Rebecca Suzanne DeFreece, “Beckie”, (nee Elders), 38, of Plattsburg, Missouri died suddenly Friday,  December 9, 2022 at her residence. 

Visitation will be held from 1-2pm on Wednesday, December 14 at Broadway United Methodist Church in Plattsburg with a Service of Death and Resurrection following at 2pm. Internment will be held at Greenlawn Cemetery following the service.

Beckie was born on August 12, 1984 in Chesterfield, Missouri to Ken and Juanita Elders. She graduated from Festus High School in 2003 and attended Central Methodist University, where she met her husband Derick DeFreece. At CMU, Beckie was active in Band and in Sigma Alpha Iota. Beckie and Derick were married on October 13, 2007.

Beckie attended Bolivar Technical College where she received her Associate’s Degree in Nursing in 2007. Nursing was at the core of who Beckie was; she served as a nurse in several hospitals and health care facilities around Missouri. Most recently, Beckie was a nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City.

Beckie and Derick welcomed their son, Derick Kenneth DeFreece, into the world on January 6, 2018. Little Derick was the love of Beckie’s life. Beckie’s personality lit up a room. She had a quick wit, a contagious laugh, and a sparkle in her eye. She loved to read, pet and play with her dogs, drink Diet Mountain Dew, fish, hunt, and listen to music (her music tastes ranged from circus marches, musicals, gospel, 1990s pop, and country).

Beckie was a beloved mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend who appreciated life and brought out the best in all she met. 

 She is survived by her husband, Derick DeFreece, their son Derick Kenneth, both of Plattsburg, her mother, Juanita Elders of Texarkana, TX, and her sister Beth Elders (husband David Shaw) of St. Louis, MO.

Beckie was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth Elders and her grandparents Mary & Gerald Elders, and Margaret and JT Wollard.

In Lieu of flowers, memorials in memory of Beckie DeFreece may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF): https://www2.jdrf.org/site/Donation2?2374.donation=form1&df_id=2374&s_src=jdrf.org&s_subsrc=siteMenuLink&_ga=2.202360018.276405540.1670803284-404338787.1670803284.

Arrangements, Hixson-Klein Funeral Home, Gower.