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Submitted: 10/10/22 • Approved: 10/12/22 • Last Updated: 10/15/22 • R1452839-G0-S3
Aug 17, 1982 - Mar 26, 2018
*Obituary
Margie Bethea Ashcraft, 35, of Little Rock, formerly of Conway, passed away on March 26, 2018. She was born on August 17, 1982. Margie graduated from Conway High School, Hendrix College and UALR with a Master's Degree in Social Work. She worked as a clinical therapist at Youth Home, Inc.
She is survived by her husband, Levi; two sons, Alex and Dakota; parents, Pam Montgomery and Bill Bethea (Denise); brother, Alex; grandparents, Patsy and Donald Montgomery; stepbrothers, Derrek, Tyler, Blake and Spencer; stepsister, Hannah; friends, Kaylee Coffman and Mendy Wright; aunt, Nova Brooks (Leroy, deceased) and cousins, Lee, Kim and Elizabeth; aunt, Christy Nouzovsky (Dean) and cousins, Tiffany, Courtney, Lindsey, Harley and Bobby; aunt, Donna Sue Wagner (Tom) and cousins, Jenny and Matt; aunt, Mary Beth Bemberg (Gary, deceased) and cousin, Brad, deceased and his son, Brad; uncle, Mike Bethea (Julie) and cousins, Staci and Howard, both deceased; uncle, Paul Montgomery; special mentors, Jason and Caroline Hansen and Chris Odom; and many other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Monk and Margie Bethea.
Funeral services will be Saturday, March 31 at 3:00 p.m. at Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct. (NW corner I-630 and Barrow Rd.), preceded by visitation beginning at 2:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the youth at Youth Home or New Life Church. Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, (501)224-2200. Margie's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.
My daughter, Margie, was in such a hurry to be in this world that she came a month early. There was no stopping her then, nor for the rest of her life. She was ready to be here and absorb all the life energy this world had to offer. 4 pounds and 15 ounces and she needed no assistance when she arrived. She was here fully breathing with a loud roar. She was a Leo, you know. All she needed, and demanded, was to be loved. And from start to finish she got more than anyone's fair share. But it was not wasted with her, for she gave it back tenfold. See, that tiny little heart that she was born into this world with, was filled up to capacity by all who loved her.
Named after her paternal grandmother and a maternal aunt, Marjorie Sarah Bethea Ashcraft wanted only to be known as Margie. She was one of the best contributions to this world that I ever made. But she wasn't mine. She was God's and he used her fiercely. She was the best of the best and better than all of us. She taught me how to be a good mother and a good person.
Fierce, yes. Tenacious, you bet! She loved like she meant it.
When I think of my daughter, it is always with her smiling. Always, I can on one hand, maybe two, the times she was unhappy about something. Most of the time, it was about people not being loving and kind toward one another. She didn't carry grudges, it hurt her when others carried them toward her or anyone. She would put things behind her and plow forth.
Margie was a Life Force, full of energy no matter what she undertook. I rarely saw her throughout her life ever stop or sit down or clear a schedule-unless it was for football. From the time she was little she wanted to be playing some sport. And she did. Even when they told her she was too little and might get hurt, or that she was a girl. She played and she played HARD. She had just recovered from her first ACL injury, from playing soccer, still. Having just gotten cleared by the doctor for activity she was headed back to Taekwondo, ignoring all of our admonishments. Throughout her life she played softball, soccer, basketball, golf, tennis, street hockey and kickball and probably a few others I have forgotten. If you were close to her, it was hard to keep up with her tenacity. She rode rollercoasters at every given opportunity and zip lined with her grandmother standing nearby-terrified.
My daughter was not afraid of anything in this world, except of the possibility of losing someone that she dearly loved-her grandmother, her papa, her mother, her dad, her brother and the list goes on and on. See, My daughter never liked to talk about death-it was just NOT in her radar. She was, and I believe STILL is, a Life Force that will be felt in all of the lives of the people she knew.
She grew into this hard, strong fierce body, but her hands and her feet never fully developed into adult hands and feet, but they carried her far further than most normal human beings. They were hers. They were special. Just as her heart, they were Margie's.
I know where my daughter is today-without a doubt. I know the Lord has her. I know that she has been warmly embraced by her paternal grandparents, her maternal great-grandmother, her cousin Brad, her cousins Staci and Howard.
So let me end this with all the things that I can think of that my daughter loved with a passion, aside from all whom she knew and loved.
She loved the Razorbacks!
She loved Chipper Jones, from the start of his career to the end of his career. She was scheduled to go to his Hall of Fame Ceremony for her birthday.
She loved Levi. She loved Levi.
She loved NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys, and Hanson, spelled with an O.
She loved her Lord. She loved our Lord.
My dear sweet caring daughter, I will see you again someday. You will always be attached to my heart.
I love you. Pam (she called me Pam)
*Note
As family and friends mourn the loss of Marjorie Ashcraft, police are still investigating how she was killed.
She was found dead after first responders were called to her home to put out a fire. According to Little Rock police, her son tried to wake up his parents before breaking out a window to get help.
During the investigation, officers learned that several smoke detectors were "purposefully removed" from their mounts.
Marjorie Ashcraft was a mother of two adopted children. She worked at Youth Home Inc. as a therapist before her untimely death. Those close to her at work knew her as Margie. She won therapist of the year twice. She was also an avid Arkansas Razorbacks fan.
David Napier, Executive Director of Youth Home Inc., said the company is providing therapists and counselors for employees who knew her. He described her as a wonderful therapist and a great addition to the company.
"She was a very remarkable person, very gifted in what she did, very dedicated to what she did and well liked by everybody," Napier said. "She did it the right way."
Police arrested and charged her husband, 32-year-old Doyle Ashcraft, with murder and attempted murder after they found her injuries were "not consistent with a fire."
Contributed on 10/10/22 by hawkinsdonna48
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Record #: 1452839