DeLap, Mitzi Michelle

Mitzi Michelle DeLap, 46, of Pulaski, joined her heavenly family on Saturday, November 23, 2013. There to meet her was her father, Robert DeLap; brother, Timothy “Bo” DeLap; maternal grandparents, Hobert and Delmar Worrell; and paternal grandparents, Jess and Erna DeLap.

She leaves behind a daughter whom she devoted her life to, Michaela Newport (Danny). Also, those left behind to cherish her memory are her mother, Edna DeLap of Pulaski; brothers, John DeLap (Traci) and Ron DeLap (Kelli), both of Pulaski; sisters, Tammie Duncan (Tony) of Radford, Cyndi Pulis of Pulaski, Yvonne Brauer of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Yolanda DeLap of Des Moines, Iowa; nieces, Nichole Foutz (Travis and children Hayden and Allison), Kimberly DeLap, Tabitha DeLap (children Akya and Kelson), Kaitie Kittinger, Courtney Ballo (son Colton), Kristina Ballo (children Adiauna and Halainie), Tiffany Mitchell (Chris and children Haley and David), Debbie Lemke (Bret and son Nicholas); nephews, Brad Duncan (Tara and children Braden and Blayze), Kevin Kittinger (Shaunie), Bobby, Michael, and Kevin DeLap, Greg and Brian Kruse, John Tallman; aunts, Nellie Whitt, Hattie Simpkins, Helen Worrell, Hazel Worrell; uncle, Ernest Worrell (Gracie).

Although afflicted with Freidricks Ataxi and bound to a wheelchair, her illness was not an anchor to her spirit. She was the first person in a wheelchair to graduate from Pulaski County High School in 1986. She had many friends who were more than happy to push her from classroom to classroom. A moment she never forgot was the standing ovation she received when she graduated. She loved Garfield and Smiley faces and was a writer and a poet. She wrote a series of children’s stories entitled “Twinkie”. She earned a merit award from the World of Poetry for her poem “The Rose”. Her love and trust in God was most evident in this poem:

The Rose

It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God’s design.

But I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret to unfolding flowers is not known to such as I

These flowers God opens so gently in my hands would fade and die

If I cannot unfold the rosebud, this flower of God’s design

Then how can I have the wisdom to unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust Him for His leading each moment of everyday

And I’ll ask Him for His guidance each step along the way

The pathway that lies before me the Heavenly Father knows

I’ll trust Him to unfold the moment just as He unfolds the rose.

A celebration of Mitzi’s life will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, 2013 at Faith Baptist Church in Pulaski.