Paulette Brookings

Paulette Brookings, 68, passed on Tuesday morning at the end of a long, on-and-off fight with cancer, during which she exhibited an inspirational perseverance and an inexplicable amount of joy. But it is not her battles with illness that will remain in the memory of the ones to which she was closest. Instead, what survives—what will continue to survive—are the characteristics she embodied throughout her life: her unyielding optimism, her humor, her warmth, her fearlessness, her entrepreneurialism, and the palpable sense that she could find enjoyment in the otherwise mundane moments of everyday life. Her schooling days were notable for the tight-knit friendships she forged with Mary Gaylor Cockrill, Margaret Stagg Piper, and Mary Ann Stagg Smith, friendships that would begin in the second grade and never separate. Paulette and these friends would go on to be members of the Hall High School class of 1964. After high school she began work at Arkansas Power and Light, where she worked for most of her adult life. In 1982, Paulette decided to take a chance in the patriarchally entrenched business world when she opened a small mattress store called The Bedding Outlet. After a few years of unqualified success, she expanded her business to five stores in the Little Rock area and had enlisted the help of her daughters to help with the workload. When the business closed in 1999, she returned to AP&L, now called Entergy, where she would work until her retirement. After her retirement, she and her husband, Don Brookings, found solace in the outdoors, frequently taking out the fishing boat, snow skiing, and spending time with her dogs. Her 26-year-long marriage with Don, the love of her life, was a major source of happiness and comfort. She is survived by her sisters, Diane Selby and Lisa Curry, her husband, Don, her daughters, Toni Taylor Woody (David) and Robyn Taylor Compton, her stepchildren, Marci Brookings Miller (Taylor) and Mark Brookings, and her grandchildren, who knew her as "Mimi"— Conor, Ford, Jordan, Audrey, Spencer, Reed and Harper. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mabel Griffith Morris and Worrell M. Mills Sr. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Fellowship North, 1 East 52nd Place, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116. Family and friends will gather to share memories during a visitation Thursday, August 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Smith North Little Rock Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held Friday, August 28 at 11 a.m. at Fellowship North. Online obituary at www.SmithFamilyCares.com