Minnie Louise Sisco, our beloved “Pete”, mother, auntie, grandmother, great-grandmother went to be with the Lord, passing away peacefully on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Born 1925 and raised in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, she is preceded in death by her husband of 56 years Charles “Chuck” Sisco, her parents Bill and Ada Lovelady of Smithville, Ark, and all 6 of her siblings; Billy Ray Lovelady, Thelma Jean Sinkler-Donley, Charles Richard “Mickey” Lovelady, Laveta Mae Luther-Whitmire, Buddy Joe Lovelady and Bobby Earl Lovelady. She is survived by her daughters Linda (Frank) Wells of Whitney Point, NY and Michele (John) Henkel of Endicott, NY. Five grandchildren, Carrie (Cecil) Balentine of Smithville, Ar Amy Wells of Endicott, NY Robin (Lance) Price of Virgil, NY and Amanda and Adam Henkel of Endicott, NY. 6 great-grandchildren Kristina Balentine, Ashley Price, Zachary Price, Emily Price, Jedidiah Henkel Preston, and Theodore John Henkel Preston. All of her many nieces and nephews, special to her all, were remembered and spoken of almost daily. Our Lovelady family is together again and the reunion is joyous.
Pete and Chuck met in Walnut Ridge, Ark when Chuck was stationed there with the Army Air Corps. They married on April Fool’s Day in 1946 and Chuck brought his southern bride home to the great white north, settling in New Milford, Pennsylvania. Never having seen snow before, her first winter was a shock to her soul and she forever longed to return to the humid, hot heat of Arkansas. Pete never lost her southern drawl and became a Yankee only by residence, and our little family was raised in Johnson City and Binghamton before their retirement, upon which they lived happily on the red clay land of her home in Smithville, Ark; returned once again to the fold of her beloved family and siblings. Upon Chuck’s passing in 2002, Momma returned home to us in NY state where she was able to once again be with her beloved grandbabies and daughters. In her life’s journey, she made many friends with her infectious laugh, good humor, and friendliness.
Pete grew up picking cotton with her siblings on her parent’s cotton farm in rural Arkansas. I would call her a bit of a renaissance woman. Having left school before graduating, she was a well-read woman who like to read the Encyclopedia for fun. She had an avid interest in UFOs, ghost stories, and Native American history; having come from the land where the Osage lived and enjoyed collecting arrowheads from her property. She knew about the history of our family to the history of our nation, to know all the local family names of the area from reading the obituaries. A farmer’s daughter, she loved growing vegetables and flowers alike. She and Chuck spent many an hour traveling around the hills and valleys of our states. She passed on her love of country music and the musical gene in our family. Our Momma was one of a kind and she will be sorely missed but to paraphrase Johnny Cash; the memory of her legacy will live on. “She’ll be around, she’ll always be around, and around and around and around.”
The family wishes to give special thanks to the entire nursing staff team at Ideal Senior Living where Pete has lived for the past several years. She was well cared for and loved by her aides. The jobs they do are too numerous and mostly thankless but please know we know no facility could run half as well as it does without you and we thank you All for everything you do daily for all of our elderly in care.
Private funeral services will be held Saturday May 29, 2021, at the Leon Pucedo Funeral Home, Inc.
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