Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland And Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas
Erwin L. Wright
Erwin L. Wright, age 81, resident of De Queen, died Monday, Jan. 17, 2005 in Texarkana.
He was born Sept. 20, 1923 in Gillham to John Ellis and Lola Day Powell Wright; was a master electrician establishing Wright Electric Co. in 1948 and also worked for Williams Brothers and Brown and Root; a U.S. Marine Corp. veteran of World War II having served in the South Pacific; and a member of Gillham First United Methodist Church. He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, George Arvil Wright, Calvin C. Wright, Ellis E. Wright and Hillary J. Wright.
He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Bigham Wright; two sons, Al Wright and Randell Wright, both of De Queen; one daughter, Leslie Ray of Pine Bluff; one brother, Custer T. Wright of Crescent City, Calif.; four sisters, Joy White of Citrus Heights, Calif., Viola Morgan of Buffalo, Tex., Faye Tidwell of Simms, Tex., and Christine Wright of New Boston, Tex.; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 21 in Wilkerson Funeral Home Chapel with Ron Paul and Lyndon Fenton officiating. Burial will follow in Redmen cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20 at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Gillham Alumni Association, PO Box 48, Gillham, AR 71841.
Bobby I. McGhee
Bobby I. McGhee, age 33, resident of Gillham, died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 in De Queen Medical Center.
He was born Nov. 1, 1971 at Lyons, Kan.; and was a tree trimmer. He was preceded in death by his father, Charles Ronald McGhee.
He is survived by his mother and step-father, Edna and Donnie Vann of Gillham; three children, Brittany Marie McGhee, Austin McGhee and Aburey McGhee; two brothers, Jerry Dale McGhee of Houston, Tex., and Larry Lee “Bumper” McGhee of Eagletown, Okla.; one sister, Tomi Rene Edwards of Keithville, La.; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Cremation arrangements were under the direction of Chandler Funeral Home.
Pansy Hazel Chenault
Pansy Hazel Barber Chenault, age 85, resident of Russellville, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005.
She was born Oct. 23, 1919 at Rocky to Kate Clementine and George Washington Barber; was a member of First United Methodist Church of Delaware; and attended Crow Mountain Baptist Church in Russellville. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Paul Tucker Chenault; an infant son, Billy Ray Chenault; five brothers, Robert Baber, Virgil Baber, Dick Baber, Ned Baber and Issac E. “Lish” Baber; and three sisters, Ruby Simoneaux, Netta Taylor and Nancy White.
She is survived by one daughter, Barbara Shepherd of Russellville; one son, Ron Chenault of Russellville; two grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Graveside service were held at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24 in Rocky cemetery near Mena with Rev. Wylie Jones officiating, under the direction of Shinn Funeral Service of Russellville.
Memorials may be made to the Van Fund of Bluffton Baptist Church, Bluffton, AR 72827.
Mildred Altenbaumer
Mrs. Mildred Stafford Altenbaumer, age 78, resident of Alleene, died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 at Texarkana, Texas.
She was born July 5, 1926 in Clebit, Okla.; was an active member of the Ouachita Arts and Crafts Guild for the past 15 years, co-chairperson of the Mountainfest Craft Show at Mena for 5 years, was a retired food inspector for UDSA, and was a member of the First Baptist Church in Foreman.
She was preceded in death by two husbands, Raymond Stafford and Dallas Altenbaumer, Sr.; one grandchild, Kimberly Brown; and a brother, Robert Smart.
She is survived by two sons, Kenneth Lee Stafford of Benton and William Stafford of Ashdown; one daughter, Shirley Broomfield of Alleene; three brothers, John Smart of Redding, Calif., Shirley Smart of Castro Valley, Calif. and David Smart of Madisonville, Calif.; two sisters, Rosille Alexander of Mena and Wanda Black of Eureka, Calif.; 11 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 8 in the First Baptist Church at Foreman with Rev. Michael Mauldin officiating. Burial followed in Alleene cemetery under the direction of Madden Funeral Services, Ashdown.
Ruth Taylor Bishop
Ruth Taylor Bishop, age 91, resident of Horatio, died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005 in De Queen Medical Center.
She was born March 15, 1913 in Sunflower County, MS to Ira and Cornelia Taylor; was a homemaker; and a member of First Baptist Church of Horatio. She was preceded in death by her husband, Vernon O. Bishop on Aug. 5, 2002; two brothers, Jack Taylor and Basil Taylor; and a granddaughter, Betty Coleman Byers.
She is survived by four children, Ruth E. Pogue of Horatio, Lorene Coleman of Magnolia, Tex., Billy J. Bishop and Vernon Bishop, both of Horatio; one sister, Elizabeth McNichols of Houston, Tex.; nine grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Graveside services were held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6 in Millwee cemetery with Rev. Coy Arnold officiating, under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home.
The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5 at the funeral home.
Ruby Evelyn Bradshaw
Ruby Evelyn Bradshaw, age 83, resident of Dierks, died Saturday, Jan. 22, 2005 at her home.
She was born on Sept. 16, 1921 in the Avon Community to Henry and Stella Lowrey Moseley Miller; was a homemaker; and a member of Geneva Missionary Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry Edward “Mutt” Bradshaw.
She is survived by two daughters, Pat Altenbaumber of Ashdown and Judy Krudwig of De Queen; one sister, Emma Emerson of De Queen; a foster son, Jim Bradshaw of Dallas, Tex.; seven grandchildren; four foster grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
Graveside services were held at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24 in Lockesburg cemetery with Rev. Wesley Blankenship officiating, under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home in De Queen.
Lucille Owens
Lucille Owens, age 83, resident of Wake Village, Tex., died Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005 in a local hospital.
She was born Dec. 12, 1921 in Jersey; was a member of Lockesburg Methodist Church, Lakeside Methodist Church, Pine Bluff, Lockesburg Garden Club; and a Sunday school teacher. She was a retired high school English teacher having taught in the Lockesburg School District for 25 years.
She is survived by her husband, Carl W. “Bill” Owens of Wake Village, Tex.; two daughters, Judy Tremblay of Overland Park, Kan., and April Stavely of Nashville; two brothers, Russ Kitchens of Hollywood, Calif., and Roger Kitchens of Los Angeles, Calif.; two sisters, Orene Brown of Tyler, Tex., and Flo Keahey of Texarkana; three grandchildren; and two step-grandchildren.
Funeral services ere held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21 in East Funeral Home Memorial Chapel, Downtown, with Rev. Jeff Parker and Rev. J.P. Callicott officiating. Burial followed in State Line cemetery.
Memorials may be made to National Parkinson Foundation, Inc., 1501 NW 9th Ave., Bob Hope Road, Miami, Fla. 33136-1494, or to the Lockesburg Methodist Church, Lockesburg, AR 71846.
The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20 at the funeral home.
Mary Johnston
Mary A. Johnston, 92, of Richmond, Ohio, passed away Sunday, Jan 23, 2005 in Sweetwater, Texas where she was residing with her son, Ron.
She retired from JC Penney in Steubenville in 1978. She was a member of the Richmond United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Women; the Toronto Senior Citizens, the Sunset Lake Homemakers, the Country Side Garden Club, and the Richmond Lioness Club. She was chairman of the Quilting Club at the church since 1975.
Mary was born in Horatio, Arkansas, October 14, 1912, a daughter of the late Lewis and Elizabeth MacMillan Gore. She is also preceded in death by her husband, George H. Johnston who died February 7, 1991 and whom she married
September 21, 1935; five brothers and five sisters.
She is survived by two sons, Ron Johnston and wife, Billie, of Sweetwater, Texas, and Calvin Johnston and wife, Pat, of DuBois, Pennsylvania; four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mary were at 1 p.m. Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at the Richmond United Methodist Church with the Rev. Gary Hicks officiating. Private interment followed in the Richmond Union cemetery. There was a viewing Wednesday at the church from 10 a.m. until time of services at 1 p.m. Memorial contributions in memory of Mary may be made to the Richmond United Methodist Church, Richmond, OH 43944 or to the donors' local Hospice. The Everhart-Bove Funeral Home handled the arrangements.
