Geraldine (Jerry) Latrecchia's Obituary
Geraldine (Jerry) Latrecchia, age 87, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 28, 2025. She was born on March 10, 1938, the second of five siblings, in the Jack Mountain community just south of Hot Springs, Arkansas. She was preceded in death by her parents, Burnace and Hazel (Prince) Otwell, and by her beloved husband, Anthony (Tony) Latrecchia.
Raised on her family’s dairy farm, Jerry grew up learning the value of hard work, rising before sunrise to milk cows and then returning to the barn after school to do it all again. It was there that she developed her lifelong devotion to the things that mattered most: family, friends, food, and fun.
Jerry graduated from Poyen High School, made her way to Fayetteville and later met the love of her life, Tony Latrecchia, at the bowling alley he had built and owned in Fayetteville – Ozark Lanes. She was hired in the cafe, but it didn’t take long for something greater to spark. In the spring of 1961, Tony and Jerry returned to her family’s farm to ask for her parents’ blessing to marry. With their approval, the couple was wed the next day, by the Justice of the Peace in Hot Springs County.
Back in Fayetteville, Tony and Jerry added to their entrepreneurial endeavors by opening several liquor stores in the area and many years later, a horse boarding / riding stables called Appleby Acres – located on what is now the street across from Washington Regional Medical Center. Jerry stayed busy raising five children, making their house a home, all while helping Tony run their businesses.
Jerry considered her five children as the greatest blessings in her life, matched only by the ensuing twelve grandchildren and eventually 13 great-grandchildren. She was the perfect “Mimi” for her grandchildren – constantly modeling how family-comes-first. She was the ultimate hostess. Jerry always had a smile on her face, making everyone that entered her home, family or not, feel welcome and loved.
As her children grew, they married, travelled, had families of their own… and all eventually returned to Northwest Arkansas. Jerry’s love of family created a very strong magnet that keeps everyone close today.
In 2014 Mike acquired Parkerman Stables and promptly asked Jerry to be the office manager. She accepted the challenge, and the stables blossomed into the thriving family business it still is today. Jerry could be found in the office planning the next event, scheduling lessons, birthday parties, or sweeping out the middle aisle. She was especially proud of the lesson program she helped to create at Parkerman that introduces children to horses, their care and environment. Jerry’s penchant for hard work lasted into her final days – spent ‘at the barn’ taking care of whatever needed to be done.
While Jerry worked harder than most people half her age, she loved nothing more than parties – weddings, bachelorette parties and birthdays were her favorites. And then there were the holidays with her family… At Christmas, grandkids were often temporarily lost in the pile of gifts she gave. Halloween parties were always fun at Mimi’s house – where she was often unrecognizable as a witch, a cat, or… Bob Marley. The kids were grossed out… and then thrilled as they blindly reached their hands into a bag of eyeballs (peeled grapes) or intestines (spaghetti), an annual tradition that has lasted for decades.
Easter was one of her favorite holidays… because it combines the joys of getting together with family, and the onset of spring when everything begins to bloom. Jerry loved flowers of any variety and always had a garden full of peonies – and whatever else would grow. Fittingly, at her final Easter celebration just a week before her passing, she spent it as usual – surrounded by her sprawling family and even had a surprise visit from the Easter Bunny.
Jerry will be deeply missed by her grateful and devoted family – numbering over seventy and still growing. She and Tony were the foundation around which countless happy memories and traditions were built. Her legacy is one of love, laughter, generosity, and grit—a legacy that lives on in every member of the family she held so dear.
She is survived by her sons, Max Parker (Cynthia) and Mike Parker (Jessica); her daughters, Lorie Latrecchia, Jo Ann Moore (Mark) and Angela Latrecchia; her brothers, Leon Otwell, Doyle Otwell; her sisters, Carolyn Parish, Louise Fenter; her twelve grandchildren, Kate Stoner, Sam Parker, Nicole Delaney, Amy Tackett, Jesse Parker, Ben DuBois, Josie Koch, Lucia Moore, Zak Moore, Deena Eckel, Ashton Royal, and James Latrecchia; and thirteen great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, May 5, at St. Paul’s Episcopalian Church in Fayetteville. Burial will follow at Fairview Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
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