Obituaries

Florence Halstead

Photo of Florence  Halstead
Florence Rieger McCormick Halstead of Fayetteville, Arkansas, passed away peacefully in her sleep after a short illness on July 10, 2018, with her family in attendance. She was born on November 3, 1920, in Niagara Falls, New York to Frederick and Elizabeth Rieger, the first of their five children. She was raised in Enid, Oklahoma with her siblings, and attended the Oklahoma College for Women (now the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma). She married Edward McCormick in 1942. Her first child, Karen, was born while Edward was in the US Army in Italy during World War II. A picture of Florence and her newborn was published in Life magazine in 1944. After the war, she and Edward purchased property in Fayetteville, Arkansas and built their home there. Sons James and Daniel came along in 1947 and 1952, respectively. Florence decided to complete her bachelor's degree in secondary education, with science as her major concentration at the University of Arkansas. Degree in hand, she began her lifelong career in teaching. She continued her education, earning a Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Education while performing as a full-time mother and wife and teaching in a public school system. In 1970, she obtained a teaching position at the East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, a position she held until her retirement in 1987. She married Dr. Frank Halstead in 1983, and they made their home in Shavertown, Pennsylvania. Florence was an avid gardener, and became a Master Gardener, specializing in roses. Her home became a popular stop on garden tours. After Frank's death, she moved back to Fayetteville. A lifelong Episcopalian, she rejoined St. Paul's Episcopal Church, doing extensive volunteer work. Friends have described her as highly intelligent and full of humor, with the ability to laugh at herself. Always a dog lover, she had a series of border collies, all of whom adored her. She had an intense interest in music and opera, with a voice that that could produce a large and beautiful sound. She studied voice in college and sang with the Cimmaron Opera group and was a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, the national music fraternity. She was preceded in death by the father of her children, James Edward McCormick, and her second husband Dr. Frank Halstead; by her daughter Karen McCormick Weiss, her son, Daniel Rieger McCormick, and by her siblings Norma Mae Geddes, Mary Ellen Cummings and Homer Rieger. She is survived by her son, James Edward McCormick Jr. of Fort Collins, Colorado and his wife Linda and their children; by her son-in-law Tom Weiss of Murrysville, Pennsylvania and his children, and by her daughter-in-law Mary McCormick and her children; her sister Elizabeth Boers, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was blessed with seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, all of whom she doted on. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, July 12, 2018 at Moore's Chapel in Fayetteville. A service of the celebration of her life will be held 10 a.m. Friday at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville. Private interment will be at Chapel Lawn Memorial Park in Dallas, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73123, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, www.cff.org or a charity of the donor's choice. To place an online tribute, visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.

Published July 11, 2018

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