Glenda Mae (Fisher) Keener, 81, of Bethesda, AR, died on Friday, January 5, 2024. Glenda was born on August 29, 1942, in Bethesda, to the late Hayden Fisher and Alene (Wooten) Fisher. She was of the Christian faith. Glenda’s faith became very important to her in her later years and was baptized on October 1, 2023.
She was a traditional Southern woman who was extremely proud of her heritage. She loved learning and talking about history, especially the history of Arkansas, Independence County, Bethesda, and the southern states and southern culture. She embodied the idea of what a “Southern Momma” and a “Southern Nana” should be. She loved to help provide for her family through hard work, she picked cotton at an early age and, along with her husband, Bob Keener, was the owner/operator of two body shops, “River City Body Shop” and “The Body Shop” for over a decade. She enjoyed cooking, canning, and hosting big get-togethers and dinners where everyone, friend and neighbor alike, was welcomed and fed like family. She always enjoyed having a house full of loved ones and making sure no one left there hungry. Some of Glenda’s hobbies include reading, listening to music, dancing, and collecting and wearing beautiful jewelry.
With all her hobbies, vocations, and passions, the one thing that meant the most to Glenda was her family. She loved traveling with her husband, Bob. She was a loving and loyal wife and a caring and nurturing mother. She loved all her family. But to Glenda, nothing meant more to her than her role as “Nana”. She adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She leaves behind a legacy of hard work, faith, love, honesty, Southern hospitality, and Southern pride. She will be deeply missed and forever loved by all who were blessed to know her.
Glenda is preceded in death by both of her parents and her husband, Bob Keener. She is survived by her 3 daughters, Melissa Keener, Rebecca Keener (Lucas Hooper), and Anna Stewart (Greg); her sister, Virginia Tritano; her beloved grandchildren, Rachel L.M. Frey (Jacob), Robert Charles “CJ” Slaughter (Ashley), Autumn Keener, Gracie-Mae Hooper, Lane King (Melissa), Ryan King (Kamea), Allen Stewart, and Krisha Stewart (Dallas); her treasured great-grandchildren, Shelbie Paige Slaughter, Dravin Hancock, and Arabella Knuckles; and several extended family members and friends.
Services are entrusted to Willis Funeral Service of Batesville, AR. There will be a visitation on Monday, January 8, 2024, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Willis Funeral Service chapel. Glenda’s funeral service will be on Tuesday morning, January 9, 2024, at 10 a.m., also at Willis Funeral Service, with burial to follow at Campground Cemetery in Bethesda. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Mark A. Williams Veterinarian Clinic, 5250 White Drive, Batesville, AR.
