10 May 2026 Wearing their hearts on their sleeves

By Phyllis Ormsby

At just 19 years old, Anthony Joseph “Joe” Batchelor of Conway had already become someone others looked up to—known for his kindness, generosity and love for family.

After losing his father to cancer at age 7, Joe was raised by a close-knit group of family and friends who helped shape the man he would become. When Joe died in a 2014 automobile accident, that same community came together once again—this time to honor his life by carrying forward his giving spirit.

“He was a huge, big part of our family,” said Natalie Beck, his aunt, godmother and basically second mother. “He was larger than life. His dad passed away in 2002 of cancer, and so he grew up for several years without a dad. It made Joseph special to people, to our family.”

“Our kids all grew up two doors down from each other, and we were like one big family,” said Celeste Bailey, Joe’s mom. “Natalie’s kids were mine, and mine were hers, so she was a lot more to Joe than just an aunt. She and her husband felt Joe’s loss as bad as my husband and me.”

Joe was especially close to his Nonna, Celeste’s mom, who developed Alzheimer’s disease and slowly changed from the grandmother who spoiled him and made him his favorite meals to someone who didn’t recognize him. Just before he died, Joe had shared with a friend, Drew Bates, that he wanted to create a line of shirts where the profits would be donated to Alzheimer’s causes in honor of his Nonna. After his death, Joe’s family and friends wanted to fulfill that last wish, and JoeBear Apparel was born.

“Our founding date was Oct. 18, 2015, one year to the day after Joseph died. Everybody called my son a big ol’ teddy bear — he was a big boy,” Bailey said with a laugh. “So that’s how the name JoeBear came about.”

Drew’s mom, Lisa Bates, owned a T-shirt shop and came to Bailey and Beck to offer help with shirt design. Joe’s girlfriend, Kayla Pruitt Drum, who has since married, also came on board and is still involved to this day, Bailey said. She has designed several of the shirts, including their first signature shirt, which is a tree designed from Joe’s fingerprints. Another design, based on a story that Joe wrote about his grandmother, combines her love of daylilies with the story placed inside the petals.

This year marks JoeBear’s 10th anniversary, so they created a Southern Memories shirt, which was Joe’s original idea for the name of his T-shirt line. “Kayla actually found Joe’s original design of Southern Memories, and that is what we used to make the shirt,” Bailey said. “So the design itself and the idea came directly from Joseph. He had drawn the design up himself. That’s why it’s so special.”

On their website, joebearapparel.com, they offer shirts, sweatshirts, quarter-zip pullovers, mugs, caps and even plush bears sporting a JoeBear tee. The sisters said most of their sales come from festivals and other events, like Toad Suck Daze, Bella Rustina Modern Vintage Market, the Arkansas Goat Festival in Perryville, the Sugar Plum Boutique Show and even the Soup Suppers during Lent at their church, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Conway.

JoeBear Apparel runs out of Joseph’s old bedroom in Bailey’s home, where they store merchandise between events and fulfill online orders. All the proceeds from the sales are donated to Alzheimer’s Arkansas, an organization that supports caregivers. They have raised and donated more than ^$85,000 in 10 years, including matching funds from Modern Woodmen of America and donations received at St. Joseph soup suppers. 

“We just started out knowing we wanted to do something for Alzheimer’s, but we weren’t sure who to give the money to,” Bailey said. “At first, we donated money to the nursing home in Morrilton, where Mama was, and we also donated to the Memory Care unit at Conway Regional. We had watched what it did to our daddy, taking care of our mama for all those years. Alzheimer’s Arkansas is all about the caregivers, and all the money stays in the state. We just felt like we could make a difference by donating to them.”

The sisters are part of a large Italian family, many of whom are part of JoeBear Apparel. “There are seven girls in my family. Everyone always says, ‘Oh, your poor father,’” Bailey said, laughing. “But actually, he was treated like a king. We grew up in Morrilton, but our parents are from Catholic Point out by Center Ridge. All of our sisters are very involved in this, and we have a lot of family members who help support us. The most important thing is, this is a way for us to remember Joseph and honor our mom, plus we are happy to help caregivers with the donations [to Alzheimer’s Arkansas].”

Beck agreed and added that while they are doing this to benefit others, they get a lot back in return. “It seems like everybody has someone with Alzheimer’s in their family, or they know someone. When they see our sign at Toad Suck, that just draws them in. The stories we hear are just very rewarding. We feel like it’s a way for them to remember their loved ones, too, when they come up and share their stories. We have people who come every year.”

Along with Bailey and Beck, JoeBear’s board members include Drum, Rachel Ross, Jessica Moore, Marsha McKinnie, Cindy Davidson, Lisa Bates, Drew Bates, Wade Beck, Hannah Yrle, Joelle Lowder and Brett Needham. Bailey’s husband, Ray, and Beck’s husband, Gary, also provide a lot of help, the sisters said, along with Natalie’s son and son-in-law, who help with transportation to events and do all the heavy lifting.

Memories are woven throughout everything JoeBear produces. Every design has something to do with Joe or his Nonna. Joe’s initials, AJB, are hidden somewhere in every design. His 5-year-old handprint is reproduced on one of their mug designs. The sisters and another family have even auctioned off a special lunch to benefit Alzheimer’s Arkansas, and the menu includes many of their Italian family favorites, including Nonna’s biscotti recipe.

“I really want anyone who reads this to support Alzheimer’s Arkansas, in particular, and to take away that Joe was loved and our mom was loved,” Bailey said. As they did when Joe was little, his family has banded together to create purpose and hope after a tragic loss, offering love and support to others facing similar challenges.