Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. She was born in Tuskegee, Okla., on Oct. 29, 1938, to Brownie Knight and Lorene Zachary Knight.
Her father, Brownie Knight, died during World War II, and she began early helping her mother with family needs. Her mother later married Dennis Callaway, and in the 1950s the family moved to Pea Ridge.
She graduated from Pea Ridge High School in 1956.
She met the love of her life, Dan Dailey, in Washington, D.C., and they were married on Dec. 22, 1957. They shared 56 years as husband and wife, making their home at Lonoke, Ark., for most of their married life. They were parents of four boys, two grandsons and one granddaughter. She was the epitome of the virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31. Her heart was much larger than her body as she helped raise her siblings after her father passed away. She cherished her time feeding and caring for her husband and children, and spending time with her grandchildren. She also enjoyed sharing her wonderful homemade dishes with many people in need in her community and church. She was a blessing to all who knew her.
She was a devoted member of the Palm Street Church of Christ in Lonoke. In addition to raising her children, she worked for the Lonoke Public School District, was coowner of Dailey’s Furniture Store in Lonoke, and retired from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Little Rock. For her, retirement was merely a figure of speech. She stayed active, cooking, sewing, and working until her lengthy battle with Parkinson’s Disease became too much to overcome.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dan, on June 9, 2013.
Survivors are two sisters, Ann Nichols of Pea Ridge and Emma Pratt of Fort Smith, Ark.; a brother, Harold Callaway of Rogers; and four sons, Tim Dailey and wife Debbie of Beebe, Akr., Toby Dailey of Lonoke, Terry Dailey of Little Rock, and Tony Dailey and wife Julie of Jonesboro, Ark.; and three grandchildren, Coby and Lane Dailey of Beebe, and Kerby Overturf and husband Cody of Austin, Ark.
The funeral service was held Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the Palm Street Church of Christ in Lonoke.
Burial was in the Lebanon Cemetery at McRae, Ark.