Kiethith Deanna Lee's Obituary
Kiethith (Kedith) Deanna King Lee was born on September 20, 1941 in Fayetteville, AR and passed from this life into the next on June 3, 2024 at the age of 82. She was preceded in death by her husband and the love of her life, Gerald D. Lee, her parents, Loyd and Rufina King, and a still born sister, Karen Zoe King.
Kiethith and her parents lived in Fayetteville until she was in about 6th grade, when they moved to Uvalde, TX as her dad got a great job as a foreman at White’s Gravel Mines. Listening to her speak of the time they lived in Uvalde, you could tell this was the time of her young life. Barn dances, marching band and her time as a twirler, trips to San Antonio, learning to drive out in the desert, horseback riding, and many other memorable experiences. She maintained contact with several of her Uvalde friends her whole life. Her time in Uvalde was cut short in high school when her father fell almost 40’ off a catwalk, survived the fall, but was no longer able to work. Kiethith, her parents, her faithful dog, Ginger, barn cat-ocelot mix, Tiger, and pet rooster, Pedro, moved back to Fayetteville to be near family.
She attended Fayetteville High School and graduated in the Class of 1959. While at FHS, she made life-long friends as well as played clarinet during concert season and was a twirler extraordinaire during marching season.
Kiethith started working at a young age to help support her folks. Early on she had jobs at the UA Alumni Center, a Southwestern Bell telephone operator, and as a secretary at Fulbright Wood Products.
She met and married her husband, Gerald (Jerry) who was on active duty in the Army at the time. She lived out the next several years in various places as a homemaker for Jerry and their three children until Jerry retired from the Army. They then moved back to Northwest Arkansas for Jerry to attend law school. She loved those Army years, even with Jerry’s two (2) tours of VietNam. She enjoyed participating in his unit’s officer’s wives club, and raising their little family. Jerry retired from the Army in 1976, they settled in Springdale later that same year, and lived and worked there for the next four+ decades.
While Jerry was in law school, Kiethith got an administrative job at George’s and worked her way up to be a HR Manager at Springdale Farms. While at Springdale Farms, she got a bunch of chicken wings for a company party, and decided to cut the wing part off. From then on she proclaimed she had invented the “drumette.” As there was no income from the drumette invention, Jerry and Kiethith decided to start their own law firm. She became his office manager and legal secretary. She joked if your last name wasn’t Lee, you couldn’t work there. And that continued from about 1981 until they retired from the law in 2007.
Kiethith kept great track of the clients, and she and Jerry took care of a lot of people for over 25 years. They had one client who had long been waiting for his disability to be approved. His approval came in on a Saturday (yes, they would drive to the post office to check their office P.O. box on Saturday), and they decided to drive out to Madison County to personally deliver the good news.
Kiethith and Jerry did most things together all of their decades together. They were big collectors of antiques, unique, and/or interesting items. Jerry leaned toward toothpick holders, books, and glassware, and Kiethith had a penchant for antique lamps, china sets, and sideboards/buffets.
She loved to dance, listen to music, and decorate her home. When they had no money for a new couch, she learned to reupholster. She could wield a mean spray paint can, usually in black, white, or something metallic. She kept a budget for her family, and would reconcile their office and personal checkbooks to the penny.
Kiethith also led her and Jerry’s real estate adventures, her enthusiastically and optimistically, and Jerry less enthused but certainly willing. Their Springdale office purchase and early residential rentals were a lot of work, but they were investments that paid some bills, and helped to fund their retirement.
Kiethith could usually be seen dressing well with high heels, sporting a long Virginia Slim, and tooling around in the 1991 red Madza Miata convertible Jerry bought for her. He got it to replace the red 1959 MGA Kiethith was driving when they got married; the same MGA sports car she sold so she could afford to fly to Hawaii to spend a week of R&R with him during one of his tours of VietNam.
They were a team from start to finish. And after Jerry passed unexpectedly in 2008, things were very hard for her. But that we all could be loved as hard as she loved him, was loyal to him, and grieved for him.
Kiethith made her way through the next 14 years, then unfortunately began having memory challenges, ultimately diagnosed as vascular dementia. She spent these last few years in memory care at Village on the Park in Rogers, where we have been told by so many wonderful people there that she was definitely a staff favorite. So, so many funny stories about her antics and tall tales. And so many endearing stories of how she poured into and lavished compliments on so many of the staff. Oh and that lime green nail polish she so loved…
The family wishes to thank the memory care staff at Village on the Park in Rogers for so loving her, loving on her, and taking such great care of Kiethith, especially as her disease progressed. So many forehead kisses for her and tears from them her last few days. We also thank Circle of Life Hospice whose care and rendering of palliative medication helped to ease the transition into her next heavenly chapter.
Kiethith is survived by her daughter, M. Melissa Lee and her spouse, Dusty; her son, Michael K. Lee, his spouse, Melissa, and their children, Cameron and Peyton; and her daughter, Michell Lee Bailey, her spouse, Tracy, and her daughter, Nyx Hennigen; her longtime friend, backyard neighbor, and honorary daughter (who visited Kiethith so often), Cheryl Thomas; as well as many cousins, and friends from all over.
We know she is in a far better place now, and was greeted by many welcome and familiar faces, especially Jerry’s.
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