Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland And Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas
Howard Taff
Howard Taff, 90, of Mulberry, died Monday, March 3, 2003, at a local hospital. He was a retired service station operator and a Navy veteran of World War II. He was the widower of Vera Taff.
He is survived by a daughter, Cheryl Howerton of Searcy; two sons, Don Taff of Alma and Mike Taff of Ozark; eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Funeral service was held March 7 at Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home Chapel in Van Buren with burial at New Cemetery in Mulberry.
Pallbearers were his grandsons.
Paul Puckett
Paul W. Puckett, 72, of Bixby, Okla., formerly of Rudy, died Wednesday, March 5, 2003, in Tulsa. He retired from the Army after 20 years, having received the National Defense Service Medal, five Good Conduct medals, Vietnam Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, two overseas bars, two Air Medals, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Amy Commendation Medal, Bronze Star and Vietnam Campaign Medal. He was a member of the Columbia, Ga., Masonic Blue Lodge No. 344 and a Shriner. He moved to Rudy in 1981 and served the 88 Community as president and secretary of its volunteer fire department and served on the election board.
Survivors include three daughters, Carolyn Larkin, Polly Caughron and Kathy Babbitt; two sons, Robert Puckett and David Morrison; two sisters, Jeannette and Patys; one brother, Jerry Puckett; nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Graveside service with military honors was held March 8 at McCurry Cemetery near Rudy under the direction of Bixby Funeral Home.
Hazel McCollum
Hazel E. McCollum, 75, of Mulberry, died Monday, March 10, 2003, in Mulberry. She was retired from Allen Canning Co.
Survivors include her husband, Henry; three daughters, Jeri Morse and Vickie Campbell, both of Alma, and Sue Foster of Mulberry; three sisters, Irene Campbell of Muskogee, Jeanie Coman of Washington and Wilma Henderson of Alma; three brothers, Odell Morse and J.W. Morse, both of Alma, and Ed Morse of Dyer; nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Edwards Van-Alma Chapel. Burial will be at New Cemetery in Mulberry under the direction of Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be David Goins, Roger Henderson, Trent Johnston, John L. Foster, Shannon Gregory, Robbie Woods and Aaron Bruce. Honorary pallbearers will be Jerry Dewitt, Danny Robertson, Don Woods, Larry Beneux, Jimmy Don Flurry and Jackie Swaim.
The family will visit with friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home.
Marie Dunn
Marie Mullens Dunn, 85, of Patterson Calif., died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2003, in Modesto. The native of Rudy was a homemaker and member of the Pentecostal Church in Grayson and Family Christian Center in Patterson. She was the widow of the Rev. Walter Dunn.
Survivors include one son, Walter R. Dunn Jr. of Oklahoma City; three daughters, Noveline Loyd and Pattie Dunn, both of Patterson and Diana Bruni of Las Vegas; one brother, J.C. Mullens of Van Buren; one sister, Geraldine Montgomery of Kibler; six grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Family Christian Center in Patterson. Burial will be at Patterson District Cemetery under the direction of Hillview Funeral Chapel.
Vera Taff
Vera “Tootsie” Taff, 86, of Mulberry, died Monday, Feb. 24, 2003. The native of Mulberry attended Mulberry Public Schools and was retired from Avon Packing Center in Glendora, Calif.
Survivors include her husband, Howard Taff; two sons, Don Taff of Alma and Mike Taff of Ozark; one daughter, Cheryl Howerton of Searcy; eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Edwards Van-Alma Chapel in Van Buren. Bural will be at Oakdale Cemetery under the direction of Oakdale Mortuary in Glendora, Calif.
The family will visit with friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home, 4100 Alma Highway.
James Shettleworth
James D. Shettleworth, 74, of Dyer, died Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003, at a local hospital. He was a retired employee of Riverside Furniture Co. and of the Pentecostal faith. He was born March 24, 1928, in Stigler.
Survivors include his wife, Dories Shettleworth; two sons, Benny Wayne Shettleworth of Alma and Randy Jay Shettleworth of Dyer; one sister, Macklean Gates of Bartlesville, Okla.; two brothers, Roy Shettleworth of Spiro and Kenneth Shettleworth of Altus; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Graveside service was held Feb. 24 at Dyer Cemetery under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home of Alma.
Dr. James Shaver
Dr. James H. Shaver, 61, of Joplin, Mo., died Friday, March 7, at a Joplin, hospital. He was born July 2, 1941, in Edinburg, Texas. He was raised in Van Buren and graduated from Van Buren High School in 1959 before attending the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he graduated with a bachelor’s in accounting in 1974. He then attended Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, graduating with a master’s of business administration and in 1985 with a doctor of business administration degree.
As a certified public accountant, he taught at Missouri Southern State College, Joplin; Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield; Northeast Louisiana State University, Monroe; Baylor University, Waco, Texas; and Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia. He wrote a number of articles published in academic journals and presented at conferences and received the outstanding teacher award in 1993 while on the faculty at Missouri Southern State College. He received the Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in Missouri in 1992.
He was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Management Accountants, the American Accounting Association, the Missouri Society of CPAs, Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, Omicron Delta Epsilon and Golden Key National Honor Society. He served in the Air Force from 1961 to 1964.
Survivors include one son, Paul Nicholas Shaver of Searcy; one daughter, Ashley Diane Davis of Conway; two brothers, William N. Shaver III of Fort Smith and Perry T. Shaver of Clinton, Ark.; and four grandchildren.
Memorial service was held March 10 at Matthews Hall at Missouri Southern State College.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. James Shaver Memorial Fellowship Fund in care of the Missouri Southern State College Foundation.
Teddy Burt Sr.
Teddy Floyd Burt Sr., 64, of Mulberry died Saturday, Feb. 9, 2002. He was a retired U.T.C. chief petty officer in the Navy with 20 years of service, 34 years with the Arkansas Valley Electric Coop Corp. and of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include his companion, Carrie Lavon O’Brien of Grove, Okla.; four daughters, Karen Lavonne Hudson, Rhonda Lee Robison and Donna Christine Johnston, all of Ozark, and Janice Lynn Doss, of Piedmont, Okla.; one son, Teddy Floyd Burt Jr. of Ozark; one sister, Barbara Cochran of Fort Smith; two brothers, Joe Burt of Stigler and Willie D. Burt of Fort Smith; 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Funeral service was held Feb. 12 at Ocker Funeral Chapel. Burial was at U.S. National Cemetery with full military honors under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home of Alma.
Pallbearers were the military.
Honorary pallbearers were Melissa Holt, Sidney O’Bar, Terry Masgengale, Glenn Warren, W.C. Bill Young and Ralph Spencer.
