Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1972
Virgil Dale Chew
Virgil Dale Chew, 74, of Bella Vista, Ark., died Jan. 28, 2005, at his home. He was born July 30, 1930, in Petosky, Mich., to Leroy Myrton Chew and Eunice Cooper Chew.
He was raised and educated in Petosky. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1950 to 1954 during the Korean conflict aboard the Destroyer USS Watts 567. He married Diana Giuliani on Dec. 5, 1953, in Highwood, Ill. He was an operating engineer with Local 150 in Illinois for 25 years. He and his wife lived in Gurnee, Ill., until 1987, when he retired and the couple moved to Menomini, Mich. They moved to Bella Vista in 1997 from Menomini. He attended the Bella Vista Assembly of God Church. He was an avid fisherman and golfer.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Cleo Chew and Harold Chew; and a grandson, Michael James Chew.
Survivors include his wife, Diana Chew; two sons and daughters-in-law, Mike Chew and Cindy Chew of Rockford, Ill., and Adam Chew and Patricia Chew of Kenosha, Wis.; a daughter and son-in-law, Donna Greathouse and James Greathouse of Jacksonville, Fla.; a sister, Julia Padgett of Bentonville, Ark.; 13 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
No services are planned at this time.
Arrangements are by the Bella Vista Funeral Home and Crematory.
Donald L. Gamm
He married Darlene Weidemann on June 20, 1954. He retired from Northwestern Bell after 33 years of service and moved to Bella Vista, where he began his second career as owner/broker of a real-estate agency and later owned an estate-auction business. He was a Korean War veteran. He was active in the American Legion and was a lifetime member in Hinton, Iowa; was active in the Shrines, helping crippled children; was a 32nd degree Mason; and served on many committees in his local church. He and his wife recently moved to Beaumont from Arkansas, and he was an active member of the Redeemer Lutheran Church.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Darlene Gamm; a son and daughter-in-law, Darwin Gamm and Martha Gamm of Dakota Dunes, S.D.; a daughter and son-in-law, Deanna Courts and Dwight Courts of Beaumont; three grandchildren, Emily Gamm, Alison Gamm and Dustin Courts; a brother, Ted Gamm of Wabashaw, Minn.; and three sisters, Evelyn Brown of Nokomis, Fla., and LaVon Biederman and Dorothy Nesteby, both of Elkader, Iowa.
Funeral services were held Jan. 31 at the Forest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Fred Kelm.
Burial was at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Memorials may be made to the Hinton Scholarship Fund, to the Shriners Transportation Fund or to Redeemer Lutheran Church in Beaumont.
Geneva Alice Akers Kneale
She moved to Bentonville in November 1976. She was a retired secretary, and worked for Deep Rock Oil, Sunray Oil and Apache Oil Corp. in Tulsa. A charter member of St. Theodore's Episcopal Church in Bella Vista, Ark., she served on the Building Committee, the Altar Guild, St. Anne's Guild, the Vicar's Council and on the Vestry for three years. She volunteered with the Women's Hospital Auxiliary at King Edward Hospital in Bermuda.
She was a member of the Bella Vista Women's 9-Hole Golf Association and was a pairings chairman; was a charter member of the Republican Women's Club in Bella Vista; and was a member of Sigma Kappa at Hill's Business University in Oklahoma City.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Adelbert "Dell" Kneale Jr.; a son, Stephen Kneale; a sister, Clella Day; and two brothers, Edward Akers and William C. Akers.
Survivors include two daughters, Carolyn Kneale of Oaks, Texas, and Marilyn Aquilar of Dallas, Texas; and three grandsons, Charles Scott, Zachery Scott and Douglas Gilfillan.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, at St. Theodore's Episcopal Church in Bella Vista, Ark., with Father Edwin Sisk.
Burial will be at the Bentonville Cemetery in Bentonville, Ark.
Arrangements are by Benton County Funeral Home of Rogers, Ark.
Memorials may be made to St. Theodore's Episcopal Church, 1001 Kingsland Road, Bella Vista, AR 72714.
Roy Carlton Pierce
Roy Carlton Pierce, 62, of Rogers, Ark., died Jan. 27, 2005, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fayetteville, Ark. He was born June 27, 1942, in Columbus, Ohio, to Roy Carlton Pierce Sr. and Audrey Marie Pierce.
He was a U.S. Army veteran. He enjoyed woodworking and collecting baseball cards.
Survivors include his wife, Janice Pierce; a son and daughter-in-law, Jeffrey Pierce and Louise Pierce of Bella Vista, Ark.; and two daughters, Donna Jean Pierce of Bentonville, Ark., and Kellie Rose Pierce of Rogers.
Graveside funeral services were held Jan. 31 at the Benton County Memorial Park in Rogers.
Memorials may be made to the Samaritan House, 1211 Hudson Road, Rogers, AR 72756.
Ruby Presley
Ruby Presley, 84, of Bella Vista, Ark., died Jan. 11, 2005, at Concordia Care Center in Bella Vista. She was born July 7, 1920, in Marble, Ark., to Clarence Elzey and Ruth Spradling Elzey.
She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Bella Vista; the United Methodist Quilters, which she helped to organize in September 1982; the Homesteaders Club; and the Questers Club in Bella Vista. She was an avid antique collector, with quilts and rolling pins the major items in her collections.
Survivors include her husband, Glen Presley; two sons and daughters-in-law, Glenn Scott Presley and Lynda Presley of Larned, Kan., and John R. Presley and Diana L. Presley of Dodge City, Kan.; a sister, Rea Laird of Hindsville, Ark.; two grandsons; two granddaughters; a niece; and a stepsister.
A memorial service was held Jan. 28 at the First United Methodist Church of Bella Vista with the Rev. Wayne Bartruff.
Arrangements are by the Bella Vista Funeral Home and Crematory.
Philip Beckmann
Philip Beckmann, 84, of Bella Vista, Ark., died Jan. 7. A memorial service is planned for Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. at Abundant Life Ministries, 12993 Peach Orchard Rd., Bentonville, Ark.
Othello 'O.J.' Budd
Othello "O.J." Budd, 87, of Bella Vista, Ark., died March 10, 2005, at his home. He was born Jan. 7, 1918, in Hepler, Kan., to Charles A. Budd and Lena E. McKeehen Budd.
He was a World War II veteran, serving in the U.S. Army in the European Theater for three years. He graduated from Emporia (Kan.) State University with a bachelor of science degree and from Colorado University with a master of education degree.
He married Mary Lou Edwards on Nov. 24, 1945, in Emporia, Kan. The couple moved to Bella Vista from Wichita, Kan., in 1982. He was a teacher, coach and school administrator for 39 years in Kansas, the last 29 years in the Wichita Public Schools. He was a past president of the Emporia State Alumni Association; charter president of Delta Phi Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, an international fraternity for professional educators at Wichita State University; a member of the Kansas Administrators Club; and a life member of the National Education Association.
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Bella Vista, the Men's Club and the Bella Vista 9-Hole Golf Association. He served in his church for four years as chairman of the Finance Committee during the planning and building of the church addition. He was secretary of the Men's Club and served on other committees.
He was preceded in death by three brothers.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Lou Budd; two sons, Phillip Gordon Budd of Pine, Colo., and Dr. David Kent Budd of Springfield, Mo.; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 20 Boyce Drive, Bella Vista, AR 72714.
