Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland And Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas
Emil Joseph Eisen
Emil Joseph Eisen, 89, of Clarksville died Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010, at his home.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he was a son of the late Emil and Elizabeth Eisen, graduate of Ohio State University, World War II veteran having served with General Patton's third Army, director of admissions for Capital University in Ohio, production control for Donaldson's Bakery, director of sanitation for the city of Louisville, Ky., retired city government employee after several years of service, and a volunteer for the Service Corps of Retired Executives and a Kentucky Colonel.
Survivors include his wife of 38 years, Ruth Hartley Eisen of Sevierville, Tenn.; two daughters, Margot Eisen McLeod of Clarksville and Linda Devereoux of Sevierville, Tenn.; one son, Geoffrey Emil Eisen of Evanston, Ill.; three granddaughters, Kimberly McKinny and Elizabeth Smith of St. Augustine, Fla., and Amy Belcoourt of Bethel, Conn.; and nine great-grandchildren.
Crematory arrangements were under the direction of Roller-Cox Funeral Home.
JoAnn Griffith
JoAnn Griffith, 70, of Clarksville died Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, at Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith.
She was a native of Ogden, daughter of the late Noah and Pauline Acord Tong, widow of Kenneth Griffith Sr., and member of Second Baptist Church.
She is survived by one daughter, Jolena Tollison and husband, Paul, of Clarksville; two sons, Robert Griffith and wife, June, of Lamar and Edward Griffith Jr. and wife, Cathy, of Atlanta, Ga.; one sister, Helen Gipson of Clarksville; one brother, Jimmy Tong of Clarksville; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Funeral was at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct, 25, at Hardwicke Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Tom Dicus officiating. Burial was in Kendall cemetery near Hartman.
Active pallbearers were Noah Tong, James Ray Smith, Travis Johnson, James W. Smith, Dale Hubbard, and J.D. Hubbard.
Honorary pallbearers were Donald Rossiter, Robert Bartlett, James Goodman, Luke Sexton, Don Galvin, and John Smith.
Kathleen Webb
Kathleen Emily Webb, 59, of Dover, mother of Andy Albert Cox of Coal Hill, died Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010, in Clarksville.
She was a native of San Francisco, Calif., member of the Rogers-Rye Veterans of Foreign War Post 2283 Ladies Auxiliary, and was preceded in death by her father, Albert Croxin; and mother and stepfather, Lela Mae (McGuire) and Adriane Self.
Survivors include her husband, Thomas Darrell Webb; two other sons, Brian Darrell Webb of Benton and Donald Alan Cox of Dover; one daughter, Heather Leanna Moore of Dover; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral was at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Lemley Funeral Service Chapel with burial in Forehand cemetery.
William (Bill) Coats
William (Bill) Coats, 83, of Clarksville died Friday, Oct. 22, 2010, at Johnson Regional Medical Center.
He was a native of Clarksville, graduate of Clarksville High School, member of Second Baptist Church, retired communication supervisor at Arkansas State Police Troop J, and preceded in death by his wife, Linnie Williams Coats.
Survivors include one daughter, Saunnie Thompson of Woodward, Okla.; one grandson, Robert Cody Thompson of Woodward, Okla.; and one cousin, Leon Clinton of Huntsville.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at Second Baptist Church in Clarksville with Rev. Tom Dicus officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Hardwicke Funeral Home.
Sam Laser
On the 21st day of October, 2010, at the age of 90 years, 9 months and 21 days Sam Laser of Little Rock, Arkansas died after a career and life equaled by few.
Born in Clarksville, Arkansas on December 22, 1919, Sam was educated in the public schools in Clarksville and Little Rock and graduated from Little Rock High School in 1937. After graduating from High School Sam attended Little Rock Junior College from 1937-1939 (where he was the captain of the basketball team) and then to the University of Arkansas School of Law until December 7, 1941 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. While serving in the Navy from 1941 through December of 1945, Sam survived the sinking of the Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway in 1942. He was discharged in December of 1945 as a Lt USNR. Not only did Sam serve with distinction during World War II he was the recipient of medals along with 3 Battle Star Medals.
After discharge from the Navy, Sam returned from the War to finish his last year of Law School at the University of Arkansas and in 1947 graduated with an LLB Degree. While in Law School Sam was on the Academic Honor Roll, a member of the Editorial Board of the Law Review, Blue Key National Honor Society, Delta Beta Phi legal fraternity, and Kappa Sigma Social Fraternity.
After Graduation, Sam was admitted to practice law in the Arkansas State Courts and the Federal Courts and began a practice of law that lasted until he retired in 2008. Not only did Sam Laser belong to the Pulaski County, Arkansas, and American Bar Associations, he served as President of the Young Lawyers and on numerous Bar Association committees. Sam also taught at the Arkansas Law School, and was an Honorary member of the William Overton Inn of Court.
Sam was known from the time he began practice as a talented and hard working trial lawyer, and in 1952 he founded the Laser Law Firm, where he practiced until 2008 and was the Senior Partner in the Laser Law Firm. Sam received many and diverse honors during his sixty plus years of practice. Worthy of exceptional note, his peers have voted him one of “The Best Lawyers in America” in a publication of that name since its inception in 1983. In 2004 Sam received the Outstanding Lawyer Award by the Arkansas Bar Association. In 2010 the Pulaski County Bar Association honored him with the Sydney McMath Award and has perennially been included in the Arkansas Times polls of Best lawyers in Arkansas. To say that Sam Laser was successful in his chosen profession is a gross understatement.
Sam’s friends and legal accomplishments are legion, he was loved for his ability, wit, and honesty.
Sam, however, did not limit his activities to the law; he was a devoted member of the Westover Hill Presbyterian Church, and was a past Elder, past president of the Synod of Arkansas member of the church, served on church Boards at the State and National levels, and had recently became a devoted member of the Dick Hardy Sunday School class and Wednesday Men’s Bible Study Group.
Since Sam reported on board of USS Yorktown on December 6, 1941, he has been devoted to the Navy and his fellow servicemen. Indeed, all of Sam’s adult life he has been a patriot who contributed to his country in combat, war, and peace. After World War II Sam was an active member of the “Yorktown Survivors, ”and spoke often and well at military and patriotic gatherings throughout our nation; the last of which this year in Clinton, Arkansas on Veteran’s Day. At 90, Sam could still make a speech that made your heart race and your toe tap.
In 2000, Sam returned for another reunion. In 1942, as a young enlisted man while serving on board the Yorktown he visited the Island nation of Tonga; when he left, he told the people of the Tonga he would return. Sure enough, in June of 2000 he and Anne journeyed to Tonga and were guests of the King. Return he did, and he, Anne and the people of Tonga all had a grand time.
Sam’s life was filled with adventures, hard work, and service, but his devotion to animal of all kinds brought him great pleasure just as it brought a better life to the dogs and horses he owned and those his contributions assisted. Long a lover of horses and a fan of racing, Sam was a past President of the 55, 000 member of the Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Association, member of the Association’s National Executive Committee, Chairman of the National Board of Directors, a long time member of Humane Society, and loving “person” of Satchmo, Mabel and Ruby.
Sam was the mentor of many and the friend of many more; he loved and was loved by Senators, Governors, janitors, lawyers, and folks on the street; he spoke at Veteran Day meetings, gatherings for friends, church and more juries than can be remembered. His courage in War, before the Bar and as a citizen will long be remembered.
Sam is survived by his wife Anne Cockrill Laser, his children: Alvin Laser and his wife, Carolyn of Arkadelphia, Arkansas; Phyllis Glaze and her husband, retired Associate Justice Tom Glaze of North Little Rock, Arkansas; Mary Sue Brewer and her husband, Randy of Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Beth Ann Morris and her husband, John of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Toran Hayes and her husband, Keith of Benton, Arkansas; Kimberly VanHoozer and her husband, Jay of Senatobia, Mississippi; Samuel York Laser of Great Falls, Montana; and Sterling Warnock of Little Rock, Arkansas. He is survived by 17 grandchildren: Brooks, Sarah, Paige, Joshua, Ashley, Katie, Matt, Madison, Tyler, Austin, Calliann, Ryan, Duncan, Kathy Anne, Samantha Jewelle, Stone, and Peyton and 8 great-grandchildren.
Visitation was at Ruebel Funeral Home, 6313 West Markham, Little Rock on Sunday, October 24, 2010 from 6-8 p.m. Funeral services were held at Westover Hills Presbyterian Church on Monday, October 25, 2010 at 10 a.m. Burial followed at 3 p.m. at Oakland cemetery, in Clarksville, Arkansas. The family especially thanks Sweet Pea, Arkansas Heart Hospital and the Gentiva Home Health Care Services.
Pallbearers will be: Bob McHenry, Ray Cannon, Lee Thalheimer, Gail Matthews, John Eberle, William H. Jett, Gene Minor, Ted Boswell, Bruce Munson, Fred Ursery, E.C. (Bubba) Benton Jr., Sid Dabbs, Ray Baxter, Gary Eubanks and Don Ryan. Honorary pallbearers: Governor Mike Beebe, Bob Wray, Judge Tom Glaze, David Laser, Sterling Cockrill, Bill Bowen, Warner Reed, Lou Rauton, Weldon Davis, Rex Lynn, Maurice Mitchell; Laser Law Firm partners and associates; and past and present judges in state and federal courts and Arkansas Bar members.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Humane Society of Pulaski County, 14600 Colonel Glen Rd, Little Rock, AR 72210; Westover Hills Presbyterian Hills Church; Department of Athletics UALR, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock, AR 72204; 6400 Richard B. Hardy Dr., Little Rock, AR 72207; Sam Laser Scholarship UALR William H. Bowen School of Law, 1201 Mc Math Ave., Little Rock, AR 72202 or the charity of your choice. Arrangements under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home.
Mrs. Brenda Galloway
Mrs. Brenda Allison Galloway, 89, formerly of Clarksville, died Wednesday, Dec. 22, 1999, at Legacy Lodge Nursing Home in Russellville.
A native of Mohawk, Okla., she was a daughter of the late John Thomas and Lilian Goldsmith Allison, who immigrated to the United States from Yorkshire, England, in 1907. She attended public school in Clarksville, graduated in 1933 from St. Joseph's School of Nursing in Hot Springs and was a public health nurse in Marion County from 1933-35 before returning to Clarksville where she was employed for 30 years as a registered nurse. She was the widow of Truman C. Galloway, member of the First United Methodist Church, and was preceded in death by three sisters, Lilian Wilson and Isobel Taylor of Clarksville and Bertha Ingram of Long Beach, Calif., and two brothers, Norman Allison and Tom Allison of Clarksville.
Survivors include one son and daughter-in-law, Dr. William W. and Judy Galloway of Russellville; one daughter and son-in-law, Sylvia and Jim Butler of Little Rock; one grandson, James Bradley Butler, a student at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville; one sister, Beatrice Jacks of Monticello; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral was at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 27, at the First United Methodist Church in Clarksville with Rev. Lowell Eaton officiating.
Burial was in Oakland cemetery under the direction of Hardwicke Funeral Home.
Pallbearers were Garner Taylor Jr., Ron Taylor, John Patterson, James Mark Harkreader, Joe Johnston, and Eddie Brinks.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church Building Fund, P. O. Box 535, Clarksville, AR 72830.
