Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service in Grenada for Freda Beck Harper, who danced her way into Heaven on Friday, July 18, just shy of her 98th birthday. Burial will follow in the Harper Family Plot in Woodlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 9:30 a.m. until service time on Wednesday, July 23, at McKibben and Guinn.
A faithful follower of Christ for her whole life, Freda was a believer in prayer and could often be found on her knees beside her bed praying, many times even into her 90s. Always opinionated, she would tell you what she thought, whether you agreed with her or not.
Freda was born on Aug. 29, 1927, almost two months premature, weighing only 2 pounds. She was born at home as there were no hospital births in Carroll County in the 1920s. She was a miracle baby to have survived such an early birth, so small, at home. That was the beginning of the strong-willed woman we all came to know.
Freda was born to the late MayBell Carpenter Beck and the late John Calvin Beck. Their marriage did not last long. Freda was raised by her mother and grandparents. She had very fond memories of her early childhood living in Carrollton. She started school in a little one room schoolhouse just down the road from her grandfather’s small farm. They didn’t have a lot of money, but there was a whole lot of love in that tiny house.
At the age of 9, Freda’s mother married Edgar Abel, who had lost his first wife in childbirth. He brought three sons and a daughter to the family — WB, Joe, Glenn and Ena. They moved to Elliott where the family had a small sawmill. After a while, they added another brother to the family, Bob Abel.
Freda attended Grenada schools, graduating from Grenada High School in 1946. It was there that she caught the eye of Billy Harper. He went off to war in 1945, and she completed high school, while he was away. In 1946, she entered Grenada Hospital Nursing School, graduating at the top of her class. This began a long and much-loved career as a registered nurse. Dr. J.K. Avent said she was born to nurse. She worked her entire career except for when she and Billy lived in Nashville, Tenn., as he completed embalming school. Her first love was surgery, but she was a jack of all trades — working the recovery room, performing private duty nursing, riding as an ambulance nurse and serving as the first head of the Emergency Room at the current Grenada Hospital. She truly loved what she did and many lives were touched by this highly skilled nurse. She retired in 1979 after working more than 30 years for the people of her hometown.
Freda and Billy were married for 51 years at the time of his death. Together they raised a son, Gary, and a daughter, Marsha. While raising two children, she chaired annual fundraisers for the American Heart Association, the Cancer Association, along with various committees at church and her children’s school. An excellent seamstress, she often shared her sewing skills making costumes for school performances, Charity Balls and church activities, including many of the costumes for Living Pictures at First Baptist Church.
Freda enjoyed studying God’s Word. She soaked up her Bible and was always willing to dig deep. A member of First Baptist Church in Grenada for close to 65 years, she sat in the same exact seat for more than 50 years. In her late 80s, she moved her membership to Emmanuel Baptist. In her 90s, she moved from Grenada to Oxford to an assisted living center and quickly became engrained in First Baptist Church of Oxford. As her age and health began to deteriorate, the last time she rode the church bus to church, she craved God’s Word so much that she crawled on her hands and knees to get on and off the church bus. It did not deter her one bit because she was there to study God’s Word.
Freda was a member of the Grenada Garden Club until her death and was an elected officer for many years. She attempted to go inactive once and the entire membership voted to rescind her resignation. Always civic minded, she chaired the Christmas parade and worked on many Club projects, serving as chairman on many of them. When Bill Harper suggested the Club restore the abandoned Confederate Cemetery, Freda chaired the project and all the members worked tirelessly to ensure it would be a place of beauty. The project received awards from the State of Mississippi and the National Garden Clubs. The Garden Clubs of Mississippi Historical Association named her Director-At-Large and she served on the State Garden Club of Mississippi. She was presented with the Prestigious Silver Award by the State Garden Association in 2013.
In addition to her parents, her husband, Billy H. Harper; her son, Gary Harper; daughter-in-law Linda Harper; stepfather, Edgar Abel; brothers, WB, Joe, Glenn and Bob; sister, Ena, and granddaughter, Tracy Lynn Harper, preceded Freda in death.
Survivors include, her daughter, Marsha (Art) Smith of McGregor, Minn.; grandchildren, Drew Smith of McGregor, Minn., Corey (Bethany) Smith of Falcon Heights, Minn., Brad Smith of Austin, Texas, and Dennis (Lisa) Harper and Rachel (Will) McCaulla, all of Grenada; great grandchildren, Austin Wilbourn, Harley Harper, Teddy Smith, Franky Smith and Benji Smith; brother-in-law, Bobby (Josephine) Harper; sisters-in-law, Patricia Abel, Sally Harper and Geneva Harper, and many nieces and nephews.
Freda’s family would like to thank all of the staff and friends at Ellison Senior Living; the Agape Sunday School class; Gentiva Hospice, and her wonderful sitters, Maddie, Tonya and Jasmine. Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement over the last seven months. It’s been a tough season of life for our family. We could not have done it without your support and prayers.
Online condolences can be expressed to the family at www.mckibbenandguinn.com
McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service in Grenada is in charge of arrangements.
