Buel Lovell
Buel Lovell, 90, of Little Rock, father of Buel Dean Barlow of Mayflower, died Monday (Oct. 4, 1999).
Born May 3, 1909, in Paris (Logan County), son of Joe and Ellen Pagwell Lovell, he was retired from the lawnmower repair business, a Navy veteran and a member of the Old River Fishing Club, Forest Park Masonic Lodge 147 and Geyer Springs First Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by a wife, Ruth Lovell.
Other survivors are his wife, Gertrue "Polly" Lovell; another daughter, Ruth Davis of Little Rock; a son, Joe W. Lovell of Little Rock; a stepdaughter, Ann Ridgell of Oologah, Okla.; two brothers, Charlie Lovell of St. Petersburg, Fla., and James Lovell of Paris; seven grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Roller-Drummond Southwest in Little Rock with the Rev. Gearl Spicer and the Rev. Paul Sanders officiating. A Masonic graveside service will be held at 3 p.m. at Oakwood Cemetery in Paris.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Geyer Springs First Baptist Church, 12400 Interstate 30, Little Rock, Ark. 72209.
Eulas H. Gasaway
Eulas H. Gasaway, 80, of Clinton died Wednesday (Oct. 6, 1999) at his home.
Born March 28, 1919, in Lydisk (Stone County), son of Earl and Fannie Lowell Gasaway, he was a retired underground construction worker, a World War II Army veteran and a member of Pee Dee Baptist Church.
Survivors are his wife, Vernell Cook Gasaway; five sons, Earl Gasaway of Hot Springs, Jack Gasaway of Heber Springs, Carl Gasaway of Telado, Wash., Mark Gasaway of Key West, Fla., and John Gasaway of Dardanelle; two daughters, Judy Williams of Clinton and Elizabeth Horn of Havana; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Pee Dee Baptist Church with Fred Fretz and Ted Cook officiating. Burial will be in Pee Dee Cemetery by Roller-McNutt Funeral Home of Clinton.
Pallbearers will be Darrell James, Carl James, Julian James, Conway Cook, Jackie Cook and Gene Cook.
Anne Ailene Duran
Mrs. Anne Ailene Duran, 78, of Sherwood, a Conway native, died Thursday (Oct. 7, 1999) at Rebsaman Hospital in Jacksonville.
Born Jan. 3, 1921, a daughter of Ira and Myrtle Dean Snell, she was the widow of Dennis Duran Sr., a substitute teacher for the Pulaski County Special School District for 15 years and she and her husband were very involved in the incorporation of Sherwood. Mrs. Duran was active in the Parent-Teacher Association and Band Boosters, sponsored and organized the first Sylvan Hills High School drill team and co-wrote the Sylvan Hills alma mater. She also worked for the Sherwood Police Department.
Survivors are four sons, Gerry Duran of Sylvan Hills and Dennis Duran Jr., Ron Duran and Darrell Duran, all of Sherwood; six grandchildren; three step-grandsons; and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at North Little Rock Funeral Home with the Rev. Jerry Collins officiating. Burial will be in Rest Hills Memorial Park by North Little Rock Funeral Home.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Lois M. Mills
Lois M. Mills, 79, of Conway died today (Oct. 8, 1999) at Conway Regional Medical Center.
Born May 17, 1920, in Guy, daughter of Thomas Franklin and Dessie Reynolds Battles, she was a homemaker and a member of the Church of Christ.
Survivors are two brothers, Bennie Battles and Bobby Battles, both of Conway; and four sisters, Frankie Battles of Guy and Myrtle Hutchins, Bronnie Ingram and Willie Pearson, all of Conway.
Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Roller-McNutt Funeral Home with John Matthews officiating. Burial will be in Copperas Springs Cemetery by Roller-McNutt Funeral Home of Conway.
Pallbearers will be Ferion Bivens, Clark Stevenson, Benny Battles, Kenneth Ingram, James Ingram and Tommy Ingram.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Forest Wayne Coran
Forest Wayne Coran, 64, of Mayflower died Friday (Oct. 8, 1999) at Conway Regional Medical Center.
Born June 6, 1935, in Fort Towson, Okla., a son of the late Leonard and Maggie Coran, he was a retired carpet layer and a member of Troutman Chapel.
Survivors are his wife, Linnie Carter Coran; two daughters, Mary Brewster and Deborah Mullins, both of Conway; a brother, Leonard Coran of Mayflower; a sister, Louise Winters of Redmond, Ore.; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at Troutman Chapel with the Rev. Leon Troutman officiating. Burial will be in Mayflower Cemetery by Griffin Leggett-Conway.
Pallbearers will be Daryl Coran, Richard Coran, Joshua Pena, Sonny Kuykendall, Bobby Jones and Paul Searles.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Mrs. Alta Mae Odom
Mrs. Alta Mae Hutchins Odom, 83, of North Little Rock, sister of Lois H. Rowlett of Greenbrier, died Thursday (Oct. 7, 1999) at her home.
Born Feb. 5, 1916, on Pine Mountain near Bee Branch, a daughter of the late John William and Lida Loyd Hutchins, she was a member of Sylvan Hills First Baptist Church and Abundant Lifers.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lonnie Newton Odom; six sisters, Lela, Mary, Evie, Clara, Cordia and Naomi; and three brothers, Mitchell, Luther and Hulen Hutchins.
She is also survived by another sister, Bertha Allen of Cabot.
Funeral services were today at Sylvan Hills First Baptist Church with the Revs. Don Moseley and Hardy Bell officiating. Burial was in Pine Mountain Cemetery in Bee Branch by Roller-Owens Funeral Home of North Little Rock.
Pallbearers were her nephews, Charles Hutchins, Larry Rowlett, Aubrey Hutchins, Wendell Hutchins, Laudus Ogden and Robert Allen.
Memorials may be made to Sylvan Hills First Baptist Church.
Frank Benton Brannan Sr.
It's fitting that Frank Brannan and Sons Drive-in on Harkrider started with Frank Brannan Sr. and will end with him.
The drive-in has been sold, and Frank Benton Brannan Sr. died shortly after midnight Wednesday (Nov. 10, 1999) at Conway Regional Medical Center. He was not quite 88; his birthday is Nov. 28.
Born in 1911, in Linder, a son of James Charlie and Fannie Mary Benton Brannan, Mr. Brannan started Frank Brannan's Drive-in 54 years ago, making it the oldest restaurant in Conway.
Mr. Brannan lived in Oklahoma until he was 8, when his father died, and his mother moved back to Conway. He became a paper carrier for the Log Cabin Democrat shortly after that.
He was first introduced to the restaurant business when he went to work behind the fountain at Grecian Drug when he was 12. He showed a talent for the work, and was fountain manager by the time he was 14.
At 15, he gave in to his wanderlust and left home to travel to such places as Dallas, Chicago and Hollywood.
"He road box cars on trains," said his son Bobby Brannan. "He'd hitchhike; he didn't have a car."
Everywhere he went, he worked in the restaurant business, and he enjoyed life.
"My dad could tell you more stories than Carter's got little liver pills," Bobby said. "He was a party animal."
Mr. Brannan met and married his wife Oga Bumpus Brannan 60 years ago in McAllister, Okla., while visiting his sister. He brought her to Conway and went back to work for Grecian Drug. A few years later he switched to Rogers Drug, where he worked behind the fountain.
In 1939, Mr. and Mrs. Brannan opened Frank's Confectionery in downtown Conway. Oga Brannan made the sandwiches, including such treats as egg and olive, and Frank "would work there from daylight till dark," his son said.
In 1945, the Brannans built the building where Jade China Restaurant is now located and opened the first Frank Brannan's Drive-in -- probably one of the first drive-ins in Conway, Bobby says. In 1952, a speaker system was added -- the first of its kind between Billings, Mont., where Frank got the idea, and the East Coast. Tom Wilson, the town banker, told Mr. Brannan he was crazy, that such a system would never catch on. But it did.
Over the years hundreds of couples have "courted" at Frank Brannan's.
"I've heard the story a hundred times," Bobby said. "'I met my wife at Frank Brannan's' or 'That's where I asked my wife to marry me'."
"The drive-in touched everybody's life who lived in Conway, went to school in Conway or just came through Conway," Bobby added.
State Sen. Stanley Russ called Frank Brannan a legend, an innovator who changed the face of the restaurant business in Conway.
With his death, Brannan left behind a citadel of gastronomy -- the famous hot dog, a dozen inches in length smothered in chili and cheese and absolutely heavenly to the taste.
"Many of us grew up under Frank Brannan's influence when it came to eating marvelous foods," Russ said. "The man was ahead of his time. He introduced Conway to new modes of dining, particularly when he installed speakers for ordering food, car hops, drive-through lanes and speakers. He was always on the lookout for new ways to please his customers."
The hot dog has always been given a pre-eminent standing at the drive-in, but Brannan's other victuals have competed in healthy ways.
To say that the drive-in sated the appetites of endless numbers of ravenous college students and Conway patrons is only part of the story. Many visitors made a stop at Brannan's an occasion.
Not too long ago, Bobby received a message from a group of former Hendrix students who told of reunions at the drive-in. "Over 40 years ago we first visited the drive-in," the report said. "Our limeades were delicious and the visit with the Brannans brought back many memories. One of our group was at the Brannan window waiting for her order when the 1957 tornado blew glass from the drive-in over her car.
"We are 1957 graduates of Hendrix College. Six of us get together each year and reminisce, visiting the campus and make a stop at Brannan's a must."
Frank Brannan retired about 15 years ago, his son said, and, because his sight and hearing were failing, he spent most of his time at home with his wife.
"Dad and Mother had a good relationship," Bobby said. "They were a team. You can say 60 years married and that speaks a lot for their relationship."
Despite being cut off from the people who had meant so much to his life by his inability to see and hear, Frank Brannan never complained, his son said.
"He's in a much better place now," Bobby said. "He was an angel on this earth."
Mr. Brannan was a member of First Baptist Church and the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, and was a charter member of the Conway Lions Club.
Survivors are his wife, Oga; three sons, Frank Brannan Jr., Bobby Brannan and Billy Brannan, all of Conway; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Roller-McNutt Funeral Home with Dr. Dale Wicker and the Rev. Roy Chatham officiating. Burial will be in Crestlawn Memorial Park.
Pallbearers will be Rob Brannan, Chris Brannan, Mark Brannan, Clint Milum, Mark Jackson, Ike Ryan and Malcom Turner.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church building fund.
Mrs. McConnell
Mrs. Eunah Frances "Shorty" McConnell, 79, of Dardanelle (Yell County) died Thursday (Nov. 11, 1999) at Dardanelle Nursing Center.
Born July 23, 1920, in Greenbrier, daughter of the late Joe and Laura Cantrell Allinder, she was the widow of G.B. "Buck" McConnell, a member of Council Oaks 589 Order of Eastern Star, the VFW Ladies Auxiliary 4131 in Dardanelle, and First Baptist Church of Dardanelle.
Survivors are a son, William McConnell of Lansing, Kan.; a brother, Dick Allinder of Peoria, Ill.; and a sister, Louise Fauss of Donna, Texas.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Cornwell Chapel in Dardanelle with the Rev. Milton Cowling officiating. Burial will be in Ard Cemetery in Dardanelle by Cornwell Funeral Home.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 577, Dardanelle, Ark. 72834, or to the Dardanelle Rock Chapter DAR, 507 South Second St., Dardanelle, Ark. 72834.
Eldon Neel Webb
Eldon Neel Webb, 76, of Conway, died Friday (Nov. 13, 1998) at his home.
Born Nov. 11, 1922, in Wooster, a son of Benny Neel and Flora Nichols Webb and widow of Margaret Higgason Webb, he was a retired administrative law judge for the state of Arkansas, a World War II Army veteran and a member of First Baptist Church.
Survivors are two daughters, Margaret Lynn Webb and Ann Warren, both of Conway, and four granddaughters.
Graveside services are 10 a.m. Monday at Oak Grove Cemetery with the Rev. Bill Brown officiating.
Visitation will be 2 to 4 p.m. today at Roller-McNutt Funeral Home.
Otto Martin Chapman
Otto Martin Chapman, 79, of Conway died Monday (Nov. 30, 1998).
Born April 20, 1919, in Adona (Perry County), a son of John Arthur and Leota Marlow Dixon Chapman, he was a dispatcher at Exxon and a World War II Army veteran.
Survivors are his wife, Sada Goff Chapman; a son, Otto Martin Chapman Jr. of Paducah, Ky.; a daughter, Patricia Weir of Jackson, Tenn.; and three grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Thursday at Harris Funeral Home in Morrilton with the Rev. John Chapman and the Rev. Darrel Teeter officiating. Burial will be in May Cemetery.
Visitation will be 6 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to CARTI, 2605 College Ave., Conway, Ark. 72032.
Floyd T. Tucker
Floyd T. Tucker, 85, of Conway, died Wednesday (Dec. 2, 1998) at Heritage Living Center.
Born Nov. 9, 1913, in Vilonia, a son of Jessie F. and Ethel Alma Frazier Tucker, he was a retired mechanic, a Navy veteran of World War II and a Baptist.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Frank Tucker and a sister, Ida Wilson.
Survivors include his wife, Lyda Tucker; three stepsons, Tommy Stapleton of Whitter, Calif., Travis Stephens of Fullerton, Calif., and John Stapleton of Conway; two stepdaughters, Rose M. Stokes of Bakersfield, Calif., and Jeanette Tucker of San Diego; a brother, Aubry Tucker of San Diego; and six sisters, Mary Collins of Chandler, Okla., Eddith Ridout of Tennessee, Gennie Hammons of Gravel Ridge, and Alice Beard and Nellie Ramsey, both of Vilonia.
Funeral services will be 3 p.m. Saturday at Roller-McNutt Funeral Home with the Rev. William West officiating. Burial will be at Cypress Valley Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Jerry Davis, Ardell Frazier, Lynn Burton, Dirk Sutterfield, John Breazal and Benny Ramos.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
William E. Wallace
Ret. Chief Petty Officer William E. Wallace, 57, of Perryville, father of William Wallace Jr. of Conway, died Monday (Nov. 30, 1998) at McClellan Veteran's Hospital in Little Rock.
Born on Feb. 4, 1941, in Harrison, a son of Vera Blalock Wallace and the late Milford Wallace, he was a retired naval officer, served two tours of duty in Vietnam and was a member of the Clinton United Methodist Church. He remained active in the military by developing the Naval Sea Cadets program.
He was preceded in death by his father and his brother, James L. Wallace.
Other survivors include a daughter, Melissa Gay Sparks of Little Rock; a sister, Martha Arends of Jonesboro; and two grandchildren.
Graveside services will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Maplewood Cemetery in Harrison with Dr. Bob Burnham officiating. Arrangements by Coffman Funeral Home of Harrison.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his honor to the Naval Sea Cadet program at local naval recruiting offices.
Michelle Bryant Gardner
Michelle Bryant Gardner, 25, of North Little Rock, daughter of David and Paula Bryant of Conway, died Thursday (Dec. 3, 1998).
Born Jan. 2, 1973, in Little Rock, she was a cashier at Jo Jo's Barbecue, a student at Pulaski Technical College and a graduate of Oak Grove High School.
Survivors include her husband, Marcus Gardner; two stepdaughters, Jennifer and Ashley Gardner, both of Poyen (Grant County); and a brother Elijah Bryant of North Little Rock.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Morgan Full Gospel Church with the Rev. Bob Wickliffe officiating. Graveside services will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Siloam Cemetery in Enola. Arrangements by Roller-Owens Funeral Home of North Little Rock.
