Barbara Michelle Davis Bass (Miki), age 56

Barbara Michelle Davis Bass (Miki), 56, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away on April 18, 2024, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Miki was a loving sister, daughter, wife, and friend. Her warm personality, infectious smile, and generous heart made her an instant favorite among all who knew her. Miki was born on October 10, 1968, to Bill and Jeanette Davis in Fordyce, Arkansas. After graduating from Fordyce High School, Miki went on to attend the University of Arkansas at Monticello where she majored in special education. Miki went on to work for Easter Seals of Little Rock, where she loved working with children with disabilities. Later, she worked for Arkansas Realtors Association, where she served for 25 years, the last few as Chief Executive Officer.

Miki is survived by her husband James Bass of Little Rock, her son J.P. Bass, and her daughter, Lila Bass, her mother, Jeanette Davis of Little Rock, her sister, Sandy Devlin (Cory) of Hot Springs Village, her sister, Nancy Hollings (David) of New Orleans, and her brother, Scott Davis (Robbi) of Little Rock. She also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, and cousins, whom she adored.

In December of 1993, Miki married James, the love of her life and her childhood sweetheart. They had been married 30 years. They loved Arkansas camping and all adventures found in the Natural State. They enjoyed floating the Buffalo, hiking Pinnacle Mountain, swimming at Sylamore Creek Camp, and camping at Mark Twain National Forest to name a few. Miki and Jimmy often took their cat, Kaia, camping and delighted in the cat’s ability to be a fine camper.

In October of 2005, Miki became a mother with the birth of J.P. Two years later, Miki delivered Lila. Miki was ecstatic with her family and continued loving life as a wife and then a mother. Her family was her pride and joy, and everyone delighted in how fun she made family life. She was the queen of costumes, and her family always had the best for every occasion. For example, the whole family dressed up as dalmatians for Halloween at Faith Spring Church where each wore white, and Miki had covered them in black dots and dog ears. Lila, in full afro, and with a painter’s palette was the painter Bob Ross for a school project on someone she admired, and J.P., donned with slicked back hair and a foo man choo, was Guy Fieri from the television show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. For spirit day at school, both children dressed as old people and sang what they called, “old people songs,” and at a yearly costume party with friends, James was Fred Garvin, from Saturday Night Live.

As the children grew, so did the adventures. The family visited caves, took a cruise, traveled, went to Disney, attended family gatherings, weddings, and birthdays. After each exciting adventure, Miki would send photos entitled, “Me and my crew,”  “Look at my babies,” “This handsome man of mine,” and, “Go on, say you are jealous!” Every picture would hold her contagious smile and you knew that she had laughed her famous laugh and had made the trip a wonderful memory. Few people loved as hard as Miki did and she loved her adoring family.

Miki was a beautiful person inside and out. She was five feet two inches tall with a six-foot-tall personality. Her smile was so big it would light up a whole room. She cared so deeply for the people around her and was kind and passionate. Most afternoons you could find her and her family visiting her mother, Jeanette, who they affectionately called Mimi. Mimi and Miki had a special bond and spent a lot of time together after the passing of Miki’s father and Mimi’s husband, Bill Davis. Mimi and Miki cherished these afternoons, which often included tasty food, cards, and sitting on the front porch. As Mimi would say, “She is my little ray of sunshine!” Because of her personality and ease with people, Miki had many friends and loving family members who enjoyed spending time with her. She was natural at making people feel accepted and loved. Some of these friends and family said it best when leaving Facebook posts after she went to heaven. Here are a few included:

“Miki was such an amazing woman! There was never a time that she didn’t greet me with a huge smile and give me the biggest hug!”

“Without a doubt, she was the most hilarious, fun, nicest, precious ray of light and joy to ever hold the state executive position. She was a laugh until you cry colleague.”

“I will miss her. I will miss that larger-than-life laugh. I will miss hearing her talk about her two loves in life: J.P. and Lila. I will miss getting random texts about murder shows I need to watch. I will miss the late-night porch sittin,’ and all the encouragement she showered me with.”

“We sure had a great time on this spinning rock for almost four decades. Miki did not know a stranger and laughed the loudest of everyone at every party. I will always remember seeing her precious grinning face running toward our car when we arrived, arms outstretched and hollering, ‘Finally!”

“From the vegetables in the donut box, to the dye in the bathroom faucets, oh and putting a rubber band around the sink sprayer so the first person to turn on the sink got soaked. And then there was the life-sized Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz hidden in the bathroom stall. She planned for weeks!”

“My heart hurts for everyone who knew her. She was the most special person to me. There will be a Miki-shaped hole in the world forever.”

A family-hosted service to celebrate Miki’s life will be held on May 23, 2024, at Pulaski Heights Baptist Church found at 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd, Little Rock, AR 72205.  Visitation will be at 3:00 p.m., service at 4:00 p.m.

Barbara Michelle Davis Bass’s life was a tapestry of love, selfless service, and the joy of simple pleasures. Her memory will be cherished and kept alive in the stories passed down through her family and friends.

Memorials can be made to Little Pink Houses of Hope at 2442 Tribek Court, Burlington, NC 27215. Phone 336-213-4773.

Arrangements by A Natural State Funeral Service 2620 West Main Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas 72076. 501-982-3400. Online guestbook available at wwww.anaturalstatefuneralservice.com