Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland And Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas
Jim Erickson
James Hugh Erickson, age 65, a resident of De Queen, died Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006 in the Christus St. Michael Health System.
He was born June 27, 1941 at Devils Lake, N.D to Hugh Anthony and Georgia Ault Erickson and was a former employee of Pilgrims Pride.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by two sons, Jim Erickson Jr. of Gresham, Ore. and Mike Erickson of Vancouver, Wash.; one daughter, Karen Beeching of Bessemen, Ala.; his step-father, Ronald Rhyan of Spring Lake Park, Minn.; two sisters, Carol Chandler of De Queen and Phyllis Hakala of Coon Rapids, Minn.; six grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 in the Chandler Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. J.L. Walker officiating. Burial followed in Ft. Dodge, Iowa.
Bettye Jane Ray
Mrs. Bettye Jane Waits Ray, age 74, a resident of De Queen, Arkansas, died Tuesday, September 5, 2006 in Christus St. Michael Healthcare System in Texarkana, Texas.
She was born April 22, 1932 in De Queen, Arkansas. She and Mr. Jerry Wayne Ray were married
in De Queen on August 3, 1952 at the home of her parents, Mr. John Wesley and Mrs. Bertha Eldora Jackson Waits. Bettye was a devout Christian, a loving wife for over 54 years, and the loving mother of five children.
Mrs. Ray is survived by her husband, Jerry W. Ray of De Queen; four sons: Michael Wayne Ray of De Queen, Patrick Felton Ray of Denver, Colorado, Timothy Lee Ray of Silt, Colorado, and Mark Wesley Ray of De Queen; one daughter, Molly Jayne Ray Grant of De Queen; one sister and brother-in-law, Mr. Earl Eugene "Buddy" and Mrs. Della Bonita Slaton of Lockesburg, Arkansas; one sister-in-law, Angie Terissa Giugliano Waits of San Antonio, Texas; seven grandchildren: Lynn Michelle Ray, Amy Nicole Ray, Sabrina Marie Ray, Michael Wayne Ray, Jr., Becky Jo Ray, Julie Louise Ray, and Jeremiah Dean Grant; and a number of great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Ray were held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 8, 2006 in the Wilkerson Funeral Home Chapel in De Queen with Tony Bob Ray officiating. Burial followed in the Clear Creek cemetery, under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home.
The family received friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, September 7th, at the funeral home in De Queen.
Ruth L. Jackson
Mrs. Ruth L. Jackson, age 88, a resident of Horatio, died Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006 in the Christus St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, Texas.
She was born June 24, 1918 in Ben Lomond to Charlie and Lucie Spicer Jackson, was a former employee of Pilgrims Pride and a member of the Assembly of God Church in Horatio.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Isaac J. Jackson on Feb. 3, 2001; and one daughter, Relda Shrouder.
She is survived by two sons, Richard Jackson and Jim Jackson, both of Horatio; two daughters, Sue Fitzhugh of Horatio and Vinita Sanders of Texarkana; and three grandchildren.
Graveside funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8 in the Horatio cemetery with Rev. J.L. Walker officiating, under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home.
Joe Boyles
Joe "Dip" Boyles, age 66, a resident of De Queen, died Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006 in the De Queen Hospital.
He was born June 26, 1939 in Eagletown, Okla. to Joe and Luellar Warner Boyles. He attended West Scott School later moving to L.A. Calif. at the age of 15. He retired from Lockhead Martin.
He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, one brother, one son and one grandson.
He is survived by his five sisters: Mary Smith, Bettye Boyles and Marcia Boyles all of De Queen; Earle (Harry) McRoyal of Grand Prairie, Texas, Frankie Motley of Cleveland, Ohio; one brother David Boyles of Ontario, Calif.; one half sister Elmer Jane Kennon of Oklahoma City, Okla.; four sons: Joe Nathan, Anthony, Kenney and Steven Joe all of California; one daughter, Maruel Jo of Oklahoma City; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Services were held 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at Lewis Temple Church, De Queen with Rev. E.A. Edwards officiating. Burial followed in the Eagletown Cemetary under the direction of Moore's Funeral Home.
Visitation was from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the church.
Mrs. Joan Cook
Mrs. Joan Elizabeth Cook, age 71, resident of De Queen, died Monday, February 6, 2006 at her home.
She was born on November 24, 1934 in Shirley, New Jersey. She was a homemaker, and enjoyed art, painting, and sewing. She was a member of the V.F.W. Auxiliary, where she served as past president.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Mary Edythe and Kerwin Reves Crispin, and in 2005, her husband, Joe C. Cook.
She is survived by one son, and daughter-in-law, Lawrence and Emma Cook of Winthrop, Ark.; one daughter and son-in-law, Elaine and Paul Lewis of De Queen; two half-brothers, Carl Crispin of Bridgeton, New Jersey, and David J. Crispin of Stansbury Park, Utah; one step-sister, Betty Jean Morrison of Newark, Delaware; eight grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and a number of nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for Mrs. Joan Cook were held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 11, 2006 in the Chandler Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Homer Frachiseur officiating. Burial followed in the Chapel Hill cemetery.
The family received friends at the funeral home on Friday, Feb. 10th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Otis W. Bush
Otis W. Bush, age 75, a resident of Winthrop, died Sunday, Feb. 12, 2006 in the Little River Nursing Home in Ashdown.
He was born April 6, 1930 in Winthrop to James H. and Birtie Pond Bush, was a machine operator for Nakoosa Paper and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict.
He is survived by his wife, Carol A. Bryson Bush; his children, Sally Cortez of Chino Hills, Calif., Steven Bush of Union, MO. and Christine Yarnell of Texarkana, Texas; one sister, Opal Hyatt of Texarkana, Texas; one brother W.A. Bush of Ashdown; and two granddaughters.
Cremation arrangements were under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home. No services are scheduled.
Rosamond McDonald
Rosamond Belle Enoch McDonald, beloved wife of the late Thomas Edwin McDonald and mother of Carolyn Ann Bural of Elmore City, Oklahoma, and Thomas Edwin McDonald, Jr., of Los Alamos, New Mexico, as well as grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of nine passed away peacefully on Monday, July 11, 2005 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. She was 102 and had lived a long, productive, eventful, and God-filled life.
She was a modern woman before that designation became fashionable. She finished her secondary education and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, which was very uncommon at that time. She had two careers, the first, over 30 years as a school teacher and, the second, 10 years as a successful farm owner and manager. She was an accomplished pianist and loved to sing. She attended church regularly, volunteered her time to civic organizations, sewed, quilted, knitted, and read. And, in addition, she raised a loving family. As an aside, she is one of the few people who has seen Haley's Comet twice. Her life has been an inspiration to all who knew her, especially her family.
Rosamond was born on December 31, 1902 to William Dolph Enoch and Rosey Virtna Johnson in a farm house a few miles from Lockesburg, Arkansas. She was the fourth of six children to William and Rosey and the only girl. Rosey, her mother, passed away when Rosamond was eight years old.
For the next six years Rosamond lived in various situations including living with an aunt and uncle and attending a Catholic boarding school. After her father remarried
she returned home where she lived until age 22 when she married
Thomas Edwin (Ed) McDonald, her husband for 39 years.
While living with her father and stepmother she attended a one-room school in the community of Melrose, which was three miles from her house. She enjoyed school and walked the six miles to and from school five days a week, which may have contributed to her eventual longevity. One year she had the distinction of not missing a single day of school. Two of her older brothers passed away during the flu epidemic of 1918. She graduated from the Melrose community school and then became the teacher. After her wedding she continued teaching at Melrose and began a family but the first child died and she and Ed moved to Durant, Oklahoma, where they were graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State Teachers College, each with a degree in teaching.
For the next 30 years her career was school teaching in Oklahoma during which time she raised a family. One year during the Great Depression, she taught for no wages due to lack of sufficient state funds. She served as an elementary school teacher in the school of Plane View, Wapaneka, Dickson, and Zaneis. Her father had taught her to play the piano as a teenager and she played for a number of local community Baptist churches in which she and Ed lived. They were regular church attendees.
Rosamond retired from teaching school in 1963, the year her husband, Ed, died. She continued with her and Ed's lifelong goal of moving back to the farm in Arkansas. She took a rundown farm of about 350 acres and cleared the land, which had become overgrown in thick brush and trees, built chicken houses having a capacity of 50 thousand, and established a herd of 350 head of cattle. She sold the farm in 1973 and moved to Los Alamos where she lived until 1998 when she moved to Duncan, Oklahoma for a year, and then to Pauls Valley where she lived until her death.
While living in Los Alamos she traveled to Israel and Egypt, sang in the Choral Society, was active in the senior volunteer organization such as the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, was a member of the Hospital Auxiliary, and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Los Alamos.
She was preceded in death by two children, four brothers and one grandson.
She is survived by her daughter, Carolyn Ann Bural, of Elmore City, Oklahoma; her son, Thomas Edwin McDonald, Jr.; her daughter-in-law, Myrna Kay McDonald, of Los Alamos, New Mexico; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Graveside services for Rosamond McDonald were held at 2:30 p.m. Friday, July 15, 2005 in the Bellville cemetery in Lockesburg, Arkansas with Rev. Jack Gilliland officiating. Services were under the direction of Wooster Funeral Home.
