![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/3-1-1024x683.jpg\")
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\u2019s Drugstore. She loved Carter\u2019s, 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\u2019t anticipated \u2014 a role where the skills she honed at every job she\u2019d ever had converged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaving 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,\u201d Delap said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She started out working in the office, but with her skills and passion for comforting people, it wasn\u2019t long before her colleagues encouraged her to pursue her funeral director\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had a couple of folks that would say, \u2018I think you could really do this. I think you would do a good job at it,\u2019\u201d Delap said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She felt this opportunity would allow her to help families even more than her current position, so she obtained a funeral director\u2019s 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 \u2014 details that most people have little experience handling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt seems odd to think about, but what we do is actually a contract. It\u2019s a legal contract when we make those arrangements,\u201d Delap said. \u201cWe coordinate all the moving parts for those families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of work, Delap and her husband, Randy, Lincoln County\u2019s 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 \u201cOklahoma!\u201d and is planning to participate in the \u201cVoices of Carriage House\u201d patriotic show around the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrea is also celebrating her 22nd year with the \u201cFabulous Fifties Show,\u201d where performing is a bonding experience \u2014 her husband acts, her mom sings and acts, her brother plays in the band, and her sister serves as the spotlight director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a family affair,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s 10 schools, to use wherever the need is greatest. Andrea and her family enjoy giving back to the community through this event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a blessing to us to be able to do it, and people are truly blessed by it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether she\u2019s 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<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2019s heart for people started at a young age. After high school, she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":25873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fayetteville","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Image-Resize-1024x683.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/1-1-1024x683.jpg\")