Stories from Thursday, November 3, 2011

Junior "Pal" Purl, 73, of Piggott, Ark., passed away Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011, at the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott, Ark. He was born on Nov. 11, 1937, in Bardley, Mo., and was the son of the late Elvie and Mae Wallice Purl. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, two sons, a daughter, one daughter-in-law and one granddaughter...

Eunice Delaney, 83, of Piggott, passed away Oct. 31, 2011, at Belle Meade Healthcare in Paragould. She was born June 5, 1928, to the late John Edgar Riley and Myrtle Marie (Maham) Riley in Mountain Grove, Mo. Eunice married Truman Delaney on Sept. 8, 1947, in Corning. The couple had six children...

Ann Orey, 69, of Pollard, Ark., passed away Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. She was born on Jan. 8, 1942, and was the daughter of the late Roland and Irene Lawson Barnes. She was united in marriage to Phillip Orey in October 1978...

Willard Doyle Jenkins, 76, of Piggott passed away Oct. 25, 2011, at the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born Sept. 9, 1935, to the late Carl and Lorene (Benson) Jenkins in Missouri. Preceding Doyle in death were his parents and a sister, Elaine Jenkins...

Jimmy Howell, 69, of Piggott, Ark., passed away Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011, at the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011, in the Hoggard & Sons Chapel. Burial is in Piggott Cemetery. Hoggard & Sons Funeral Home of Piggott, Ark., is in charge of the arrangements. Visitation is at 5 p.m. Wednesday...

Earnest Wayne "Toots" Bell, 78, of Piggott, Ark., passed away Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011, at his home in Piggott. He was born on Nov. 1, 1932, in Piggott, Ark., and was the son of the late Elmer Clarence and Lennie Underwood Bell. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Rueben Bell and Billy Bell...

While browsing through a catalog this week, it struck me that few of the models depicted in the publication resemble anyone I know. The slender, willowy, curvaceous models couldn't weigh over 100 pounds soaking wet. They are gorgeous, small-waisted and disgustingly young with long slender legs...

Rector Elementary School students crowded into the school's multi-purpose room last week to enthusiastically pledge to live a drug-free lifestyle during the annual Red Ribbon Week. As the elementary children entered for the big rally, high school gifted and talented (GT) students formed a drug free spirit line to reinforce a drug free message to all of the elementary students. ...

As a survivor of breast cancer, Kristi Fuller has been an inspiration to many in the area through sharing her experiences battling the life-threatening illness. Fuller now can share her personal experiences with even more in their time of need as a Hero of Hope. ...

Several Greenway residents turned out for a public meeting Thursday, Oct. 27, to voice their concerns about the status of the town's post office. The meeting, held at the Greenway Church of Christ, was overseen by United States Postal Service district supervisor Terrie Shepherd...

Music has always been a part of Steven Sigsby's life, and those who know him best are keenly aware of the massive amount of knowledge he has about professional musicians and popular bands. If you're playing Trivial Pursuit or need to phone a friend to win a million dollars, he's your man...

The Junior Cougars wound down their 2011 season Thursday night in Rector on a cold, wet Temerian Field. The highlights were limited for the hosts, though, as the speedy Marked Tree Junior Indians ran away with a 38-0 win on the night. Marked Tree set the tone early, scoring all their points in the first two quarters...

The Piggott Lady Mohawks rode a strong surge, including eight wins in their final 10 contests, to the Class 3A State Tournament in Paris, Arkansas on Tuesday, Oct. 25. When only the best teams remain, everyone who takes the court is very good and making a deep postseason is always difficult...

A total of 16 seniors were recognized for their invaluable efforts during the pre-game festivities of Friday's Senior Night event at Parker Field in Piggott. Senior football players Zach Redmon, Gage Langley, J. T. Wilson, Keifer Gunn, Collin Speer and Spencer Coomer, along with manager Paul Dalton, cheerleaders Alex Scheffler, Kaela Cox, Taylor Covert, Emily Graddy, Kailyn Conley and Kelsey Grissom and PHS Marching Mohawks members Shawna Malone, Eric Black, Travis Laughlin, Austin Blankenship, Kelli Wierzbicki, Emily Seal, Haley Foster, Audrey Nettles and Anna Nettles were honored prior to the start of the Mohawks' contest with Earle. ...

The Second Annual Rector High School Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic will be Dec. 2-3, 2011, and is stacking up to be a very exciting event. The RHSSHOF Board of Directors is happy about this opportunity to show their enthusiasm and support of their hometown school's athletes and sports program. For hoops fans, this event will provide an opportunity to see four Arkansas schools and three neighboring Missouri schools...

The Junior Mohawks capped off a strong 2011 campaign in great fashion Thursday night, dismantling the rival Corning Junior Bobcats 42-0 in Piggott. The Junior Mohawks went to work early on the strength of their powerful rushing attack. A huge effort by Eli Smith was the highlight of the Piggott offense, which had no trouble on the evening. ...