Mary Ellen Drake

Mary Ellen Drake 2-26-1993 - 5-2-2024 

Beautiful. Faithful. Confident. Character. Perseverance. Fortitude. Traveler. 

Beautiful. Mary was born the third child to Patti and Jim Drake, little sister to her twin brothers, Paul (Courtney) and Michael (Sarah) Drake. She was born beautiful and remained that way, inside and out her whole life. Her beautiful smile was her signature mark! She loved deeply especially her brothers and sisters-in law, her niece, Charlie and nephews Cameron, Cash and Porter, and couldn’t wait to meet the new nieces Grace and Chloe, her plethora of aunts, uncles, cousins, dear friend Gala Norwood and countless other friends. 

Faithful. Mary was born and raised Catholic and embraced her Catholic faith from an early age. She attended Christ the King Catholic School from K-8 and Mount Saint Mary Academy 9-11. She loved learning and was always pushing herself academically and spiritually. She had a strong devotion to the rosary and a beautiful spirit for others. Mary received all of her Sacraments at Christ the King Catholic Church in Little Rock. 

Confident. Mary was an all or none girl. If she was going to do something, whether it be practice her volleyball serve against the house, shoot free throws in the driveway, study her notecards, learn to drive, she was going to practice until she felt confident. She also loved her quiet time, reading, listening to music and loved her social life, laughing with friends and family. 

Perseverance. Perseverance is the drive to keep going no matter what. It’s the will to reach your goal, no matter how long it takes or what obstacles come your way. This word became “the word” for Mary after her car accident in November of 2009. After suffering this life changing accident, Mary continued to push through every surgery, set-back, infection, therapy, hospital stay and crazy therapy idea mom, dad or Gala would come up with.

Fortitude. After Perseverance, we have all witnessed this beautiful child of God utilize this gift of the Holy Spirit. Mary has endured more pain than we could ever imagine-physical and mental all while continuing her surrender to God’s timing for her life. 

Traveler. Mary loved to travel, anywhere…it didn’t matter. She loved to go and dreamed of so many places she would visit when she was old enough. She loved the annual family beach trips with friends and family and couldn’t wait for the next year! After her accident, we didn’t let her wheelchair stop us and took many trips to the beach. In 2019, Mary travelled with Mom, dad and Gala over 5000 miles in a little over three weeks to go “Out West”. She was by far the best and most patient traveler out of the bunch! 

Our lives are forever changed by hers and we cannot express the love and loss we feel. But we know that her whole life has been beautifully orchestrated by God and spent in great expectation of her final trip to the most beautiful place she could imagine. 

We love you Mary. Rest now, sweet girl. Have a great trip to your eternal home. 

Services will be held at Christ the King Catholic Church on Monday, May 13th, starting with Visitation at 9:30 am, followed by the Rosary at 10:30 am, led by Fr. Jon Miskin, and the funeral Mass celebrated at 11:00 am by Bishop Francis Malone. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Miracles for Mary, which benefits families who are coping with Traumatic Brain Injuries. www.miraclesformary.com