Lois Hudson
Miss Lois Gale Hudson, 55, of Alma died Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2002, at a local nursing home. She had been the body shop manager for Jones Nissan in Little Rock and was a member of the Southside Baptist Church in Alma. Miss Hudson had also served briefly in the U.S. Army.
service was held Dec. 27 at Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home Chapel in Van Buren with burial at Locke Cemetery in the Locke Community near Mountainburg.
She is survived by her mother, Altha Carlton of Alma; a sister, Billie Jean Harvey of Tulsa, Okla.; a brother, Alfred Dwayne Hudson of Alma; an aunt, Ruby Coulter of Dyer; and four nieces and nephews, Debbie Saunders of Waldron, Robert Harvey of Winslow, Becky Lynch of Fayetteville and Kathy Jamison of Van Buren.
Ray Hoover
Ray T. Hoover, 76, of Alma died Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002, at his home. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Hoover; one daughter, Sandra Mitchell of Alma; three sons, Michael, David and Billy Hoover, all of Alma; one brother, Joe Bill Hoover of Tulsa; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held Dec. 23 at Ocker Chapel of Alma. Cremation was under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home.
Gary Landers Jr.
Gary L. Landers Jr., 26, of Fort Smithdied Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2002, at a local hospital. He was of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include his parents, Linda and Gary Landers Sr. of Fort Smith; two sisters, Christina Landers and Michelle Landers, both of Escendido, Calif.; and four brothers, Fredrick Brewer, William Brewer, Michael Reed and Anthony Harrison, all of Fort Smith.
Funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ocker Memorial Chapel in Van Buren. Burial will be at Gill Cemetery under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Fredrick Brewer, William Brewer, Johnny Jones, Jeffrey Jones, Thomas Landers and James Landers.
Peggy Autry
Peggy Autry, 73, of Van Buren died Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003, at her home. She was retired from J.C. Penney Co. in Fort Smith and was the widow of Dayton Autry. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Van Buren, had been the delinquent tax collector for Crawford County and had been active in the Crawford County Democratic Committee.
She is survived by her son, Gary Autry of Abilene, Texas; two sisters, Maycene Hicks of Fort Smith and Jeannie Elliot of Groves, Texas; two grandchildren, Suzanne Conaway and Amanda Crossno, both of Van Buren; and two great-grandchildren, Landon Crossno and Lexie Conaway, both of Van Buren.
Funeral service was held Feb. 4 at Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home Chapel with burial at Steephill Cemetery in Fort Smith.
Pallbearers were Jason Conaway, Aaron Crossno, Frankie Vines, Gene Fields and Kevin and Jimmy Bell.
Velma Walters
Velma Weldon Walters, 82, of Van Buren died Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003, at a local nursing home. She was a homemaker and a member of the Catcher Freewill Baptist Church. She was the widow of Clifford Weldon and Blake Walters.
is survived by a son, Bob Weldon of Van Buren; a brother, Harold Watson of Shawnee, Okla.; a grandson, Clifford Weldon of Van Buren; a great-granddaughter, Heather Hickey of Van Buren; and two great-great-grandchildren, Skyler and Serenity Hickey.
Graveside service was held Feb. 4 at Gill Cemetery Arbor under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home of Van Buren.
Honorary pallbearers will be the nursing staff at Beverly Healthcare.
Benjamin Jones
Benjamin Jones, 91, of Van Buren died Feb. 1, 2003, at a local hospital. He was retired after 52 years with Ryder Trucking Co. as a truck driver.
He is survived by a daughter, Peggy Parks and her husband Art of Van Buren; two grandchildren, Butch Parks and his wife Renee and Phyllis Richardson and her husband Phillip, all of Van Buren; two step-grandchildren, Zackery and Sarah; four great-grandchildren, Brandon, Jessica, Trey and Emily, all of Van Buren; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral service was held Feb. 5 at Ocker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Van Buren with burial at HallCemetery in Natural Dam.
Pallbearers were Butch Parks, Phillip Richardson, Ben Jones, Brent Griffis and James Boykin.
Delores Fulgham
Delores Davenport Fulgham, 65, of Van Buren died Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003, at her home. She was born Aug. 20, 1937, to Haskell and Thelma Myers Davenport. She was a homemaker and had worked as a bus driver for the Van Buren School System.
She is survived by her husband, Bill; two daughters and sons-in-law, Teresa and Mike Barron of Hamptonville, N.C., and Dana and Mike Wagner of Van Buren; a stepdaughter, Sharon Fulgham of Van Buren; a son and daughter-in-law, John and Christi Killian of Charlotte, N.C.; a stepson, David Fulgham of Alma; a sister, Diane Mayes of Van Buren; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a son, James Killian; a sister, Joann Ball; her mother, Thelma Davenport; and a stepdaughter, Dianna Fulgham.
Funeral service was held Feb. 4 at Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home Chapel in Van Buren with burial at Newberry Cemetery in Alma.
Pallbearers were her grandsons and sons-in-law.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Van Buren High School Athletic or Band Departments.
William Morton
William “Bill” Morton, 87, of Hawthorne, Calif., died Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003. He was the widower of Luella May Bailey Morton, a veteran of World War II, member of Hawthorne Masonic Temple No. 647 and a self-employed general contractor.
Survivors include two daughters, Nancy Jeanette Alfino and Lisa Norene Morton-Wentink, both of Northridge, Calif.; three sons, Jimmy Dale of St. Paul, Minn., William Terry of Hawthorne and Doris Wayne of Cameron, Okla.; one sister, Jean McKinney of Fresno, Calif.; 17 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Gill Cemetery in Van Buren under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Jimmy, Terry and Doris Morton and Joe, Chris and Edward Alfino.
The family will visit with friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Ocker Funeral Home, 700 Jefferson St., Van Buren.
Joyce Landers
Joyce Landers, 53, of Van Buren died Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003, at a local hospital. She was a homemaker and former resident of Fort Smith and California.
She is survived by her husband, Jimmy; a daughter, Lori Palafox of Fort Smith; two sons, James Landers of Van Buren and Jody Landers of Dora; a sister, Dorothy Landgraft of Sacramento, Calif.; and six grandchildren.
Funeral service was held Feb. 3 at Ocker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Van Buren with burial at Gill Cemetery in Van Buren.
Pallbearers were Thomas Landers, James Hibbard, J.R. and Randy Dunn and Johnny and Jeffery Jones. Honorary pallbearers were Archie Arman and Danny Landers.
Gene Cole
Gene Cole, 80, of Van Buren died Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003, at a local hospital. He was a native of White County and had been a resident of Van Buren since 1950. He was an Air Force veteran of World War II, a member of Disabled American Veterans and the Van Buren Church of the Nazarene. He was the retired owner of Sterling Variety Store in Van Buren.
He is survived by his wife Marie Cole of the home; a daughter, Carolyn Loyd of Van Buren; a son, Kenny Cole and wife, Jackie of Pocola; a sister, Alter Blair of Jackson, Miss.; a brother-in-law and wife, Coy and Margie Keck of Florida; three grandchildren, Kevin Moore of Alma, Erika Wright and husband, Mike of Van Buren and Eric Cole of Maryland; and three great-grandchildren, Austin and Kenny Cole, both of Jacksonville, Fla. and Zane Wright of Van Buren.
Funeral service was held Feb. 1 at Ocker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Van Buren with burial at Gill Cemetery in Van Buren.
Pallbearers were Willis Campbell, Johnny Means, Jeff Donnell, James Gay, Bob and Brad Keeter.
Honorary pallbearers were members of his Sunday school class., Randy Loyd, Bill Farrar, Bill Bridges, Raymond Battles, Bill Hess, Ross Robinson and John Riggs.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Church of the Nazarene, 2516 Alma Highway, Van Buren, AR 72956.
Edgar Staggs
Edgar Henry Staggs, 69, of Van Buren died Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003, at a local hospital. He was a member of Zion Missionary Baptist Church and a retired custodian for the Van Buren Middle School.
He is survived by his wife, Patsy; two daughters, Tara Greenwood and Gayla Walker, both of Van Buren; a son, Mark Staggs of Amherst, Texas; a sister, Maxine Darter of Tulare, Calif.; two brothers, Edward Staggs of Pinole, Calif., and Paul Staggs of Balch Springs, Texas; and 10 grandchildren.
Funeral service was held Jan. 31 at Ocker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Van Buren with burial at Macedonia Cemetery near Uniontown.
Pallbearers were Harold Loveless, Marty Clark, Bryon Staggs, Odell Nunley, Steve and Jeremy Greenwood.
Honorary pallbearers were nurses in the Alzheimer’s Wing at Crawford Healthcare and Rehabilitation.
Nancy Wormuth
Nancy P. Wormuth, 85, of Mountainburg died Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003, at a local hospital. She was born July 17, 1917, in Johnson City, Tenn. She was a retired licensed practical nurse and of the Baptist faith.
Graveside service was held Jan. 30 at U.S. National Cemetery in Fort Smith under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home of Alma.
She is survived by her husband, Austin.
Jasper Caton
Jasper Donnohue “Don” Caton, 85, of Fort Smithdied Monday, Jan. 27, 2003, at a local hospital. He was a former executive vice president for Ayers Furniture and was secretary treasurer for Ward Furniture Company, was an Air Force veteran of World War II and a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, a member of Grand Avenue Baptist Church, the RSVP and Retired Military.
He is survived by two daughters, Connie Crabtree of Van Buren and Donna Callies of Findlay, Ohio; four sons, Gary Don Caton of Los Angeles, Gordon Caton of San Antonio, Scott Caton of Van Buren and Anthony Caton of Fort Smith; a sister, Enid Hine of Charlotte, N.C.; a brother, Dale Caton of Van Buren; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral service was held Feb. 1 at Putman Funeral Home Chapel in Fort Smith with burial at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Fort Smith.
Pallbearers were Gary Don, Gordon, Scott and Anthony Caton and Keith Crabtree.
James Snow
James C. Snow, 72, of Rogers died Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003, at his home. He was a retired employee of Emerson Electric and a member of Seventh Day Church of God.
He is survived by his wife, Romona; a daughter, Lynette Wertman of Rogers; a son, Ray Snow of Watts, Okla.; three sisters, Maxine Melton of Fort Smith, Fay Morgan of Muldrow and Donnell Page of Arkoma; and three brothers, L.C. Snow of Watts, Bill and Kenneth Snow of Fort Smith.
Funeral was held Feb. 1 at Ocker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel of Van Buren with burial at Gill Cemetery in Van Buren.
Pallbearers were Ronald and Harold Melton, Doug Wertman, L.C. Snow, Bill Snow and Jack Roberson.
Melissa Powers
Melissa Jane Powers, 42, of Lawton died Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003, in Lawton. She was raised in Texas and Oklahoma where she attended school. She recently worked for the Veteran’s Administration Retirement Home and volunteered at her children’s schools.
Survivors include two sons, Joshua Sean Powers and Jimmy Scott Powers, both of Lawton; six sisters, Connie Pruitt of Lawton, Doris Raborn of Abilene, Texas, Nesa Sparks of Maybank, Texas, Ann Stout of Jacksboro, Texas, Barbara Wilbourn of Rudy, Althea Gay of Van Buren, Diane Bean of Arizona City, Ariz., Elizabeth Fields of Vallejo, Calif., and Jean Pruitt of Temple, Texas; and four brothers, Mickey Pruitt of Lawton, William Pruitt of Abilene, Texas, George Hunt of San Angelo, Texas, and Lovel Kingery of Cross Plains, Texas.
Memorial service was held Feb. 1 at Becker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Lawton.
