Lisa Dale Rakes Seay, 73, of Bentonville, Arkansas, passed away Thursday, July 10, 2025, at her home. She was born August 8, 1951, in Springdale, Arkansas, the daughter of Harley "Dale" Rakes and the granddaughter of George and Ocie Meadows Rakes and Arthur and Lola Stuart Kever. The old adage "It takes a village" was in full affect in the small town of Cave Springs, Arkansas, during her childhood.

At the age of three, Lisa began helping on the family farm and at The Rakes Hatchery.  Always her father's shadow, Lisa learned valuable life lessons while riding in the hatchery truck to area farms, collecting crates of eggs, delivering baby chickens, helping out at local family businesses and enjoying the love and care extended by her community. Educated by her extended family of friends, Lisa learned early that gumption, work ethic, humor, love and care could make life wonderful. The many jobs she began as a five-year-old included debeaking chickens to earn funds for school uniforms and supplies, cleaning tables at The Lake Keith Café, washing dishes and prep cooking at The Trolley Café, helping Smitty at The Lake Keith Trout Farm, working various jobs at The Lake Keith Swimming Pool and Skating Rink, cleaning honey jars and beehives for The Lloyd Family and stocking shelves at Beyer's Friendly Grocery.

Lisa was also blessed with many aunts, uncles and cousins who had their own life lessons to share. However, it was her maternal Aunts Neva and Jean Kever who imparted their wit and the use of dry humor, which Lisa used throughout her life. This background melded Lisa into a tough, witty spitfire of a girl with the will to handle things each day, while enabling her to grow into a beautiful, strong woman. Lisa graduated from Bentonville High School in 1969, and she became a licensed cosmetologist through Arthur's Beauty College in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In the same year, she met, and later married, her lifelong partner, Robert L. Seay, son of Willie L. and Thelma Norman Seay of Lake City, Arkansas. They had three children, Kenny Seay of Jasper, Arkansas, Marty Sea of Fayetteville and Amanda Seay Peterson of Cabot, Arkansas.

After serving years away from her home territory, Robert's job as a U of A Cooperative Extension Service Agent opened the door for them to move back to Lisa's hometown of Cave Springs in time to care for her disabled father during his last few years. After his passing, Lisa poured her energy into The Benton County 4-H program where she helped youth with the same life lessons she had learned as a child. In 1992, Lisa began work in the cosmetics department at the original Wal-Mart Store 100 in Bentonville. Later, she was promoted to Risk Manager and then retired in 2007 after fifteen years.

Over the years, Lisa and Robert were blessed with six grandsons, Payton Seay, Eli Seay, Evan Seay, Tristan Peterson, Cort Seay and Logan Peterson, one granddaughter, Samantha Seay and one great grandson, Cayden Godin. Upon retiring from Wal-Mart, Lisa began her favorite job ever as "Nana" to her grandkids. Her goal was to strive to be as good as her beloved mother-in-law, Thelma, who had set the bar. Lisa took her matriarch role seriously and that spark shines brightly as she taught her grandkids to show love through grace, care, good food and laughter.

Lisa loved to play cards and was known to be a ruthless "Nana" when it came to Phase 10 and Uno. Her love of cooking, canning, gardening, sewing, crafting and quilting kept her loved ones spoiled with the bounty of her effort. A voracious reader, Lisa was known to always have a good book to share or recommend. Lisa shared her love of all things related to providing an economical household from smart shopping skills to home canning. Always a joy, she beamed with pride when a quart jar of her famous pickled beets raised $100 at the annual Elm Springs Methodist Church Fundraiser. During her last five days at home, Lisa didn't want to see her earlier garden work go to waste. She then provided continual, though whispered, instructions on preserving produce, thereby passing years of knowledge onto her grandchildren.

Lisa requested that contributions be made to The Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter, 860 NW Vaughn Road, Bentonville, Arkansas 72713, located near the location where her father, Dale, had attended school decades ago.

Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Benton County Memorial Park & Funeral Home in Rogers, Arkansas.