Lori Rae Britton, 57, of Little Rock, passed away quietly on January 27, 2020. Preceded in death by her parents Bobby and Sharon Britton, survived by her siblings Karen Britton Evans of Prescott, AR; Bobbi J. Britton of Little Rock, AR; Richard M. Britton II of Little Rock, AR; and Kevin Britton (Valarie Owens) of Benton, AR; nieces Savannah R. Huggins, Shannon Garrison and Holly Huggins; nephew Bobby Daniel Britton; great nieces Anichia Carter, Ava Williams, Vannah J and Valarie Davis; great nephew Aaron Garrison; dear friends and her precious pit bull Rosita.

Our sister was a force – one at times to be reckoned with, to follow, to harness or to just get out of the way. For those in her innermost circle her love was fierce. She was a complex person with many talents and skills. Lori's love for music and musical talent goes back to childhood where she learned to play piano by ear. She could hear a song once and be able to play it immediately afterward. She sang in choir at McClellan High School (Class of 1981), sang and played in a few local bands, and played piano for a few years at a local bar. Her love of cooking and culinary skills grew and developed throughout her life. She started cooking at the Little Rock Hilton and later the at The Villa Italian Restaurant, The Italian Couple, and Slick Willies among other places. Cooking for others was of great pride and for a few years had her own restaurant, That Little Café, and did private catering as well. She used both talents to benefit others, singing and playing piano at more weddings and events to count; or being the first one to cook a meal for someone in need. She loved to cook for her family and friends.

As a child she said she only wanted a house with one room that had a bed, a piano and a puppy. She pretty much lived that life. She loved her animals as they were her family; her Boxers: Belle, Mr. Gibson, and Dixie aka Porkchop were her beloved companions for many years. If she saw a dog chained up and neglected you can be sure she did something about it. She rescued many animals over the years with her pit bull Rosita being her last. Rosi was only supposed to be a foster but we all knew she was never going to let her go to anyone else.

Lori took pride in her job as a Personal Assistant to Dr. Randy Machen. Initially hired as a private chef she quickly showed her ability to multitask and manage many projects. She became quite attached to him and his family; loyal to the end and still trying to handle business for him from her hospital bed. She crossed over into the dental practice at Little Rock Family Dental Care merging her responsibilities as personal assistant with those in the office.

One of her best qualities had to be her sense of humor. You couldn't have the briefest of conversations without her managing to make you laugh. She even took a stab at stand-up comedy. Outside of cooking and animals, she is best known for zany antics like when she took our nieces camping at an RV park but in a Maxima station wagon with 2 large boxers, a couple of tents and then proceeded to set up and plug in a floor lamp and television on the picnic table and went fishing with kitchen colanders. Or once when as a teen she babysat Bret & Brice Brittenum and hooked them to the horse walker. They loved it; it was quite the surprise for their mother Jana. There are too many other examples from her life to mention here and especially when she lived at The Little Rock Inn and played piano in the bar there.

She could be hard headed, obstinate, even infuriating and she could be extremely thoughtful, kind and loving. She was very intelligent, had a strong work ethic, quick witted, and you pretty much knew where you stood with her. Sometimes it was hard to like her but there was always love for her and from her. She had her own way of doing things, a fierce bark, guarded at times, private, vigilant and loyal. She will be missed immensely.
Cross the rainbow bridge Lori and find Belle, we know she is waiting for you.

A reception and gathering of family and friends will be held at 12:00PM, Saturday, February 8, 2020 at Burns Park Hospitality House, 4201 W. Military Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72118 to remember her and share special memories. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Rocky Ridge Refuge, Janice Wolf, P.O. Box 105, Midway, AR 72651 or at www.rockyridgerefuge.com; also to Out Of The Woods Animal Rescue, PO Box 7365, Little Rock, AR 72217 or www.ootwrescue.org .