Rebecca Morrison Belknap went home to her husband Curtis and youngest daughter Hannah in the early morning hours of April 6, 2019. The pain she had endured for the last two years is gone.
She leaves behind her daughters Riann and husband Chris Havey and Ginny Belknap and wife Nissa Marks, her son Curtis and his wife Alkesta Belknap, and Hannah’s fiancé Andrew Bakeman. Becky was Grammy to Kate Matthews; Bria, Emily and William Havey; Andie Belknap; and Addison Bakeman. She was the beloved sister of her siblings Molly and husband Don Gaylord, Susan and husband Jim O’Brien, Charles Morrison and wife Sandy and Robert Morrison and wife Karie. She was favorite Aunt Becky to Molly’s son Josh Skalnik and his wife Lucy, Susan’s son Alec Platon and his wife Lindsay, and Susan’ stepson Scott O’Brien and his wife Elizabeth. Her extended family includes her Fletcher stepsiblings Lisa Stamatis, Leanne Wright and her husband Larry, Chuck Fletcher, and Laurie Fletcher.
Becky was born to Jessie May and Charles Morrison in Shreveport, LA on August 15, 1956, and from the day of her birth until the day he died in 2016 she was the apple of her father’s eye. She was an affectionate, gentle and caring child, traits that stayed with her throughout her life. The family moved to Houston when Becky was 8, and there she grew into a beautiful young woman. When she was 17 she caught the eye of Curtis Woods Belknap. He was a goner pretty quickly, and she fell hard too, and they married in February 1976 when Becky was 19. From that day until he died in 2012 they were devoted to each other and their family.
Becky had a seemingly endless capacity to love, and she had four great loves in her too short life.
She loved to garden. She enjoyed nothing more than hitting the garden center sale racks to snag some bedraggled specimen, bring it home, and nurture it to glorious health. Neighbors and strangers alike paused to admire her yard, and she was thrilled when she won Yard of the Month.
Becky loved all God’s creatures, whether they crawled, swam, flew or walked. Her kids had a veritable zoo over the years – fish, rats, snakes, tarantulas, dogs, cats, and one memorable baby grackle that turned out to be a chicken. Her kitties George and Gracious miss her terribly.
Becky loved her family with her entire being. She was a funny, creative, spirited and spiritual momma to Riann, Ginny, Curt, and Hannah, and her “summertime sons” nephews Josh and Alec. Over the years she provided a hug, a meal, and sometimes a place to stay to many young people at times in their lives when they sorely needed it. Becky believed the people who loved her most called her Grammy, and no grandmother ever doted more on her grandbabies Kate, Bria, Emily, William, Andie and Addison than did Becky.
And finally, Becky loved her Lord. Her faith sustained her through tragedies that would have laid a weaker person low. A granddaughter was lost to her, but she forgave and loved nonetheless. Her husband died unexpectedly and suddenly, and though her heart was broken and her light diminished, her faith was strong and she believed – she knew – she would see him again. She took the 2017 devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 breast cancer with equanimity, knowing that God would get her through it. And in November 2018, when her youngest child Hannah took her life, Becky’s light further dimmed, but her faith never wavered.
Becky resolved to make the most of her remaining time and that she did. In May 2018 she traveled with her sisters to Arkansas to dig for diamonds. In late June she flew to Boston and celebrated July 4 at the Fletcher cottage on Cape Cod. In July Ginny and Nissa took Becky to Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, and she got to visit Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. Last September she along with Riann, Ginny and Nissa, and Curt and Alkesta traveled to New York to visit Becky’s beloved brother in law Rodger Belknap and his husband Mark Plesant. They spent a madcap few days at Rodger and Mark’s river house in Narrowsburg, where every evening had a theme and every theme required a costume. In early October Becky welcomed her newest granddaughter, Addison Rebecca, and in January of this year she made a final trip, to east Texas with her brothers to visit her cousins Ronnie and Cathy Billingsley. In February and March, no longer able to travel, she nonetheless celebrated with “Stayin’ Alive” parties, the last one just two weeks before her death. Her one regret was that she wasn’t able to make it to Austin to see Kate one last time.
Becky’s life will be celebrated with a memorial service at Trinity Vineyard Church, 17150 Spring Cypress Road, Cypress TX 77429, on Saturday, April 13 at 2pm. Family and friends are invited to continue the celebration after the service at the home of her daughter Riann Havey.
Mack McCormick (1970)
Gone 5 years this very day Rebecca. RIP