Diane Bland
Mrs. Diane Bland, age 49, of Forrest City, died Wednesday, April 11, 2001, at Baptist Memorial Hospital East in Memphis.
Mrs. Bland, the daughter of Jessie Driver and Otha Ford, both of Forrest City was a dietician with Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City for 20 years.
Mrs. Bland is survived by her parents; 11 sisters, Patricia Jones, Carolyn Johnson, Janet Driver, Linda Driver, Donna Pritchard, all of Forrest City, Sharon Ford of Dallas, Texas, Karen Driver of Marion, Carolyn Johnson of Little Rock, Gloria Driver, Yvonne Tomlin and Debra Huntley all of Palestine; nine brothers, Lewis Driver, L.B. Haggans and Rodney Ford, all of Forrest City, Rickey Haggans of Chicago, Ill., Calvin Haggans of Little Rock, Tony Ford, Robert Ford and Michael Ford all of Dallas, Texas, and Gary Driver of San Diego, Calif.
Visitation for Mrs. Bland will be Monday, April 16, 2001, from noon to 5 p.m. at Kennedy Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services will be Tuesday, April 17, 2001, at 1 p.m. at Lane Chapel C.M.E. Church with Rev. Ronald Williams officiating. Burial will follow in Casteel Cemetery under the direction of Kennedy Funeral Home.
Skyler Daniel Keith
Skyler Daniel Keith, an infant, of Branch, died Monday, April 9, 2001, in Fort Smith.
Keith was the son of Alisha Moore and Skyler Dawn Keith of Branch. He is survived by his parents; his grandparents, Skyler Keith and Anita Keith of Ratcliff, Edgar Moore of Forrest City and Mary Farrell of Palestine and his great-grandparents, Leevon and Helen Long of Palestine, Delmer and Jean Keith of Tecumseh, Okla., and Leatie Moore of Forrest City.
Funeral services for Skyler Keith were held Tuesday, April 10, 2001, at Roller Funeral Home Chapel in Paris. Burial followed in Caulksville Cemetery in Caulksville under the direction of Roller Funeral Home of Paris.
Rodessa Tabron-Motley
Mrs. Rodessa Tabron-Motley, age 92 of Colt died Saturday, April 7, 2001.
Mrs. Motley, born Dec. 2, 1908 to John and Roberta Jones.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Rev. John Tabron; her second husband, Ervin Motley; one sister, Mozella Hare; three sons, John Tabron, Paul Tabron and Sylvester Tabron; a daughter, Mildred Tabron and a step-son, Harry Motley.
Mrs. Motley is survived by one son, William Len Tabron; three daughters, Clustine Buie, Dorothy Twillie and Jacquelyn Wade; five step-children; 26 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Family hour visitation for Mrs. Motley will be Friday, April 13, 2001 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Kennedy Funeral Home in Forrest City. Funeral services will be Saturday, April 14, 2001 at 11 a.m. at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Colt with Gunn Funeral Home of Little Rock in charge of the arrangements.
H. Paul Brown
Mr. H. Paul Brown, age 83, of Forrest City, died Monday, April 16, 2001, at Baptist Hospital East in Memphis.
Mr. Brown was born March 30, 1918, the son of Ruffin T. Brown and Mary Ann Rowland Brown. He was a charter member of the Forrest Hills Methodist Church. Mr. Brown worked for a sign company and for the Post Office prior to retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Brown of Forrest City; one daughter, Paulette Jones of Batesville; three sisters, Louise Dearrington and Libby Boswell, both of Forrest City and Mildred Stevens of Parsons, Tenn. and two grandchildren.
Visitation for Mr. Brown will be Tuesday, April 17, 2001, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Morgan Funeral Home. Funeral services will be Wednesday, April 18, 2001, at 2 p.m. at Morgan Chapel Funeral Home with Bro. Floyd Ray, Bro. David Ramsey and Bro. Gary Malone officiating. Burial will follow in Hughes Cemetery under the direction of Morgan Funeral Home.
Nancy Kay Davidson
Mrs. Nancy Kay Davidson, age 58, of Colt, died Monday, April 16, 2001, at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis. She had been in poor health for the past two years.
She was born Sept. 14, 1942, in Memphis, a daughter of Claude Brooks and Jessie Brawner Brooks. She lived in Colt most of her life, was a homemaker and a member of the New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church, where she was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary.
Mrs. Davidson married Roger Davidson in 1959, and he survives her, along with a daughter, Angela Kay Davidson Bailey of Germantown, Tenn.; three sisters, Gay Scott, Dorothy "Dot" Turner and Ann Jordan, all of Wynne, and one grandchild. She was preceded in death by a son, Phelan Davidson and by a sister, Gladys Higgs.
Visitation will be tonight, Tuesday, April 17, from 6-9 p.m. Funeral services for Mrs. Davidson will be held Wednesday, April 18, 2001, at Stevens Funeral Home chapel at 2 p.m. with burial in Forrest Park Cemetery. Memorials may be made to to the Memphis Cancer Center or New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church.
Stevens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Elizabeth Caroline Gibson
Elizabeth Caroline Gibson, age 11 weeks of Jackson, Tenn., died Wednesday, April 11, 2001, at her home.
She is survived by her parents, Douglas Lee Gibson and Jennie Jones Gibson of Jackson, Tenn.; a brother, Paul Douglas Gibson of Jackson, Tenn.; her maternal grandparents, Robert and Paula Jones of Forrest City; paternal grandparents, Norman and Rosie Gibson of DeKalb, Miss.; and a paternal great-grandmother, J.P. Gibson of DeKalb, Miss.
Miss Gibson was preceded in death by a paternal grandmother, Oneta Gibson of DeKalb, Miss.
Visitation will be at the North Chapel of George A. Smith and Sons Funeral Home in Jackson, Tenn. Saturday, April 21, 2001 from 1 to 3 p.m. Graveside service will be held for Miss Gibson Saturday, April 21, 2001, at 3 p.m. at Ridgecrest Cemetery in Jackson, Tenn., under the direction of George A. Smith and Sons North Chapel Funeral Home.
The family requests memorials be made to the First United Methodist Church Nursery Fund, 315 E. Chester St., Jackson, Tenn., 38301.
Helen Oxner Bryant
Mrs. Helen Oxner Bryant, age 89, of Brinkley, died Monday, April 16, 2001 at the Stuttgart Regional Medical Center in Stuttgart.
Mrs. Bryant was born Sept. 25, 1911. She was the daughter of Robert Wesley Oxner and Elsie Jane Rice Oxner. Mrs. Bryant attended the Victory Church in Brinkley and was a cook for the Brinkley Public Schools until her retirement.
She is survived by one son, Robert Bryant of Decatur, Ala.; two daughters, Louise Holloway of Wheatley and Cathy Stout of Cabot; one brother, Fred Oxner of Brinkley; 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Mrs. Bryant was preceded in death by a son, Albert Bryant in 1964.
Funeral services for Mrs. Bryant will be Thursday, April 19, 2001, at 10 a.m. at the First Assembly of God Church in Brinkley with the Rev. Don Stewart officiating. Burial will follow in Oaklawn Cemetery with Bob Neal and Sons Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements.
William Harold McMickle Sr.
Mr. William Harold "Slick" McMickle Sr., 64, of Wynne died Tuesday, April 17, 2001, at his home.
Mr. McMickle was born Nov. 27, 1936, in Pine Tree. He was a graduate of Marianna High School, Southern State University in Magnolia and the Oklahoma Teachers College. He was also a former resident of Forrest City.
He was a bookkeeper for Kennon Trucking and Farms in Wynne before retiring. He was a member of the Union Avenue Baptist Church in Wynne and a Navy Reserve veteran. Mr. McMickle was also a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the Masonic Lodge in Wynne and the Scottish Rite. He was a former employee of Halstead Industries.
Survivors include his wife, Ann McMickle of Wynne; two sons, Harold McMickle Jr., of Bono and Tony McMickle of Trumann; one daughter, Shannon Haynes of Trumann; a step-son, Larry Griffin of Cherry Valley; a step-daughter, Rhonda Griffin of Fort Smith; two brothers, Donnie McMickle of Aubrey and Kenneth McMickle of Palestine; three sisters, Mary Cook of Oregon, Virgie Fiedler of Powers, Ore., and Ruby Zarnes of Sacramento, Calif., and six grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, J.C. and Gladys McMickle; four brothers, Delbert Edward Holcomb, Harlan Holcomb, Joy Ray Holcomb and Joseph Willard Holcomb; and a sister, Bessie Mae Holcomb.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 19, 2001, at the Thompson-Wilson Funeral Home chapel in Wynne with Rev. William Witcher officiating. Burial will be in Barnishaw Cemetery at Pine Tree under the direction of Thompson-Wilson Funeral Home of Wynne.
Visitation was from 6 to 8 tonight at the funeral home.
Cora Anna Johnson
Mrs. Cora Anna Johnson, age 97, of Holly Grove, died Wednesday, April 11, 2001, at Stuttgart Regional Medical Center in Stuttgart.
Mrs. Johnson, a homemaker, is survived by eight daughters, Hattie B. Martin, Iona Johnson and Mary Alice Johnson, all of St. Louis, Mo., Ora Lee Jones of Helena, Gearline Johnson, Katie McGee and Lillie B. Winston, all of Chicago, Ill. and Mattie B. Flowers of Lintmaster, Mass.; five sons, Irunoes Johnson of Holly Grove, Levi Johnson, Robert Lee Johnson, Eugene Johnson and Austin Johnson Jr., all of St. Louis, Mo.; 101 grandchildren, 175 great-grandchildren and 77 great-great-grandchildren.
Visitation for Mrs. Johnson will be Friday, April 20, 2001, from noon to 5 p.m. at J.E. Kennedy Funeral Home Chapel in Forrest City. Funeral services will be Saturday, April 21, 2001, at 1 p.m. at Holly Grove Middle School in Holly Grove with the Rev. Scot Tyler officiating. Burial will follow in Hayes Cemetery in Holly Grove under the direction of J.E. Kennedy Funeral Home.
Dr. J.C. Beane
Dr. John Colmore Beane Jr., 74, of Forrest City, died Saturday, March 31, 2001, in the hospital at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Center in Little Rock.
He was born July 31, 1926, in Dierks, the son of John Colmore Beane Sr., and Stella Thompson Beane. He graduated from Paragould High School and was a World War II veteran. He attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he was a letterman on the Razorback football team and graduated with a bachelor's degree. He graduated in 1953 from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis.
He established a private practice of optometry in Forrest City in 1953, and later was founder of Lifetime Vision, Inc. He retired in 1997.
Dr. Beane was a member of the board of the Forrest City Savings and Loan and a charter member of the board of Forrest City Bank, was past-president of the Arkansas Optometric Association and a longtime member of the Rotary Club. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Forrest City.
An Eagle Scout, he served as a Scoutmaster in Forrest City. He was an officer in the Jaycees and a charter commissioner of the Forrest City Little League Baseball Association. He was a member of the Mississippi River Parkway Commission.
In 1946 he married Jacqueline Johnson, who survives him. He is also survived by a daughter, Ann Beane Hudson of Forrest City; his son, John C. Beane III, of Naples, Fla.; and a host of grandchildren, relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 4, 2001, at the First Baptist Church in Forrest City at 11 a.m. with Rev. Johnny Jackson, interim pastor of the First Baptist Church in Forrest City, and Dr. Randy L. Hyde, pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock officiating. Stevens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
The family asks that any memorials be sent to the First Baptist Church on North Rosser Street, Forrest City, or to ACRC-UAMS.
