Obituaries from January 2004

Mary Elizabeth Hardin Nichols (01/28/04)
Mary Elizabeth Hardin Nichols, 84, of Huntsville, Ala., died Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004, at her home. She was a member of the Memorial Parkway Church of Christ in Huntsville. She was preceded in death by her parents, H.R. (Bud) and May Hardin of the Rector/Marmaduke area...

Randy L. Shelton (01/21/04)
Randy L. Shelton, 52, of Rector, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. He was born Dec. 2, 1951, in Portland Ore., to Marion Shelton and Jewell Nelson Shelton. He was a factory worker, a member of the National Guard, a veteran of the Marine Corps and of the Baptist faith...

Gurayne Lee "Peck" Thrasher (01/21/04)
Gurayne Lee "Peck" Thrasher, 73, of Rector, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004, at Rector Healthcare. Born Aug. 19, 1930, in Greene County to the late Zephra and Maggie Thrasher, he was a farmer, a lifelong member of the community and of the Baptist faith...

James Marion Reynolds (01/21/04)
James Marion Reynolds, 75, of Knobel, died Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004, in Peach Orchard. Born March 26, 1928, in Marmaduke, he was a construction worker, a veteran of the Korean War and a Baptist. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Gleeda Mae Goodman Reynolds, and his parents, Newton D. and Ethel Reynolds...

Thelma Lee Hoggard (01/21/04)
Thelma Lee Hoggard, 84, of Marmaduke, died Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Nov. 25, 1919, in Marmaduke to the late Luther and Oather (Hill) Starnes. She was in the medical field, a lifelong member of the community and a member of Marmaduke First United Methodist Church...

Vivian Faye Cooper (01/21/04)
Vivian Faye Cooper, 77, of Marion, formerly of Rector, died Tuesday, Jan.13, 2004, at Crittenden Memorial Hospital. She had worked as secretary at Marion High School and was a member of the Marion First Baptist Church. Survivors include her husband, Robert F. "Bob" Cooper of Marion, formerly of Rector; one son, Case Cooper of Destin, Fla.; two brothers, Fred Case of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Ralph Case of Paragould, and four grandchildren...

Joyce Adavee Pillow (01/21/04)
Joyce Adavee Pillow, 61, of Greenway died Sunday, Jan. 18, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was born May 23, 1942, in McDougal to the late Odis Cleo and Edna Nixon Gilbee and was married Sept. 17, 1960, to James S. Pillow, who survives...

Joe Statler (01/28/04)
Joe Statler, 63, of Rector, died Friday, Jan. 23, 2004, at his home. He was born May 25, 1940, in Clay County to Birtlee (Stevens) Statler and the late Barney Statler. He was retired from Monroe Auto Equipment of Paragould, a lifelong member of the community and a member and deacon of Union Home General Baptist Church...

Eva Jean Underwood (01/28/04)
Eva Jean Underwood, 66, of Little Rock, formerly of Marmaduke, died Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004, at St. Vincent's Doctor's Hospice in Little Rock. She was born May 24, 1937, in Dell, Ark., to the late Holton Carner and Virginia (Smith) Carner. She was a homemaker and a member of Marmaduke First Baptist Church...

George Leslie Niederkorn (01/28/04)
A funeral mass for George Leslie Niederkorn, 51, was held at 10 a.m. TUesday, Jan. 27, 2004, at Prince of Peace Church, with Father Michael J. Larkin officiating in Jacksonville, Fla. Interment was in Riverside Memorial Park in Jacksonville. A native of Rector and a 1973 graduate of Greenway High School, Mr. Niederkorn died Saturday, Jan. 24, in a local care facility...

Barbara Lee Cossey Holden Springston (01/14/04)
Barbara Lee Cossey Holden Springston, 53, of Cardwell. Mo., died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003, at her home. She was born March 22, 1950, in Detroit, Mich. She was preceded in death by her father, Ora (Tom) Cossey, and one brother, Joe Cossey. Survivors include her husband, William Springston; children, Shelley and Kevin Davidson, Stacy Holden, John and Peggy Holden and William Springston; four grandsons and one granddaughter; her mother, Aline Cossey; two sisters, Shirley Adkins and Alberta Lewis; two brothers, Larry Cossey and William Cossey, and many nephews and nieces.. ...

Larry Don (Jesse) Cossey (01/14/04)
Larry Don (Jesse) Cossey of Hamburg, Mich., died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003, at Angela Hospice in Livonia, Mich. He was born in Greene County July 26, 1942. Larry worked at Ford Motor Co. Rouge Plant as a power electrician for 36 years. He was preceded in death by his father, Ora (Tom) Cossey; one brother, Joe Cossey, and one sister, Barbara Cossey Holden Springston...

Jewell T. Duckworth (01/14/04)
Jewell T. Duckworth, 76, of Mesa, Ariz., formerly of the Rector area, died Monday, Jan. 5, 2004, at Hospice of the Valley in Mesa. He was born April 15, 1927, in Clay County to the late David and Lizzie Duckworth. He was an entrepreneur and a veteran of World War II...

Orpha Irene Hamelback (01/14/04)
Orpha Irene Hamelback, 81, of Rector, died Thursday, Jan. 8, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was born July 15, 1922, in Rector to the late Marion Evans and Ella Little Evans. She was a homemaker, a lifelong member of the community and a member of the Marmaduke Church of Christ...

Boyd Waylan Pickler (01/14/04)
Boyd Waylan Pickler, 65, of Rector died Friday, Jan. 9, 2004, in Paragould. He was born Oct. 31, 1938, in Knob to the late Benard and Luna Pickler. He also was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Mae Pickler, and one brother, Hershel Pickler. He was a Dallas Transit bus driver and of the Baptist faith...

John C. Grubb (01/05/04)
John C. Grubb, 75, of Boydsville died Monday, Dec. 29, 2003, in Piggott. He was born Jan. 31, 1927, in Boydsville, the son of Clarence and Ida Grubb. Mr. Grubb was of the Baptist faith and was a World War II veteran. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Ida Grubb; 11 brothers and sisters; one grandson; and one great-granddaughter...

Eva Virginia Stokes Graham Frets (01/05/04)
Eva Virginia Stokes Graham Frets, 89, of Rector died Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2003, at her home. The daughter of the late Alfred Marion Stokes and Stella Miller Stokes, she was born Sept. 4, 1914, in Clay County. She was a retired beautician and had lived in Rector and Caruthersville, Mo., her entire life. She was a member of the Fifth and Pine Church of Christ...

David L. Swink (01/05/04)
David L. Swink, 71, of Rector died Monday, Dec. 29, 2003, at Paragould. He was born May 4, 1932, in Greene County to the late W.R. and Altie Swink. He was of the Baptist faith. He is survived by his wife, Jewell Swink of Rector; two sons, Robert Swink of Lafe and James Swink of Clinton, Ill.; two daughters, Altie Dale Wilson of Marmaduke and Barbara Sue Melton of Rector, and two brothers, Melvin Swink of Paragould and Houston Swink of Pennsylvania...

Karen Ann Ellis (01/05/04)
Karen Ann Ellis, 46, of Marmaduke died Saturday, Dec. 27, 2003, at her home. She was born Feb. 18, 1957, in Leesburg, Fla., and was married in May 1974 to Jerry Ellis, who survives. She was a housewife and of the General Baptist faith. She was preceded in death by her father, Sherman Ebert Blanton, and two brothers, Randall and Ronald Blanton...

Larry Lewis (01/05/04)
Larry Lewis, 59, of St. Francis died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, in the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born Feb. 9, 1944, in Greenway, the son of the late David and Creacy Loveless Lewis. Preceding him in death was one brother, James Lewis in 1997. He is survived by one son, Michael Lewis of Wappappello, Mo.; five brothers, Junior Lewis of Piggott, Jerry Lewis of Piggott, Billy Lewis of St. ...

Pauline Florence Tippitt (01/05/04)
Pauline Florence Tippitt, 88, died Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003, at Rector Health Care. She was born July 8, 1915, in Dexter, Mo., the daughter of the late Harvey Leon Henry and Rosa Strait Henry. She was united in marriage in 1936 to Clarence Columbus Tippitt. He preceded her in death on March 17, 1998...

Helen Lawson Wheat (01/05/04)
Helen Lawson Wheat, 73, of Dewitt, mother of Danny Wheat of Rector, died Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. She was a homemaker and member of Sunnyside Missionary Baptist Church. Other survivors include her husband, Doyle J. Wheat; three additional sons, Dillard Wheat of Ontario, Canada, Doyne Wheat of Memphis and David Wheat of Locust Grove; six grandchildren; and two great-grandsons...

Grady Thomas Arnold, Sr. (01/05/04)
Grady Thomas Arnold, Sr., 63, of Rector, died Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003, at his home. He was born Oct. 23, 1940, in Kennett to the late George Wesley Arnold and Victory Hazel (Self) Arnold. He was a press operator for Emerson Electric, had lived most of his life in the community, and was of the Assembly of God faith. He was married to Barbara Weatherspoon on Feb. 19, 1962...

Mary L. Daniels (01/07/04)
Mary L. Daniels, 33, of Paragould, died Sunday, Jan. 4, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. A homemaker, she was born Sept. 27, 1970, in Paragould to Leroy Cobb and the late Viola Cobb. She was a member of the Seventh and Mueller Church of Christ. She also was preceded in death by a brother, Larry Cobb...

Nina Parks (01/07/04)
Nina Parks, 76, of Blytheville, a native of Kennett, Mo., died Monday, Jan. 5, 2004, at her home. Born Nov. 19, 1927, in Kennett, the daughter of Frank Sr. and Nellie Hendrix Collier, she was a longtime resident of Blytheville and of the Baptist faith. She was a homemaker who enjoyed reading...

Jewel T. Duckworth (01/07/04)
Jewel T. Duckworth, 76, of Mesa, Ariz., formerly of the Rector area, died Sunday, Jan. 4, 2004, in Hospice of the Valley in Mesa. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Irby Funeral Home of Rector.

Debra Lynn Faries (01/14/04)
Debra Lynn Faries, 45, of Rector died Thursday, Jan. 8, 2004, at her home. She was born Dec. 28, 1958, in Corning and was married Aug. 27, 1977, to Herbert Faries, who survives. She was the director and a teacher at James W. Graves Head Start Center in Rector and was a member of the Corning Y Pentecostal Church...

Melissia Heath (01/05/04)
Melissia Heath, 73, of the Rector Nursing Home, formerly of Black Oak, Ark., died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, in the Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Aug. 29, 1930, in Crockett, the daughter of the late Ruben T. and Callie Hilderbrand Graves. She was united in marriage to Elmer Heath on Dec. 22, 1956. He preceded her in death in February of 2002...