Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland And Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas
Kenneth May
Mr. Kenneth (Kenny) Dean May, age 44, a resident of De Queen, died Monday, July 28, 2003 at his home.
He was born June 15, 1959 in Ashdown. He served in the Army National Guard, and was a non-denominational "Child of God".
Mr. May was preceded in death by his father: Bobby Joe May in 1973, his ma-ternal grandfather: Neil K. Lancaster, his paternal grandmother and grandfa-ther: Obera and Elijah May; and his father-in-law: R.J. "Buddy" Melton.
He is survived by his wife: Mary Corene Melton May; his three sons: Keith Dean May, Kyle Dustin May and Aaron Lewis May, all of De Queen; his mother and step-father: Shirley and James Lee of De Queen; maternal grandmother: LouElla Lancaster of Camden, Arkansas; mother-in-law: Rosalee Melton; his twin brother: Keith G. May and sister-in-law: Barbara May, all of De Queen: three sisters and brothers-in-law: Jo and Duck Gauldin, Beth and Jamie Heath, all of Foreman, Arkansas, and Laurie and Jimmy Melton of De Queen; one niece: Carrie Carter of Irving, Texas; 5 nephews: Michael Carter, Cody and Daniel Heath, all of Foreman, B.J. and Brandon Melton; one brother-in-law: Roger Melton, all of De Queen and a number of aunts, uncles and cousins.
Graveside funeral services for Mr. May were held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 30, 2003 in the Mt. Ida cemetery, with Rev. Randy Davis officiating, un-der the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home.
Sara ‘McNew’ Tyler
Sara ‘McNew’ Tyler, age 57, resident of Stephenville, Tex., died Saturday, July 26, 2003 at Lake Granbury Medical Center in Granbury, Tex.
Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 29 in First United Methodist Church at Ste-phenville with Rev. Dean Reed officiating. Burial was at 2 p.m. in Hillcrest Memorial Park at Dallas, Tex., under the direction of Stephenville Funeral Home.
She was born March 13, 1946; taught in the education department at Tarleton State University; re-ceived her bachelor degree in education from Southeastern Oklahoma and a PHD in education from Texas A&M; Commerce; was a member of the Texas Teachers Educator Association; Texas State Readers Association, International Reading Association, and Stephenville First United Methodist Church.
She is survived by a son, Rusty McNew of Dallas, Tex.; a daughter, Meredith Perry of Lubbock, Tex.; her parents, Ralph and Amelia Tyler of Mid-west City, Okla.; a sister, Beverly Brown of Midwest City, Okla.; a brother, Ralph Tyler of De Queen; two grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be made to Tarleton State University.
Annie Lorene Watts
Annie Lorene Watts, age 83, resident of Broken Bow, Okla., died Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003 in Broken Bow Nursing Home.
Graveside services were held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16 in Eagletown cemetery with Bro. Anthony Burnett officiating, under the direction of Brumley-McCurtain Funeral Home of Broken Bow.
She was born Sept. 6, 1919 in Pleasant Hill, Okla., to Marvin and Mamie Lee Carroll Owens; and was affiliated with the Holiness Faith. She was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Olie Watts; and two sons, Jerry Watts and Doyle Wheeler.
She is survived by four sons, David Wheeler of Eagletown, Okla., Pete Wheeler of Grannis, Floyd Watts of De Queen, and Earnest Watts of Bokoma, Okla.; four daughters, Opal Wheeler of Ft. Worth, Tex., Margaret Ann Wheeler of Texarkana, Tex., Linda Watts of Mesquite, Tex., and Billie Blackburn of Haworth, Okla.; three brothers, Elvie Owens of Idabel, Okla., Henry Owens of Haworth, Okla., and Roy Owens of Wilton; one sister, Mamie McIntosh of Wilton; and a number of grandchil-dren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Paralee Seals
Mrs. Paralee Manasco Seals, age 94, resident of Umpire, died Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003 in Dierks Nurs-ing Center.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19 in Umpire Methodist Church with Rev. Don Vaughn officiating. Burial followed in Bethel cemetery under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home in Dierks.
She was born Jan. 3, 1909 in Umpire to Jack and Dessie Hunter Manasco; was a homemaker; a retired school teacher; and a Methodist. She was predeceased by her husband, Barney Seals in 1963; seven sisters; and five brothers.
She is survived by two sisters, Billie Jean Dalrymple and Blanche Adams, both of Umpire; and a num-ber of nieces and nephews.
The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18 at the funeral home in Dierks.
Myrtle M. Cockrum
Myrtle M. Trimble Cockrum, age 87, resident of Brookewood Nursing Center in De Queen, died Sunday, Aug. 16, 2003.
Graveside services were held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 14 in Pleasant Grove cemetery in Cove under the direction of Hall Funeral Home in Mena.
She was born May 24, 1916 in George. She was predeceased by one daughter, June Cockrum; and one son, Jim Cockrum.
She is survived by three sons, Dale Cockrum of Oregon, Burl Cockrum of Hot Springs and Glenn Cockrum of De Queen; 21 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Estellean Jester Sirmon
Estellean Jester Sirmon, age 72, resident of Gillham, died Sunday, July 27, 2003 at her home.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Wednesday, July 30 in First Baptist Church in Gill-ham with Rev. Jerry Hill officiating. Burial followed in Gillham cemetery under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home.
She was born March 14, 1931 in Cottage Grove, Ore.; worked for Pilgrim’s processing plant in De Queen for 40 years; and was a member of First Baptist Church in Gillham. She was predeceased by her parents, John Ezra and Minnie Mae Stark; her husbands, Noel Jester and Seldon Sirmon; and 10 brothers and sisters, Thomas A. Stark, Joe E. Stark, Porter Stark, Donald Stark, Eleanor Lyon, James Stark, Bob Stark, Fred Stark, Evelyn Harper Newberry and Richard Stark.
She is survived by three children, Kenneth Noel Jester of Gillham, Brenda Kay Edwards of Irving, Tex., and Sandra Jean Mason of Colorado Springs, Colo.; one sister, Martha Comp-ton of Dallas, Tex.; four grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Donald Paul Cleghorn
Donald Paul Cleghorn, age 67, resident of Foreman, died Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003 in Wadley Regional Medical Center at Texarkana.
A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, 2003 in First Baptist Church of Foreman with Rev. Duaine Blackmore officiating, under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home in De Queen.
He was born Nov. 22, 1935 in Foreman; was retired from the United States Air Force; a veteran of Vietnam and Desert Storm; and worked at Red River Army Depot as a mechanic. He was predeceased by one daughter, Pamela Jeanne Cleghorn; and his father, Joseph Cleghorn.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Gimmler Cleghorn; three sons, Don Cleghorn, Paul Cleghorn and Dwayne Cleghorn, all of Foreman; one daughter, Paige Betts of Seymour, Tex.; his mother, Audrey Nichols Cleghorn of Foreman; two sisters, Billie Jo Fowler and Jackie Deen, both of Foreman; and eight grandchildren.
Elmer Leon Hartness
Elmer Leon Hartness, age 88, resident of Dierks, and formerly of Nashville, died Friday, Aug. 29, 2003 in a Dierks nursing home.
Graveside services were held at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1 in Bluff Springs cemetery with Rev. Harold Wall and John Hickle officiating, under the direction of Latimer Funeral Home of Nashville.
He was born Nov. 20, 1914 at Duckett to the late James and Renie Roads Hartness; was a member of Cumberland Presbyterian Church; a World War II Navy veteran; a Baptist preach-er; and a carpenter. He was predeceased by his first wife, Nettie Kate Hartness; and a grandson, Marty Wayne Hartness.
He is survived by his wife, Helen Hartness of Lockesburg; a son, James M. Hartness of Nashville; a stepdaughter, Doris Vinson of Fayetteville; two sisters, Lavell Bevill of Nashville and Lois King of Mineral Springs; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Norma Sue Bedwell
Norma Sue "Susie" Cannon Bedwell, age 80, resident of Nashville, died Friday, Aug. 8, 2003 in a Texarkana hospital.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10 in Nashville Funeral Home with Bro. David Blasé officiating. Burial will follow in Restland cemetery.
She was born Sept. 25, 1922 in Lockesburg to Grover Cleveland and Mary Ann Ray Cannon; was a member of Lockesburg Baptist Church; a former LPN at Howard Memorial Hospital; and a graduate of Red River’s first nursing class. She was predeceased by her son, David R. White; two brothers, Runyon Cannon and Gordon Cannon; and two sisters, Doris McKeehan and Avis (Squeaky) Lofton.
She is survived by three daughters, Janet Patton of New Boston, Tex., Rita Jackson of Little Rock and Karen Goodson of Nashville; one sister, Ann May of Shreveport, La.; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to First Baptist building fund, P.O. Box 339, Nashville, AR 71852.
Mrs. Betty Jean Walker
Mrs. Betty Jean Louise Martin Walker, age 66, resident of Norman, Ark., was called to heaven on August 13, 2003.
She was born to Sanford George and Allie Mae Dwyer Martin at Muse, Okla., on April 2, 1937. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ottie Walker, her parents, two sisters, Allie Fackler, and Mattie Bradley, and one brother, S.G. Martin.
She is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law: Paul and Wendy Walker of Lockesburg; and Keith and Melba Walker of Ashdown, Ark.; three daughters and son-in-law: Arline Icenhower, Brenda Durham, and Kathy and Raymond Vallee all of Lockesburg, Ark.
She is also survived by sixteen grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, several aunts, cousins, and two very special friends, John Ridenour and Marvin Haynie. She had many others who called her friend, grandma, and mama. She loved life to the full-est. She was a homemaker, an avid reader and loved children. She was loved by all and will be forever missed.
Funeral services for Mrs. Betty Jean Walker were held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 16, 2003 in the Mt. Joy Church, Daisy, Ark., with Rev. Wesley Blanken-ship officiating. Burial followed in Mt. Joy cemetery, under the direction of Chundler Funeral Home, De Queen.
Active pallbearers were grandsons, Michael Walker, Timmy Stubbs; Justin Stubbs; Loyd Robert Walker; Christopher James Puckett; Christopher Bryan Stubbs. Honorary pallbearers were grandsons, Ray Vallee; Levi Durham; Joshua Walker and Mason Walker.
