Biography: Rebecca Leigh (Bke) Thompson Millwee joined her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Heaven December 11, 2022. Bke was born July 3, 1956 in Corpus Christi, Texas to Lawrence Lee Thompson, MD and Ellen Jacquilene Combs Thompson during her father’s medical residency. The family returned to Little Rock when Bke was two, and although proud of her Texas birth, she became a life-long Little Rock resident. Along with her two older sisters and younger brother, Bke got involved with every childhood activity available. Over the years she was a dancer (The Nutcracker at an early age), a gymnast, a cheerleader (Forest Heights Eagles and Hall High Warriors) and a steady fan of everything her siblings were involved in. And everywhere she went she made fast friends- something that would happen throughout her life.
 
At the age of twelve three important and unrelated things happened. She accepted Jesus as her Savior, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and she met a boy named Pat Millwee. Her faith journey was deep and very serious from the beginning. Over the years she repeatedly beat all expectations of her doctors in dealing with a complicated illness. And through junior high, high school, college and beyond, she and Pat went from friends to best friends, and ultimately husband and wife in 1983. They dated about an hour before getting engaged at The Villa restaurant days after a chance reunion. To say she had him at “hello” is a huge understatement.
 
Bke graduated from U of A nursing school and became an RN. She was proud of her nursing career which included stents in oral surgery, reconstructive surgery, and heart surgery. She was relentlessly curious and a life-long student of medicine. A running joke was that her middle initial should have been a question mark. She loved learning about, and was fascinated by God’s greatest creation- the human being.
 
As much as she loved nursing, her highest calling was to be a mother. She and Pat were blessed beyond measure at the births of two beautiful children, Haleigh and Jackson. Bke poured herself into the role of mom. During the school years she volunteered full time and worked tirelessly to maximize educational opportunities for her kids and their friends. Whether tutoring, creating and managing fundraisers, decorating events, assisting with the Art Cart, or driving a vehicle full of kids wherever they needed to be, Bke was hands on and committed! From notes in the lunch box, prayers before school, and loving them through their childhood injuries or teenage trials, Bke was the constant source of love, encouragement and devotion in the lives of her children. Jackson and Haleigh were everything to her and she loved them with all of her being.
 
Bke’s relationship with Jesus was always paramount. Morning quiet times were a constant. Evening prayers, too. She was blessed to make so many friends in countless bible study and community groups. She loved praying for others. Bke loved corporate worship ( she had a real preference for choirs), but she could worship in the drop-off line at school, in the grocery store parking lot, on a lazy Sunday afternoon drive in the country, or simply enjoying a newly planted flowerbed. Sitting on the back porch at home with a devotional and a cup of coffee was her happy place. Especially in the last year or so, as health issues mounted, she longed to be in the presence of God. Her earthly race was won and she was finishing well.
 
Bke loved beautiful things and had a gift of making any space- indoors or out- more beautiful with just a few “adjustments”. She was known to redecorate and rearrange furniture in the wee hours of the morning. Preparing her home for Christmas was the annual highlight of her creative spirit. No two Christmases were ever alike. She was an artist that loved to create beauty in a garden, in her home, or on a canvas. She loved a great centerpiece and had a constant rotation of fresh flowers in the house at all times. Her time learning the art of pastels at The Mansion was a very special season of her life. Her projects could take on lives of their own. Refinishing furniture, repainting a room, reupholstering furniture or creating another masterpiece from scratch; any of these things could start at any time day or night. And they were finished only when she was completely satisfied, which occasionally involved starting over.
 
Bke never met a stranger. Whether she met you in the check out line, on the sidewalk, in bible study or sitting in the stands at a tennis match or other school event, you were an instant (and probably forever) friend. She had a knack for knowing what you needed most in that moment of your life. She loved people and they loved her. Bke had so many close friends. Some of them since childhood. Some since college and her nursing career. She had countless “mom friends” spanning more than twenty-five years of school and church life as the kids grew up. Bke was blessed by several more mature women that mentored her through the many life seasons of a busy wife and mother. Her SIC friends were always so special to her.
 
When she was blessed with grandchildren, she became Coco (as in Chanel!) and she simply adored Scout and Scarlett. They became her everything instantly and she cherished her time with them. Sitting on the floor playing games or cuddled up reading books, she wanted to know them well and love them completely. Baking cookies, working on an art project, watching Scout learn to swim or Scarlett being fascinated by sunbeams on the floor captivated her heart. She loved being Coco.
 
Bke and Pat shared over fifty years of friendship and forty years of marriage. Their life together was full and blessed beyond measure.Their love for each other is well known. Their love for Jesus as Lord and Savior was above it all. It is impossible to express the goodness and the greatness of Jesus in the life of Bke Millwee. Her greatest desire is for the Gospel to be preached and Jesus to be accepted as Savior by all.
 
Bke is survived by her husband Pat, and her children Rebecca Hale (Haleigh) Geels (Logan) and Jackson Bullitt Millwee, and her grandchildren Scout Beckham Geels and Scarlett Leigh Geels. Her siblings Jan Chastain (Larry), Melissa Harrison (David) and Lawrence Thompson, Jr. survive her as well as Pat’s siblings Jan Thomas (Hal), Nancy Vincent, Miles Millwee (Mindy) and Kip Millwee, along with numerous nieces, nephews and “greats”.
 
A memorial service and celebration of Bke’s life will be held January 20,2023 at 10:00 am at St. Andrews Anglican Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Samaritans’ Purse or Tunnel to Towers.  Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com