Obituaries

John O. Gordon (04/01/05)
John O. Gordon, 88, of Milan, Tenn., a native of Clay County, died Saturday, March 26, 2005, at his home. He was born June 30, 1916, in Clay County to the late Ernest Simpson Gordon and Nannie Ruth Overton Gordon. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Milan and a member of the Wylie Brewer Sunday School Class. He was a World War II U.S. Air Force veteran...

Virgie M. Rogers (04/01/05)
Virgie M. Rogers, 94, of Piggott, died Thursday, March 24, 2005, in the Jonesboro Health Care in Jonesboro. She was born May 25, 1910, in Rector, the daughter of the late William Walker and Della Irby Smith. She was united in marriage to Elbert Druie Rogers on Oct. 24, 1931. They had one son...

Donnie Mack "Red" Greenway (04/08/05)
Donnie Mack "Red" Greenway, 63, of Rector, died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould as a result of an auto accident. He was born Nov. 1, 1941, in Walcott to the late Leon and Frankie Smith Greenway. He also was preceded in death by two brothers, Webb Greenway and Jim Greenway...

Vadalia Francis Pruett (04/08/05)
Vadalia Francis Pruett, 86, of Paragould, formerly of Rector, died Friday, April 1, 2005, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. Born March 14, 1919, to the late Calvin Busby and Beulah Payne Busby, she was a homemaker and a member of the First Baptist Church of Rector...

Everett Manning Jr. (04/08/05)
Everett Manning Jr., 77, of Denver, Ind., a native of Rector, died Thursday, March 17, 2005, at St. Joseph Hospital in South Bend, Ind. Born Feb. 24, 1928, in Rector to the late Everett Eldon and Bessie Bookout Manning, he was a member of the Denver Baptist Church and the Bunker Hill Masonic Lodge, where he was a Past Master and currently was serving as Chaplain. He was a charter member of the Denver Lions and a member of the Walton Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star...

Amos Dalton Staggs (04/08/05)
Amos Dalton Staggs, 69, of Rector died Sunday April 3, 2005, at his home. Born Jan. 27, 1936, in Rector to the late Joe and Luvina Staggs, he worked for Emerson Electric, was a veteran and was of the Baptist faith. He also was preceded in death by his first wife, Ava Sue Staggs; two infant daughters; two brothers, Walter Lee and Nubern Staggs, and one sister, Edith Langster...

Christina Marie McDonald (04/14/05)
Christina Marie McDonald, 5, of Malden, Mo., formerly of Rector, died Wednesday, April 6, 2005. She was born Sept. 3, 1999, in Hot Springs. She was a kindergarten student and had lived her life in this community. Survivors include her parents, Windell Matheney and Jessica Leigh McDonald of Malden; one brother, Austin Thrasher of Malden; grandparents, David Laxton and Katrina Laxton of Rector and Teresa Morgan of Malden; great-grandparents, J.D. ...

Edward Eugene Hamm (04/14/05)
Edward Eugene Hamm, 78, of Lafe, died Wednesday, April 6, 2005, in the V.A. Hospital at St. Louis. He was born March 5, 1927, in Cash to the late William Robert Hamm and Minnie (Broadway) Hamm Priest. He was a construction worker, a veteran of the Army, a member of VFW Post 3516 in Kinghan, Ariz., and of the Baptist faith...

Robert G. O'Dell (04/14/05)
Robert G. O'Dell, 97, of Rockford, Ill., died on Saturday, April 9, 2005. He was born May 31, 1907, in Columbus, Ky., the son of the late George Roland O'Dell and Floridia Hamilton O'Dell. He was united in marriage to Leona Bishop on Oct. 14, 1933. They had one son, John George O'Dell, who was born on Nov. 6, 1934...

Louvea Jeanne Pratt (04/14/05)
Louvea Jeanne Pratt, 71, of Rector, died Friday, April 8, 2005, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born April 8, 1934, in Rector to the late Joe Gilkison and Julie (Layne) Gilkison, she was a special education teacher, an antique dealer, a member of the Chruch of Christ and had lived most of her life in this community...

Roy Steed (04/14/05)
Roy Steed, 70, of Marmaduke died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at his home. Born Sept. 5, 2005, in Hartselle, Ala., to the late Emmett Steed and Ruby (Woods) Steed, he was in maintenance with Rockford Tool and Die, a Navy veteran and a member of the Stonewall Community Church...

Verneal Thompson (04/14/05)
Verneal Thompson, 88, of Greene Acres Nursing Home in Paragould, formerly of Marmaduke, died Friday, April 8, 2005, at Greene Acres Nursing Home. Born Oct. 1, 1916, in Greene County to the late Moses Starnes and Nancy Bell (Staires) Starnes, she was a homemaker, a member of Ramer's Chapel United Methodist Church and a lifelong member of the community...

Dorothy Aline Jones (04/14/05)
Dorothy Aline Jones, 75,of Oak Grove died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at Oak Grove. Born Sept. 6, 1929, in Parkin to the late Jewell and Henry Fahr, she was retired from Brown's Shoe Factory and of the Baptist faith. She also was preceded in death by two brothers, Roy and Denver Fahr; one son-in-law, Dennis Robertson, and one great-granddaughter, Molly Robinson...

Ethel Marie Cruce (04/14/05)
Ethel Marie Cruce, 86, of Harrison, a native of Marmaduke, died Monday, April 4, 2005, at the Hilltop Nursing Center in Harrison. Born Feb. 26, 1919, in Marmaduke, Mrs. Cruce was a homemaker and of the Southern Baptist faith. Survivors include one daughter, Nika Cruce of Harrison, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren...

Lottie Mae Blackshear (04/14/05)
Lottie Mae Blackshear, 87, of Paragould, died Friday, April 8, 2005, at Paragould. Born April 7, 1918, in El Paso, Ark., to the late Emma and Walter Cordell, she was a retired nurse and of the Pentecostal faith. She also was preceded in death by her husband, Robert O. Blackshear; one brother, Bill Cordell, and three sisters, Virgie Sumler, Mammie Grigsby and Charlene Long...

Wanda L. (Austin) Schultz (04/14/05)
Wanda L. (Austin) Schultz, 74, of Perryville, Mo., formerly of Piggott and Greenway, died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born Oct. 22, 1930, in Greene County, Ark., the daughter of Nelson W. and Lillie (Mofield) Austin Sr...

Joe Wesley Hosier (04/14/05)
Joe Wesley Hosier, 63, of Lafe died Thursday, April 7, 2005, at his home. Born April 26, 1941, in Harrisburg, he was a truck driver, an employee of Southern Bank of Commerce and a Catholic. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Violet Hosier...

Patsy Ann "Pat" McClung (04/20/05)
Patsy Ann "Pat" McClung Greenway, 63, of Rector, died Wednesday, April 13, 2005, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was born May 7, 1941, in Greene County to the late Earl James "E.J." McClung and Sally Marie (Eddington) McClung...

Genevieve Maxine Lovelady (04/20/05)
Graveside services for 86-year-old Genevieve Maxine Lovelady of Fenton, Mich., formerly of Rector, will be at 11 a.m. today (Wednesday, April 20) at Woodland Heights Cemetery in Rector with Rev. Larry Martineau officiating. Irby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

Gerald Dwight McDowell (04/20/05)
Gerald Dwight McDowell, 78, of Marmaduke died Friday, April 15, 2005, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. He was born Aug. 8, 1926, to the late Archie and Lucinda (Gibbs) McDowell in Greene County. He was a retired farmer and a member of Ramer's Chapel Methodist Church...

Doilie Vera Wagster (04/20/05)
Graveside services for 84-year-old Doilie Vera Wagster of Rector, who died Friday, April 15, 2005, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at Woodland Heights Cemetery with Kirk Benson officiating. Mrs. Wagster was born Feb. 16, 1921, to the late John and Elva (Read) Gibbs...

Jim Champlin (04/28/05)
Jim Champlin, husband of the late Donna Champlin and son-in-law of the late Donald and Doma McCluney of Rector, died suddenly of a heart attack Wednesday, April 6. He would have been 71 on May 24. A 33-year resident of Coronado, Calif., Mr. Champlin is survived by his life-partner Betsy Roick; his children, Jim and his wife Linda; Katie and her husband Simon, and Marcie; his sister, Carolyn, of Fredericktown, Mo.; his grandchildren, Sarah and Jake, and sister-in-law, Mary Crews of Maumelle...

Cecil Pearl Hicks (04/28/05)
Cecil Pearl Hicks, 99, of Rector, died Saturday, April 23, 2005, at Paragould. Born Nov. 9, 1905, in Arlington, Texas, she was a homemaker. Preceding her in death were her husband, John Wesley Hicks Sr.; one son, John Wesley Hicks Jr; two daughters, Betty J. Young and Carolyn S. Jackson, and two brothers, Herman and Howard Sims...

Lorena Horner (04/28/05)
Funeral services for 91-year-old Lorena Horner, formerly of Rector, who died Tuesday, April 19, 2005, in St. Elizabeth's Place in Jonesboro, were held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 23, in the Irby Funeral Home Chapel of Rector with James Henry Dortch officiating...