Obituaries from April 2008

Franklyn Shavalia (04/30/08)
Franklyn Daniel "Frank" Shavalia, 70, of Rector, died Tuesday, April 22, 2008. He was born Feb. 11, 1938, to the late Arnold E. and Delores (Huesman) Shavalia. He was a veteran of the Marines and the Arkansas National Guard. He also was a member of the Blooming Grove Missionary Baptist Church...

Clifford Featherston (04/30/08)
Clifford Featherston, 83, of Marmaduke died Monday, April 21, 2008, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. Born July 19, 1924, in Clay County to the late John and Myrtle (Hubble) Featherston, he was a farmer and enjoyed showing horses and working with bird dogs...

Alma Moore (04/30/08)
Alma L. Moore, 102, of Piggott, died Monday April 28, 2008, in the Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center in Kennett. She was born February 16, 1906, in Fredricktown, Mo., and was the daughter of the late Greenville and Elizabeth Hector Duckworth...

Leova M. Rogers (04/30/08)
Leova "Lee" M. (Baty) Rogers died Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at the Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Festus, Mo. She was born May 27, 1931, in Greenway to Leo and Ova (Wilkes) Baty and they preceded her in death. ...

Danile Wallace (04/30/08)
Danile Evil Wallace, 55, of Piggott, formerly of Florida, died Thursday, April 24, 2008, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 21, 1952, the son of the late Evell and Glendine (Tomberlin) Wallace...

Jerry VanWinters (04/30/08)
Jerry VanWinters, Jr., 36, of Leoma, Tenn., died Sunday, April 20, 2008, in Crockett Hospital in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. He was born Sept. 5, 1971, in Poplar Bluff, and was the son of Jerry and Shirley Whitcomb VanWinters...

Alma L. Moore (04/30/08)
Alma L. Moore, 102, of Piggott, died Monday April 28, 2008, in the Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center in Kennett. She was born February 16, 1906, in Fredricktown, Mo., and was the daughter of the late Greenville and Elizabeth Hector Duckworth...

Lena Langdon (04/30/08)
Lena Langdon, 87, of Piggott died Friday, April 25, 2008, at her home. She was born Jan. 13, 1921, in Parma, Mo., the daughter of the late William Samuel and Hallie Jane Maxwell Romine. She was united in marriage to Fred Langdon on Aug. 14, 1937...

Chalmers Lorance (04/22/08)
Chalmers Lorance, 97, a native of Rector, died Feb. 14, 2008, of a stroke. He was born Dec. 15, 1910, in Rector, the ninth child of George Lewis and Rebecca Cordella Lorance. He was preceded in death by his wife, Esther, in 1984 and by a daughter, Betty Jane Harrison, in 1973. He practiced pharmacy for 60 years...

Kathy Ann Tilmon (04/22/08)
Kathy Ann Tilmon, 46, of Greenway and formerly of Braggadocio, Mo., died Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at the Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center at Kennett. She was born June 9, 1961, in Hayti, the daughter of Jack Lawhorn and Delores Moyers Gray. She married John Tilmon June 25, 1995, in Braggadocio...

Robert Donald "Bob" Cranford (04/22/08)
Longtime Rector community leader Robert Donald "Bob" Cranford, 83, died Tuesday, April 15, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. Cranford was a faithful member of the Rector community for 61 years, serving on the Rector School Board, the Rector Housing Authority from its conception and 20 years with the Rector Volunteer Fire Department...

Frederick Liddell (Freddie) Jones (04/14/08)
Frederick Liddell (Freddie) Jones, 56, of Paragould, formerly of Rector, died Thursday, April 10, 2008, at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis. He was born Feb. 29, 1952, in Kennett, Mo. He was preceded in death by his father and his mothers, Liddell Jones, Mercede (Melrose) Jones and Amelia (Melrose) Jones...

Erna Lou Easton (04/14/08)
Erna Lou Easton, 80, of Paragould died Saturday, April 12, 2008, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was a member of the Blue Cross General Baptist Church and was a nurse for 33 years at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center...

Betty Marie Cate (04/14/08)
Betty Marie Cate, 74, of Corning, died Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. Born Oct. 5, 1933, in Palatka, Ark., to the late Johnnie Poyner and Nora (Collins) Poyner, she was a homemaker, a 50-year member of Hickoria Missionary Baptist Church and a current member of Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Corning, where she was a Bible Scholar and Sunday School teacher. ...

Kim Alan Farmer (04/14/08)
Kim Alan Farmer, 43, of Marmaduke died Saturday, April 12, 2008, at his home. He was born Nov. 19, 1964, to Bobby and Frances (Crouch) Farmer in St. Louis. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and did taxidermy in his spare time...

Robert D. "Bob" Cranford (04/14/08)
Robert D. "Bob" Cranford, 83, of Rector died Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He came to Rector from Bald Knob, where he grew up, and worked for a time at Irby Funeral Home. He later went to work at the Bank of Rector, from which he retired a few years ago...

Geraldine "Gerrie" Coats Runft (04/09/08)
Geraldine "Gerrie" Coats Runft, 84, of Dickson, Tenn., formerly of Springville, Tenn., died Thursday, April 3, 2008, at her home. Born May 23, 1923, in Rector to the late Lidge and Hazel Frets Coats, she was a member of the Walnut Street Church of Christ in Dickson. ...

Louise Barker Merrill (04/09/08)
Louise Barker Merrill, 87, of Albuquerque, N.M., formerly of Rector, died Saturday, April 5, 2008, in Albuquerque. Born Dec. 26, 1920, in Rector, she had worked as a church bookkeeper. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Carrie (Arment) Barker; her husband, Paul Merrill, and one son, James Merrill...

Dr. Donald Jones (04/09/08)
Dr. Donald Jones, 68, of Rector died Monday, April 7, 2008, at his home. Dr. Jones was born Sept. 26, 1939, to the late John Donald and Vera (Williams) Jones. He was preceded in death by his wife, Denise G.M. Jones...

Kathy Ann Tilmon (04/23/08)
Kathy Ann Tilmon, 46, of Greenway and formerly of Braggadocio, Mo., died Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at the Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center at Kennett. She was born June 9, 1961, in Hayti, the daughter of Jack Lawhorn and Delores Moyers Gray. She married John Tilmon June 25, 1995, in Braggadocio...

Hazel Pillow Johnson (04/23/08)
Hazel Pillow Johnson, 92, of Berkley, Mich., died Monday, April 14, 2008, at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan. She was born June 4, 1915, in Pollard to the late Rev. Samuel Pillow and Nora Johnson Pillow. She was united in marriage to the late Ruel Leslie Johnson Dec. 25, 1936 and the couple had three children. She had been a resident of Berkley since 1947...

Lura Mable Turman (04/19/08)
Lura Mable Turman, 91, of Hot Springs died Saturday, April 12, 2008. She was born Jan. 19, 1917, at Piggott, to Rolla Throgmorton and Janie (Brandon) Throgmorton. She was a beautician for over 40 years, working until she was 82 years of age, and was a member of Aldridge Road Church of Christ. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ellsworth Truman; her parents, and 10 siblings...

Rena Smith (04/19/08)
Rena Smith, 92, of Piggott died Tuesday, April 8, 2008, in the Heritage Nursing Center in Kennett. She was born Dec. 10, 1915, in Malden, the daughter of the late Jack and Vera Williams Edwards. She was preceded in death by a grandson, Steve Edwards...

Mary Morrison (04/19/08)
Mary Morrison, 92, of Corning died Sunday, April 13, 2008 at The Meadows in Corning. She enjoyed quilting, gardening and visiting with friends at the senior citizens center. She was a member of the McDougal Church of Christ...

Betty Marie Cate (04/19/08)
Betty Marie Cate, 74, of Corning died Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at the Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was born Oct. 5, 1933 in Palatka, Ark. She was a homemaker and enjoyed gardening, quilting and sewing. ...

Eunice Nola Harris (04/19/08)
Eunice Nola Harris, 93, of Piggott, died Monday, March 31, 2008, in the Murphy Health and Rehabilitation Center in Piggott. She was born April 3, 1914, in Salem, Ark., the daughter of the late Joseph and Roxie Tucker Newberry...

Velna Winton Davis (04/19/08)
Velna Winton Davis, 96, of Piggott, died Friday, April 4, 2008, in the Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Nov. 25, 1911, in Piggott, the daughter of the late Elbert Royall and Letha Carpenter Winton...

Lawrence Beckwith (04/19/08)
Lawrence Beckwith, 82, of Union, Miss., died Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at Laird Hospital in Union. He was born Sept. 11, 1925, in Pollard, the son of the late James and Dottie Ball Beckwith. He was also preceded in death by three sisters, Zora Ray, Dovie Yow and Sara Lee Starks, and a brother, Franklin Beckwith...

Willie Walker Pratt (04/02/08)
Willie Walker Pratt, 82, of Rector died Thursday, March 27, 2008, in Kennett, Mo. Born Oct. 15, 1925, in Cardwell, Mo., to the late W.W. Pratt and Katie Shatley Pratt, he was a carpenter and had lived all his life in this area. He was of the Pentecostal faith...

Maxine Elizabeth Maynard (04/02/08)
Maxine Elizabeth Maynard of Little Rock, a native of Clay County, died Sunday, March 30, 2008. She was born Oct. 15, 1913, in Piggott to the late B.P. and Mable Atkison. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, the Rev. C.S. Maynard, and six brothers and two sisters...

Donald Franklin Armstrong (04/02/08)
Donald Franklin Armstrong, 55, of Little Rock, brother of Rev. Roger Armstrong of Rector, died Friday, March 7, 2008. He was a retired elder in the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Born Feb. 11, 1953, in Rolla, Mo., he was the third son of Lyle and Elizabeth Armstrong. He grew up in Little Rock and attended Winfield United Methodist Church, where he first felt the call to ministry at age seven. He was licensed to preach in 1973 and gave his first sermon at Winfield...

Leonard R. Settlemire (04/02/08)
Leonard R. Settlemire, 48, of Rector died Thursday, March 27, 2008, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born July 13, 1959, in Kennett, Mo., to Georgie Pauline Settlemire and the late Cecil Settlemire, he was a farmer, a lifelong member of the community and of the General Baptist faith...

Carolyn June Flaaen (04/02/08)
Carolyn June Flaaen, 64, of Rush Hill, Mo., died March 23, 2008, at the Audrain Medical Center in Mexico, Mo. She was born July 25, 1942, in Pollard, the daughter of the late Willard and Osa Mae Matchett Forrest. Survivors include a son, Adrain Thrasher of Clinton, Ill.; a daughter, Donna Morey of Rush Hill, Mo.; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren, and many other relatives and friends...

Alza Girtue Kirk Hil (04/02/08)
Alza Girtue Kirk Hill was born Nov. 17, 1906, in Randolph County near Eleven Points to J.R. and Birdie Kirk. She died Monday, March 24, 2008, in Randolph Home at the age of 101. She was the oldest of nine children and was preceded in death by both parents; two sisters, Alva Gearhart and Louise Luter; five brothers, Theodore, Thaniel, Thadis, Troy and Louis Kirk; three grandsons, infant Hale, Denny Hill and Zachary Hill; two sons, James Hill and Johnny Hill. ...

Ruby H. Huffman (04/02/08)
Ruby H. Huffman, 71, of Greenway, died Wednesday, March 26, 2008, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. She was born Aug. 18, 1936, the daughter of the late Clarence Mack and Erma Bell Huffman. She was a member of the Greenway Baptist Church in Greenway...

James D. "Jim" Jordan (04/02/08)
James D. "Jim" Jordan, 77, of Piggott died Monday, March 24, 2008, in the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born Aug. 10, 1930, the son of the late Dorris and Lena Easley Jordan. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sue Jordan; two sisters, Betty Lou Jordan and Geraldine Jordan, and a brother, George Jordan...

James Ora "Orie" Smart (04/02/08)
James Ora "Orie" Smart, 93, of Memphis, formerly of Piggott, died Monday, March 31, 2008, in Memphis. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the South Thornton Street Church of Christ in Piggott. Burial will be in the Woodland Heights Cemetery at Rector...

Sandra Kay Blume (04/02/08)
Sandra Kay Blume, 64, of House Springs, Mo., died Monday, March 24, 2008, at her home. Born Aug. 18, 1943, in St. Louis, to the late Herbert Peter and Vera M. (Moeller) Schmidt, she had worked as a real estate agent, as well as performed numerous duties as a housewife. She was married to Jerome Blume on Aug. 19, 1977 in Clayton, Mo...

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