TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
Reagan
R eagan’s mother, Jessica Brookes, remembers her with a deep love and fondness. “Reagan…” she pauses, “she was a very, sweet, sweet child. Reagan didn’t care about toys,” she said. “But she loved shoes.” One of Jessica’s favorite memories is when Reagan was two or three years old. Reagan wandered off in Dillard’s while the family shopped at the mall. As they frantically searched, a store clerk directed them to the shoe department. “There she was,” Jessica recalls, shaking her head with affection. “Just standing there in the shoes like she owned the place.” Reagan was tiny but sure of herself, drawn to anything with buckles, straps, sparkles, or heels. She knew what she liked and didn’t waver. “Reagan always had the biggest heart,” Jessica adds. “But she could be a little spitfire, too. She was sweet as sugar one minute and all attitude the next." She said it with the pride of a mother whose child was both tender and tough. “You know, she really cared about people,” Jessica said admirably. Jessica explained that her family did not prize popularity, but rather the kind of character that goes out of the way to help someone in need. She always taught her kids to be kind to everyone, no matter how much money they had or if they were outcasts. Still, Jessica reflects on this with a hint of sadness. “Sometimes,” she said, “sometimes now, I think that was a mistake.” Reagan was the second-oldest of four in a blended family. “She was bossy,” Jessica said. “She liked to take charge.” In middle school, Reagan often left notes about her siblings’ mischief. Jessica recently found a notebook with their recorded infractions. She laughed as she read her words: “Clayton was slamming doors.”
“Destiny accidentally hit Clayton.” “Hi Ma, how was your day? Well, Emily just peed in the sink.” “Oh, I remember that day,” Jessica recalled. “We had two bathrooms, but four kids. She was always the leader of the kids. She looked out for all of them.” Reagan discovered she was pregnant at age 17. It was important to the family to support Reagan through this time without shame. Although it was not in their initial plan, the family viewed this baby as a blessing. While Reagan was initially “freaked out,” she quickly became excited and said, “Okay, I can do this!” Kynlee was born in 2017, the first grandbaby, the first great-grandbaby, the little brown-eyed center of everyone’s universe. Reagan adored her and balanced work, home, and motherhood with responsibility far beyond her years. Motherhood didn’t change Reagan; it revealed who she was. “She was always meant to be a mama,” Jessica said, her voice lifting with both pride and ache. “When Kynlee got here, that was it. She was her whole world.” Jessica choked back something deep. “She was the best mama I have ever known.” Eventually, Reagan met and married her husband, Homer Hancock. When Reagan found out she was pregnant again, she let Kynlee share the news. In a video, Reagan asks Kynlee, “What’s in Mommy’s belly? A brother or a sister?” “A sister!” Kynlee said confidently. Reagan was happy. She had a good life, and she was anxiously awaiting the birth of the baby girl that would make them a family of four. This was the landscape before the blast.
(left) Jessica Brookes, Reagan, and Cindy Groce at Kynlee's baby shower.
(center) Reagan Hancock on her wedding day with
sunflowers, her favorite flower. (above) The photograph Reagan's mother carries in the locket featured on the cover.
49
LIFE & STYLE
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs