Rebecca Lynn Gatewood

Her mantra was simple: Do good. Be happy and live each day as if there’s no tomorrow.

Becky or “Mimi,” as her grands called her, died after a brief illness on May 26 at Baptist Hospital East in Memphis. She was 74.

Visitation will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3 at Memphis Funeral Home, 3700 N. Germantown Parkway in Bartlett.

The service will follow at 2 p.m. with burial at Memphis Memory Gardens, 6444 Raleigh-LaGrange. A reception also will be held at the Memphis Funeral Home from 4 to 6 p.m.

Born in Kennett, Missouri, to Gwendolyn Watkins and Neil E. George, Becky and her family later moved to Memphis where her father performed as lead guitarist for the locally produced Slim Rhodes Show in the 1960s. At the age of 19, she met her shy and introverted future husband, Jim, on a blind date during a motorcycle ride with friends.

While she had a gift of gab and putting people at ease, she knew when to listen and keep your secrets safe. For Becky, making friends was like breathing. Even on trips to St. Louis, Gatlinburg, Chattanooga or Gulf Shores, Becky often ran into people she knew.

A member of Lindenwood Christian Church, Becky was looking forward in helping lead a new small group. Family and friends will miss her spirit of joy, fun, and adventure, she found in life.

Becky is survived by her husband of 54 years, James W. “Jim” Gatewood, a daughter, Dana Foglesong; a son, James Eric Gatewood (Brittney); two sisters Kathy Payne (Houston) and Gina McHaney; four grandchildren Gracie Gatewood, Sebastian Foglesong, Ryder Jones and Trinity Smith; two nieces Melisa Payne (Tiffany) and Leslie Baird and a great-niece Brynlee Baird. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by a sister, Marcia George.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to her favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.