ANDREA DELAP has always cared about helping others. Her journey to becoming a funeral director has reflected that mission, and this new step forward in her career offers another avenue for her to be a shoulder to all those who need one.
Delap’s heart for people started at a young age. After high school, she pursued a major in psychology with a minor in family studies at Lipscomb University in Nashville. She then spent several years working as a program coordinator for adults with developmental disabilities in Nashville, pouring her compassion and grace into their lives. It is second nature to her to offer support to those around her.
“I’ve always been a listener and a helper, and always been someone who people come to when they’ve had struggles,” Delap said.
Delap enjoyed her years in Nashville, but after 9/11 shifted the world, she was ready to come back home to Lincoln County.
“I prefer small town life. I’m used to — when I’m driving for 30 minutes, that means I’m in another town — not just, you know, 5 miles down the road,” she said, referring to the crowded commutes she had in Nashville.
Back in Fayetteville, she took on jobs that might seem unconnected at first glance: Regions Bank, then Bagley & Bagley Insurance for about 10 years, a stint at Fayetteville Medical Associates, and then seven years at Carter’s Drugstore. She loved Carter’s, where she worked on the gift side and assisted with ordering and merchandising. But when Higgins Funeral Home hired her, she realized something she hadn’t anticipated — a role where the skills she honed at every job she’d ever had converged.
“Having the background with insurance helps me help families who are filing insurance claims, and then on the retail side of things at the pharmacy, that helps me here because we do have some merchandise. It kind of all rounded out,” Delap said.
She started out working in the office, but with her skills and passion for comforting people, it wasn’t long before her colleagues encouraged her to pursue her funeral director’s license. She was already volunteering as a Stephen Minister, which is a trained layperson who offers one-to-one Christian care to those experiencing difficult life situations such as grief, divorce, job loss, or illness. That experience felt like a natural segue into this new role at work.
“I had a couple of folks that would say, ‘I think you could really do this. I think you would do a good job at it,’” Delap said.
She felt this opportunity would allow her to help families even more than her current position, so she obtained a funeral director’s license, which enables her to sit with families, guide them through their arrangements, and sign the legal contract that formalizes those plans. She also helps families navigate death certificates and the many details that come with loss — details that most people have little experience handling.
“It seems odd to think about, but what we do is actually a contract. It’s a legal contract when we make those arrangements,” Delap said. “We coordinate all the moving parts for those families.”
This level of care and attention to detail is crucial for families in a state of grief trying to handle everything, and provides a sense of stability and peace in the most difficult time.
Outside of work, Delap and her husband, Randy, Lincoln County’s register of deeds, live on a farm in the southern part of the county where they raise beef cattle and stay busy with seven nieces and nephews. Andrea serves as a county representative on the Lincoln County Public Library board and has been a member of Carriage House Players since high school. She recently performed in their January production of “Oklahoma!” and is planning to participate in the “Voices of Carriage House” patriotic show around the Fourth of July.
Andrea is also celebrating her 22nd year with the “Fabulous Fifties Show,” where performing is a bonding experience — her husband acts, her mom sings and acts, her brother plays in the band, and her sister serves as the spotlight director.
“It’s a family affair,” she said.
The Fabulous Fifties Foundation raises money that stays local, helping Lincoln County residents facing health crises or catastrophic events. The Grace Fund, established in memory of Laura Grace Peck, specifically helps families cover travel and lodging during extended hospital stays for a child. In recent years, the foundation has also given $1,000 twice per school year to each of Lincoln County’s 10 schools, to use wherever the need is greatest. Andrea and her family enjoy giving back to the community through this event.
“It’s been a blessing to us to be able to do it, and people are truly blessed by it,” she said.
Whether she’s holding the hand of someone looking to honor a lost loved one, counseling a friend, or putting on a show for charity, Andrea can always be found lending a helping hand. GN
