31 Mar 2024 Couple of the Month: Freddie Mark and Trish Wilcox
HIS STORY:
I like to be busy, active, involved and down-home.
Education: I graduated from Greenbrier High School and attended Arkansas Tech and the University of Central Arkansas. I earned an Associate of Arts in business management from Central Baptist College. I am an ordained minister and a licensed Arkansas funeral director.
Job: Pastor of LifeSong Baptist Church, co-owner of Wilcox Family Funeral Home and Crematory, and a cattle farmer.
Family: My parents were the late Freddie F. and Rosemary Wilcox. Our children are Katie Hussman (and her husband Michael) of Greenbrier, who reside on our family farm beside us. I love that our beautiful grandkids, Beau (11) and Andi (9) Hussman, are free to come and go and have the farm to play on.
community activities: Pastor of LifeSong Church, a member of Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce, chaplain for the Greenbrier Fire Department, a member of Wagon Wheel and Wooster Store Men’s groups.
Special interests: I like eating out, socializing with family and friends, vacationing in Florida, cattle farming and meeting new people. I am a teacher and supporter of Renewal Ranch and an avid Greenbrier Panthers fan.
Favorite Song: My daily opener anthem is “How Great Thou Art” as performed by Chris Rice. It’s a great way to start my day.
Favorite quote: Everything will work out or come to pass.
What do you love about the 501: Trish and I agree that it’s our home, and we enjoy watching it grow every day.
HER STORY:
I am committed, faithful, caring and I love children.
Education: I attended Greenbrier Public Schools and Central Baptist College and earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the University of Central Arkansas and a Master of Science in education from Harding University.
Job: I am a retired schoolteacher from Greenbrier School District and the Arkansas Department of Education (Home School Division).
Family: My parents are the late Eldon and Daisy Hart, who lived in Wooster.
Community Activities: LifeSong Baptist Church in Greenbrier. I am the pastor’s wife, and I serve on the church benevolence committee and am involved in the Ladies’ Ministry. I also teach a children’s class. I attend Bible Study Fellowship in Conway, which I enjoy very much. I support and attend the many activities of my grandchildren, such as sports, dance, gymnastics and 4-H activities.
Special interests: I enjoy working in my church, reading, our yearly trip to Florida and spending time with my family.
favorite song: “I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman. Even though it is a song that is sung mostly at weddings, it has a special place in my heart, and it is about maturing in your marriage and being there for each other until the end.
Favorite quote: I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. — Maya Angelo
Their STORY:
We attended school together but became very close when we worked for the city of Greenbrier. Freddie Mark worked at City Services, and I worked for the water and police departments. We started dating, fell in love and married on March 21, 1987. We owned Wilcox Grocery in Wooster for about five years (a mom-and-pop grocery store). He worked at Conway Human Development Center, and I managed the store and took care of Katie during the day, and he would close up at night. While owning the store, God called Freddie Mark into ministry.
We enjoy driving around the county, our yearly trip to Florida, and attending community art presentations such as concerts, plays and Murray’s Dinner Playhouse in Little Rock. We give all the credit to the Lord for our long-term marriage. While things may have been hard at times during those early years, we always had the Lord and each other to lean on.
We were meant to be together!
