Rebekah Kerby

so read the large yard sign announcing Rebekah’s arrival home having been born November 19, 1981, at UMC in Lubbock, Texas. Waiting her arrival were her two brothers, Stuart Ray, age 5, and Nathan James, age 3, and her father and author of this obituary, James Craig Brummett. Her mother, Cheryl Sue gently let each brother, aunt and cousin hold their sister wrapped in a blanket under the sign. Bekah was home and her life began.

As I wrote the words “Sugar and Spice and everything nice”, I wondered to myself what

she would really be like. Little did I know how prophetic these words were.

All her life she was kind, caring, considerate, humble, obedient and had a servant’s heart.

She loved animals. She probably related better to adults, the elderly and little children than she

did her own age group. She was a happy person and worked hard at making those around her

happy. She was born premature and her spinktor muscle had not yet developed allowing acid to

back up into her esophagus, burning her throat. During nursing, Cheryl remembers her crying

from pain and then smile as she looked up at Cheryl. As an infant, Bekah had a great imagination

and was very expressive. She loved her dolls and toys and “My Little Ponies” and would verbally

act out what ever she was dreaming up. She was a hoot.

She attended Trinity Christian Schools when it was still pretty small. She was blessed

with many loving teachers and administrators. Unfortunately “Sugar and Spice” does not include

“Readin, ritin, and ‘rithmatic.”

Unknown to any of us, Rebekah was born with a condition known as Artery Vein

Malformation where the vessels in part of her brain are not properly arranged. As a result,

Rebekah dealt with learning disabilities including dyslexia. It is not known if this attributed to

her later brain aneurism thirty years later but it interfered with any recovery from it.

School was hard for Rebekah which made it hard for Cheryl who helped her almost every

school night. Cheryl was such a blessing to Rebekah. Perseverance was one of Rebekah’s spices.

Looking back, Cheryl regrets not loving on Rebekah more than pressing her to work harder.

Rebekah decided she wanted to go back to college. Knowing how hard it was for

Rebekah to get out of high school, I was afraid she would not be capable of college level work

and fail out of school adding to a long list of rejections from grades to peers. Rebekah had some

dear caring real friends, but she wasn’t a part of the “in crowd.” While those that knew her, really

cared for and loved her, she just wasn’t cool enough or sophisticated enough or whatever enough,

to avoid rejection from many of her peers. She would keep smiling but I knew it hurt. I could see

failing out of college being one more painful rejection and confidence crusher, but as her dad, I

didn’t want to be the one to tell her that I didn’t think she was capable of succeeding.

While attending a remedial math course in Levelland, she met the best thing that ever

happened to her. His name was Cody Kerby. They were like hot glue from the start. They were

married on March 2, 2003, in a lively wedding reception at Cagle’s steakhouse. A lot of sincere

people still say i was the most fun they ever had at a wedding. To Sugar and spice you can add

dance and rhythm.

Cody and Rebekah moved to Ft. Worth where Cody worked for a relative in the car sales

business. Adding to Rebekah’s list of rejection was her loss of a job at a fast food restaurant

because of her difficulty in making change and running a cash register. Rebekah did find work as

a nanny for Cody’s cousin, Jeanna. It became apparent that they needed some marketable skills if

they were going to get by. So Cody and Rebekah moved back to Lubbock and lived with Cheryl

and me for three years while he enrolled at South Plains to be trained in heating and air

conditioning.

Bekah got a job with LISD’s special education department and she was assigned to a

handicapped student confined to a wheel chair. For four years, between the second and sixth

grades, she pushed him from class to class and monitored his classes for him. For Rebekah, it

was like a refresher course for her.

Cody completed his training, got a job, and they bought a house. Somewhere along the

line Rebekah decided she want to become a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA).

She would have to complete all the required courses at South Plains then get accepted in a COTA

program in Amarillo Junior College, then move to Amarillo to get the required degree. Just one

more rejection I feared. None the less, Cody believed in her so they sold their house and moved

to Amarillo where Cody got a job and Rebekah began her classes at Amarillo Junior College.

Rebekah was more mature now and she studied long hours everyday. I will never forget

how proud I was of her when she received her degree. To further prove to me that I had

underestimated her in general and her ability to do college level work, hr diploma included the

words “With Honor.”

Cody and Rebekah bought a house in Amarillo and Rebekah was hired by Northwestern

Hospital in Amarillo as a COTA and she was really liking her work and was praised by all her co

workers. Cody found a really good job with a heating and air conditioning company and their

future looked brighter than it ever had.

A short time later, on December 16, 2011,for all practical purposes, her life came to an

end as she collapsed while shopping with a friend. She was rushed by ambulance to nearby

Northwestern Hospital where a neurosurgeon was on call. He saved her life but that was about

all. She had suffered a brain aneurism.

Rather than describing what she couldn’t do after lying in nursing homes for twelve years

it would be easier describing what she could eventually do. She could open her eyes and focus

them on you when you came into her room. If she recognized you which was not always, she

would give you wide smile that would light up the room. If you puckered your lips and asked for

a kiss, she would pucker her lips and when you kissed her she often smiled in return. She was

unable to speak but if you looked her square in the face and told her you loved her, she frequently

whispered “I love you” clear enough for you to know she knew what she was whispering. About

the only other response from Rebekah that I knew was cognitive was when Cody would be near

her face and talking to her and telling her how pretty she was and how much he loved her,

Rebekah would not take her eyes off of his as if to say thank you for still loving me all these

years, unconditionally.

I can never repay Cody for his love and care of Rebekah. It’s not like I can write a check

for twelve years of his life. I might add that Cody didn’t just drop by on occasion to check on

Rebekah. He would spend hours daily with her and if was not going to be able to do so he made

sure someone else would be there to take his place. He would often load her up in his specially

equipped van to make sure she got some clean air and sunshine.

Rebekah was predeceased by her maternal grandparents, Faye and Ralph Bennett and her

paternal grandparents, Gwen and Winston Brummett.

She is survived by her husband, Cody Kerby; her mother- in- law, Renie Kerby; Cody’s

brothers, Cameron and Blake; her parents, Cheryl and Craig Brummett; her brothers, Stuart Ray

Brummett (Jane) and Nathan James Brummett (Misty); her aunt , Jan ( Larry) Isom; her uncle

Jimmy (Sandra) Bennett; and too many nieces, nephews and cousins to name.

Services will be held on Wednesday, December 20th at 2:00 PM at Indiana Avenue

Baptist Church on 94th and Indiana Ave, Lubbock, Texas.

Rebekah loved her summers at Lone Tree Bible Ranch, 132 Base Road, Capitan, New

Mexico, 88316. Any memorial in her name would be appreciated but so would any contribution

to the charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.resthavenfuneralhome.com for the Kerby family.