Obituary of Anita Gayle Nana

Anita Gayle Pearson Nana was born on December 4, 1954, she was the daughter of Robert L. Pearson and late June Marie Steele Pearson and of the late George Edmund Pearson. Anita was preceded in death by her mother June Pearson her father George Edmund Pearson, her sister Rosita Pearson her maternal grandparents  John Steele and Dessie Steele all of Lexington, TN, and her paternal grandparents Nettie Mae Barnhill Beal and Curtis Pearson.

Anita accepted Christ at a young age and was a member of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist. Anita would later continue with her spiritual life as a devoted member of Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH, and First Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, TN. Oftentimes when family and friends would visit Anita she could be seen reading her bible, so her faith was very important to her. 

 Soon after she graduated from Lexington High School in the early ‘70s Anita enlisted in the U.S. Army branch of the military where she served for 20 years in many capacities, even achieving the rank of E-7 sergeant. After Anita’s time in the service ended she worked professionally as an office manager at Nashville’s auto diesel college for five years where she made a valuable impact on many of the young students’ lives enrolled there and later worked in numerous other office roles as a bookkeeper. 

Anita, affectionately known as “momma” by her son, and as “Nana” and “Aunt Nit” by many others may have been short in stature but she was never short on personality and was oftentimes the smallest person in the room and the one you could hear over many conversations going on. Anita was full of life and definitely had no problem letting people know she had “arrived” anywhere she went. One of Anita’s hobbies was collecting figurines like the old school Baptist preachers and Christmas figurines.  

Anita departed this life on Christmas Eve December 24^th and she leaves her devoted son Byron P. Strickland from the former marital union of her and Byron Strickland Sr of Nashville, TN. Anita also leaves three other siblings Pamela J. Pearson of Paducah, KY., Phyllis L. Pearson (Dwayne) Whittaker of Murfreesboro, TN., and Robert F. (Tina) Pearson of Murfreesboro, TN. Anita also leaves a devoted uncle Gerald Wayne Dixon of Nashville, TN, and a devoted aunt Doris Hart of Cleveland, OH a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who all loved her dearly.