Esther Lee Storey

Esther Lee Storey departed this Earth on Monday, August 1, 2016, at her home. She was born February 26, 1949, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Dr. Wray and Mary Storey. She graduated from Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. She received both her undergraduate degree and Masters in Education from the University of Arkansas. Esther began her career in teaching in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. She later taught at San Jacinto Elementary, served as Director at Mariah Flat a center for adults with disabilities in Odessa, Texas, and taught at Odessa High School. In 2006, she moved back to Northwest Arkansas and taught Special Education at Bentonville High School until her retirement in 2013. Her smile, spirit, and passion for life lit up every room she entered. Esther was a gifted story teller and captured the heart of everyone she met. Her laugh was infectious and her beauty was only matched by her grace. Her passion for children and adults with special needs is evident by her lifelong work. Esther was tough as nails while also having a heart of gold. She rescued hundreds of abandoned animals throughout her life and lived her final years with her beloved companion Gurley, a thin German Shephard she rescued from an overpass in Texas over ten years ago. Esther was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Tamara Storey Martin. She is survived by her brother, Judge William A. Storey (Patricia), her sister, Rosemary Storey Harris (Tracy Spears), her nieces, Jill Storey Mathews, Lindly Storey Mikesch (John), Judge Beth Storey Bryan (Davey), Christine Martin Anderson (Matthew), and Alexandra Harris, her nephew, Edward Hunter Harris (Diana), many great-nieces and great-nephews, Bentonville High School colleagues, and life-long friends whom she adored. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2016, at 11 a.m., Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel, 504 Memorial Drive, in Bella Vista, Arkansas. In lieu of flowers a memorial may be made to Animal League of Washington County, P.O. Box 4366, Fayetteville, Ark. 72702. www.animalleagueofwashingtoncounty.org); Animal Aid Tulsa, 3307 E 15th Street, Tulsa, Okla. 74112; or Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services, 4407 Bee Cave Road, Suite 520, Austin, Texas.