Lula "Lou" Bell Meredith

Lula Bell “Lou” Meredith, age 79, passed away on March 5, 2016 at her home in Lacey, Washington after an 11-year struggle with kidney failure, dialysis and Alzheimer’s. She died peacefully surrounded by her loving husband and family who stayed close by her bedside day and night for nine days until she passed. During the past 11 years, she endured over 6,500 hours of sitting in a dialysis chair and 3,500 needles stuck in her arms, not to mention numerous surgeries and extensive medications, but she rarely complained. Lula was one of eight children born to William and Bulah Gillham on January 5, 1937, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She grew up and spent the majority of her life in Hot Springs among a very large extended family and many lifelong friends until she and James made the monumental move to Washington State in 2005 to be near their daughter and family. Lula was a waitress most of her working life. Although she tried other jobs for brief periods, she always came back to waitressing. The work was hard, but she truly loved the personal interaction with her loyal customers. As a very young woman, Lula was a “car hop” at the famous McClard’s BBQ in Hot Springs, and that is where she met her future husband of over 58 years, James Meredith. He went there often to order a small item just in the hopes she would deliver it and linger and talk with him for a while. They were married on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1957. Eventually, Lula went to work for the city’s most renowned restaurant, Coy’s Steak House. Most nights her tables were filled with repeat “call” customers who came from all over the state and she knew by name. They made their reservations well advance in order to dine in her area of the restaurant (and she did have her own area)! She encountered many celebrities during her many years at Coys, but what she enjoyed most were the repeat customers who became like friends to her. As the years went by, there was no real need for her to continue to work as long as she did, but she loved it and refused to retire until she moved to Washington. Lula and James lived in the same house on Molly Springs Road from the time they married in 1957 until moving to Washington in 2005, and raised their two children, Debora L. Crews and Jim Meredith there. Lou’s top priority was always her family. She loved spending time with her kids and granddaughters and was always there for them and willing to help out with whatever she could do for any of them. She loved spoiling her granddaughters from the time they were born and continued to lend financial and loving support to them as they each made their way through college and into careers. Although she loved waitressing, it was very hard work and she wanted her granddaughters to have more opportunities in life. She didn’t live to see the weddings of any of her granddaughters or get the chance to hold and spoil any great grandchildren, but her memory will live on in them when they do arrive. Her strong commitment to her family is evident in the deep love her family has for her and the strong values, morals and success of the granddaughters she nurtured and has left as her legacy. Lula is survived by her forever loving husband, James J. Meredith of Lacey, Washington; daughter, Debora L. (Meredith) Crews, and son-in-law, Steven M. Crews of Lacey, Washington; son, Jim Meredith of Little Rock, Arkansas; daughter-in-law, Sheila Meredith of Hot Springs, Arkansas. She leaves behind four adoring, beautiful and very successful granddaughters, Mackenzie A. Meredith of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Morgan L. Meredith of Bristol, Connecticut, Jacquelyn A. Crews of Lacey, Washington, and Lauren N. Crews of Puyallup, Washington, who will all forever cherish their generous and loving Mimi and Grandma. She is also survived by two brothers, C.W. Gillham and sister-in-law, Carolyn Gillham, Wayne Gillham and sister-in-law Claudia Gillham; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sherry and Bill Braughton; sister-in-law, MurelAnne Maughan; brother-in-law, Jon Meredith, all of Hot Springs, Arkansas; future grandson-in-law, Stephen M. Mahnken of Puyallup, Washington; plus countless nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Bulah Gillham; sisters, Berta Bray, Ruby Hobgood, and Bessie Westfall; brothers, Charlie Gillham and Virgil Gillham. Lula greatly missed her family and friends in Hot Springs and will finally make her way back home to Arkansas this summer. Lula was a member of Memorial Baptist Church where a funeral service followed by a celebration of her life with a family and friends’ reunion will be held in late July or August 2016. Please leave messages, special memories of Lula, or condolences for her family in the Guestbook below.