Loretta Braswell Everette Hollis was a one-of-a-kind woman whose greatest gift was the love she gave to others. Born and raised in Tarboro, North Carolina, on December 15, 1961, Loretta was the daughter of the late John Robert Braswell and Myrtle Lee Prince.

To call Retta a mother would never quite be enough. She was an amazing mama, an extraordinary grandma, and a beloved Mia. She gave birth to two beautiful babies, but she raised countless others. If someone needed love, a place to belong, a helping hand, or simply someone who would be there, Retta had a way of making room for them. She loved people with her whole heart.

Retta was an artist in every sense of the word. She was creative, imaginative, and always had a way of making something beautiful. She loved to sing and dance, and she delighted in music. There was a joy in her that could not be taken away by the difficult things life placed in her path. She endured more than her share of heartache, but somehow she continued to choose hope. She remained kind, strong, compassionate, and optimistic.

Retta knew deep love and deep loss. In 1995, she lost her first love and the father of her children, Jeffrey Lynn Everette. Twenty years later, in 2015, she lost her true love, Carlton Eugene Hollis. Those losses changed her, but they never took away her capacity to love.

Her greatest joy was her family. Retta leaves behind her daughter, Tabitha, and son-in-law, Dane; her son, Jeff, and daughter-in-law, Arely; and her adopted daughter, Robin.

She leaves behind seven grandchildren whom she adored beyond words: McKenzi, Kayleigh, Natalie, Kelissa, Genevieve, Carleigh, and Carson.

She leaves behind her brother, Robert, and sister-in-law, Shelby, and her sister, Nancy. She also leaves behind her nephews, Adam and Daniel, and her nieces, Sam and Sheila.

And then there are the countless friends, family members, and loved ones whose lives are forever changed for the better simply because Retta was in them. Some called her Mama. Some called her Mia. Some called her family even when they weren't related by blood. Retta had a way of making people feel like they belonged.

She loved her children and grandchildren bigger than all the stars and the sky. That kind of love doesn't disappear when someone dies. It stays—in the stories we tell, in the things she taught us, in the music that reminds us of her, in the creativity she passed on, and in the countless lives she made a little brighter.

Retta's life was not defined by the hardships she endured, but by the love she continued to give despite them. She was strong when she had every reason not to be. She was compassionate when the world wasn't always kind to her. She found reasons to hope when life gave her reasons to hurt.

• She was our mama.
• She was our grandma.
• She was our Mia.
• She was our family.
• She was a safe place for so many.
• 
  

And she was loved—more deeply than words could ever fully express.

Retta may no longer be here for us to hold, hear sing, watch dance, or laugh with, but she will remain in us and around us for the rest of our lives.

And if there is one thing Retta would want us to remember, it is the thing she said so often, the words she used to bring comfort and hope even when life was hard:

“Everything is going to be okay.”

Family and friends will get together at Davis-Little Funerals on Friday evening, September 11, 2026 from 6:00 - 8:00pm for a special time to laugh, cry, hug, and remember Retta's life, love, and legacy.