Kaicee Willis
Kaicee Josephine Willis, aged 4, of Harrison died Sunday, January 26, 2003 at Arkansas Children’s hospital in Little Rock. She was born September 3, 1998 at Harrison, the daughter of Scott and Terri Choate Willis.
She was a member of Monarch Tabernacle Church where she belonged to the Daisies Missionettes group. She loved camping, fishing and swimming. She was preceded in death be her maternal great-grandparents, Paul and Delores Craig, and her paternal great-grandparents, Charles Kaye and Demoie Willis.
Survivors include paternal great-grandparents, Lyle and Artie Koone of Osage, formerly of Van Buren County. Lyle Koone was a former pastor at Immanuel Baptist of Clinton, and of Rupert Baptist Church.
Other survivors include her parents; a sister, Kailee Willis, of the home; maternal grandparents, Bob and Paulette Choate of Harrison; maternal great-grandparents, Mary Choate of Morrisville, MO and B.A. Choate of Bolivar, MO; maternal great-great-grandmother, Mary Josephine Albert of Morrisville, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Hazel Ragsdale
Hazel Marie Ragsdale, 88, of Shirley died Saturday, February 1, 2003 at Clinton. She was born July 28, 1914 in Kansas, the daughter of the late George and Ollie Henry White. She was the widow of Loyd Ragsdale, was a homemaker and a Baptist.
Survivors include a son, Kenneth Ragsdale of Shirley; a brother, Winford White of Conway; two grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.
Services were held Monday, February 3 at Shirley Community Church with Bobby Ward officiating. Interment was at Settlement cemetery by Roller-McNutt of Clinton.
Active pallbearers were L.C. Cates, Mark White, David White, Mitchell Cates, Teddy Overturff, Larry Dollar and Rick Robertson.
Marie Jones
Marie Garland Jones, 85, of Choctaw died Friday, January 27, 2003 at Indian Rock Village in Fairfield Bay. She was born December 26, 1917 in Texas. She was in the accounting business, was a homemaker and a Catholic.
A memorial service was held Wednesday, February 5 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Fairfield Bay; local arrangements were by Roller-McNutt of Clinton.
Bill Johnson
Billy Ray Johnson, 60, of Clinton died Saturday, February 1, 2003. He was born August 30, 1942 to Garner and Garnie Johnson. He attended Hardin-Simmons University, performing in Cowboy bands as a trick rope artist, and had the honor of performing in the first-ever halftime show of a Dallas Cowboys home game with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
He had a long career as a professional photographer, including covering many Clinton High School events for the Van Buren County DEMOCRAT. He was a part owner and operator of the Natural Bridge of Arkansas, was a member of the Clinton Lions Club and had served as president for two terms. He was awarded the Lion of the Year award in 1987. He was a member of Woodland Heights Baptist Church in Conway. He was preceded in death by his mother, Garnie A. Johnson,
Survivors include his father, Garner Johnson, and stepmother Weda Johnson of Clinton; two daughters, Michelle Johnson of Dallas, TX and Debi Johnson of Knoxville, TN; one son, Travis Johnson of Wooster, and three brothers, Harold Johnson of Arkadelphia, Wayne Johnson of Bryant and Royce Johnson of Clinton.
Funeral services were Tuesday, February 4 at Roller-McNutt Chapel in Clinton, with interment at Clinton cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the Van Buren County Historical Society Foundation fund.
Odell Ferguson
Mrs. Odell McGlathery Ferguson, 90, died Wednesday, June 18, 2003 in Tyler, TX. She was born November 14, 1912 at Arlberg, and had lived in Tyler since 1990. She was a housewife, and of Baptist faith.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Clinton Calvin Ferguson.
Survivors include a daughter, Laura Hooks of Emerald Bay, near Bullard, TX; three sisters, Janice Ferguson of DeWitt, Erma Bonds of Clinton, and Vivian Wesselman of California, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at Old Lexington Baptist Church on Highway 110.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made either to the Old Lexington Baptist Church cemetery Fund, or to Van Buren County Foods for Life.
Arrangements will be by Boren-Conner Funeral Home of Bullard, TX.
Patsy Atkins
Patsy Almarie Atkins, 70, of Clinton, a former resident of Wichita, KS, died Monday, June 23, 2003 at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock. She was born March 3, 1933 in DeRoche, the daughter of the late Noah and Edna Hall of Hot Springs. She was preceded in death by four sisters and one brother.
Prior to her return to Arkansas in 1990, she was a branch manager for Wesley Hospital Credit Union in Wichita. She was a Baptist.
Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Ernest Atkins of the home; daughters Debra Fason of Sachse, TX and Teresa Shaad of Wichita; sons Anthony and Patrick Atkins of Wichita; five grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; sisters Alene Thornton of Bismarck, Dorothy White of Pine Bluff, Helen Loy of Hot Springs and Trisca Allen of Medina, TN, and a brother, Adolph Hall of Freemont, IN.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, June 25 at Birmarck Baptist Church, with graveside service and interment at Hickory Grove cemetery at Bismarck. Honorary pallbearers included Jason and Jon Shaad, and Jacob Atkins, Steve, Curtis, David and Jeffrey White. Arrangements were by Ruggles-Wilcox Funeral Home of Arkadelphia.
Opal Ham
Opal Angelique Ham, 95, of Matoon, IL, formerly of Shirley, died Friday, May 30, 2003 at the home of her daughter in Matoon. She was born October 5, 1907 at Eglantine to the late George and Margaret Caldwell Towery. She married
William H. Ham, who preceded her in death in 1981. She was also preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters. She was a member of the Church of Christ, her local Extension Homemakers’ Club and the Iris Garden Club.
Survivors include two daughters, Peggy Magee of Irving, TX and Nancy Selvidge of Matoon; a son, Robert Ham of Hayden, AL; a brother, Jack Towery of Shirley; five sisters, Georgia Hall of Clinton, Celeste Smith of Shirley, Ruth Ward of Choctaw, Joyce Bradford of Fairfield Bay and Melba Tipton of Shirley, six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, other relatives and many friends.
Funeral services were held Monday, June 1 at the Shirley Church of Christ with Dr. Paul Magee officiating. Interment was at Eglantine cemetery by Olmstead Funeral Home of Heber Springs.
Donald R. Small
Donald R. Small, 80, died Thursday, August 28, 2003 after a two year bout with cancer.
He was born in Chicago, IL on February 25, 1923, and was preceded in death by his mother Elsie, father Raymond and brother Richard.
Don joined Western Electric (AT&T) in 1944 as a mail clerk. He fulfilled his first career there and retired early in 1976 as an engineering manager and moved to Fairfield Bay.
In 1980 Don and his dearest love and business partner Rita Ann opened D/R Realty in Fairfield Bay. For 20 years they found not only a second career but fulfillment in helping people find the perfect home in the community they loved.
He is survived by his loving wife Rita Ann, four daughters, five sons, 25 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by many dear friends he considered his own family as well.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, September 27 at Peace Lutheran Church, 10849 Edgemont Road, Edgemont.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that any local memoriams be made to Peace Lutheran Church at Edgemont.
William Hall, Jr.
William Spalding Hall, Jr., 73, of Johnson City, TX died September 12, 2003 at Marble Falls, TX. He was born December 29, 1929 at Boerne, TX, was a former Van Buren County resident and was a mechanic for many years for South Side School District.
He was preceded in death by a son, Robert L. Hall, and by a grandson.
Survivors include his wife, Deloris Hall of Johnson City; a daughter, Tina Bittick of Pearland, TX; sons David Hall of Houston, TX, Steve Hall of Wharton, TX and Mark Hall of Houston; stepsons Richard Rifanburg of Earlville, NY, David Rifanburg of Minnesota and Evonne Jackson of Conway, seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Graveside services were held September 15 at Boerne cemetery.
Lucille Holmes
Lucille Thursa Holmes, 88, of Clinton died Monday, September 15, 2003 in Heber Springs. She was born November 6, 1914 in Sunnyside, CA, the daughter of the late Andrew Sanford and Zada Grace Snyder Fields. She was the widow of William Paul Keller, and was also preceded in death by a son, Richard lee Keller; by a sister, Stella Thill, and by two brothers, Glen and Warren Fields. She was a homemaker, a retired elementary teacher and a Christian.
Survivors include a son, Vernon Keller and wife Virginia of Fair Oaks, CA, and several grandchildren.
Graveside services were held September 18 at Hunter Hill cemetery with Robert Ketchum officiating. Arrangements were by Roller-McNutt of Clinton.
Wendell Nelson
Wendell L. Nelson, 72, of Fairfield Bay died Monday, September 15, 2003. He was born July 11, 1931 in Virginia, MN, the son of the late Melvin and Alma Lundquist Nelson. He was a graduate of the State University of New York; was an Endowment Life Member of the National Rifle Association, various Masonic bodies, was an amateur radio operator, pilot, fisherman, and a gardener.
He had served on city councils in Chandler, MN and Gettysburg, SD, was the technical coordinator for the Five County Translator District in north-central South Dakota, and served on the Arkansas Criminal Detention Facilities Review Board. He served 13 years with the National Guard and 13 with the U.S. Army Reserve, attaining the rank of chief warrant officer, CWO-4.
He was employed by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) for several years, and then by the U.S. government. He retired from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1991 after 24 years of serve.
During his working life he served in Greenland, Africa, Guam and many states.
He was preceded in death by his brothers Lowell and Gerald, and by a sister, Marilyn LoPresti.
Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Shirley Anderson Nelson; two sons, Mark and wife Veronica of New Ulm, MN and David and wife Janice of Grays Lake, IL; a daughter, Cynthia and husband Mike Zwingle of Pleasanton, CA, five grandchildren, a sister, Maragret and husband Roger Nelmark of Fairfield Bay, and several nieces and nephews.
The family requests memorials be made to either the American Cancer Society or to Shrine Childrens’ Hospitals.
A memorial service was be held Friday, September 19 in Roller-McNutt chapel in Clinton with Allen Freudenburg officiating. Arrangements were by Roller-McNutt.
