Georgia Mae Frost, 89
Funeral services for Georgia Mae (Kerley) Frost, 89, of Ava, will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in the Clinkingbeard Chapel in Ava, with burial following in the Thornfield Cemetery. Visitation will be held before the funeral, from 9 a.m. to service time. Officiating will be Pastor Oren Alcorn.
She died April 24, with her daughters by her side. Georgia was born Feb. 21, 1936, in Arkana, Arkansas, the third of 12 children, to Oral George and Adah Mae (Silvertooth) Kerley.
She grew up on a farm in Elizabeth, Arkansas, where, as a young girl, she worked hard taking care of others. She helped her mom with her siblings in the kitchen, cooking. She picked cotton every year so she could make enough money to get her hair permed before school started.
After graduating Viola High School, she moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to find work, and there she met an Ozark County boy, Merle Frost. On Nov. 24, 1956, Georgia and Merle were married in Kansas City. They were blessed with three daughters: Rhonda, Pam and Tina.
They moved back to Ozark County to the farm where Merle was raised and where they later raised their daughters. Merle and Georgia did everything together, from building their home to enjoying their farm and being present in their grandkids’ lives. All of which brought them immense joy and many fond memories.
Georgia’s homemade egg noodles and fried pies were favorites. She loved being a part of her family members' lives, including french-braiding her granddaughters’ hair before ballgames and helping her grandson track a deer (yes, they found it). She was the biggest supporter of all their accomplishments.
Georgia was a very neat and tidy lady. She kept a spotless home and park-like yard. She was an excellent seamstress. She could make anything from Barbie doll clothes to wedding dresses and beautiful quilts. Also, she would patch jeans for the boys neatly by hand.
Georgia never learned to drive, so she babysat several children, including her grandchildren, in her home.
In 2001, Merle and Georgia sold their farm and retired in Ava, where they enjoyed attending Ava General Baptist Church, and new family memories were created.
Georgia is survived by her three daughters and their spouses: Rhonda and Jack Strong, Pam Cooper, and Tina and Rick Allen; four grandchildren and their spouses: Vanae and Bubba Emerick, Vanessa and Brad Stefka, Rick and Haley Cooper and Luke Strong; six great-grandchildren: Jackson, Adalyn, Brody, Judson, Kinsley and Violet; two sisters: Barbara Bozich and LaDonna Shelley; extended family and many friends.
Georgia was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Merle James Frost; her son-in-law, Harold Cooper; her brothers: O.G., Richard, Keith and DeWayne Kerley; her sisters: Zerah Friend, Nonda Wassman, Sharon Goode, Gay Lair and an infant sister.
Memorials may be made to the Thornfield Cemetery. Online condolences may be made to www.clinkingbeardfuneralhome.com.