Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland And Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas
Richard Lee Kimbell
Richard Lee Kimbell, 64, of Magnolia, AR passed away Sunday, May 4, 2014 at the Magnolia Regional Medical Center in Magnolia.
Richard was born on December 25, 1949 in Magnolia to the late Aubrey and Ruth (Young) Kimbell. He was a retired investigator for the Arkansas Job Force and a member of the College View Baptist Church.
Richard is survived by his wife Rebecca Kimbell of Magnolia; two brothers Ronald Kimbell and wife Sue of Camden, Raymond Kimbell of Magnolia and his late wife Sue, who passed away within an hour of Richard's passing; step son Thelton Hooks and wife Bridget and their children Breeana and Jacob of Springhill, LA; father and mother–in-law Jess and Sylvia Wallace of Magnolia; brothers-in-law Lewis Jones of Magnolia, Michael Jones and wife Karen of Magnolia; several nephews, nieces, cousins, and a host of friends.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, May 7th at 10 AM at Lewis Chapel with Bro. Ronald Kimbell officiating. Burial followed at Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Lewis Funeral Home, Inc. of Magnolia. Visitation was Tuesday from 5 to 7 PM at the funeral home.
Pallbearers were Thelton Hooks, Lewis Jones, Danny Romero, Hunter Harrell, Ben Tilley, and Ray Tilley. Honorary pallbearer will be Michael Jones.
Memorial donations may be made to Life Touch Hospice, 2301 Champagnolle, El Dorado, AR 71730.
Jimmie Lloyd Dunn
Jimmie Lloyd Dunn, 69, of De Queen, AR., passed away Monday, May 5, 2014 at Baylor University Medical Center of Dallas from complications of surgery.
Jimmie was born July 15, 1944 in Pasadena, Texas to L.J. Dunn and Olive Pearce Dunn. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Alan Dunn.
Jimmie was a 1962 graduate of De Queen High School and a graduate of Arkansas Tech University. He was a high school English, history, journalism and speech teacher for 36 years, 32 years of those in Wickes, AR. He loved teaching and believed his students kept him young at heart.
He met Nelda Wimpee on May 1, 1971 and they married August 21, 1971. They were married almost 43 years, raised two daughters together and were best friends and true partners.
Jimmie loved music, especially old country and 60's rock. He and Nelda traveled all over the region to concerts and had many adventures together.
Jimmie also wrote cowboy poetry and loved sharing his often humorous verses with family and friends.
He loved being outdoors, whether working on his family's ranch or walking his dogs in the woods. His family always included several dogs, cats and other animals. His barn was one of his favorite places to be.
Jimmie was a loving husband and father and always made the most out of life. He lived by the motto "I would rather be sorry for something I did than something I didn't do."
He is survived by his wife Nelda Dunn, of De Queen, two daughters, Lori Ann Dunn of De Queen, and Jennifer Dunn-Shortridge of Lockesburg, Ark., and a son-in-law Mark Shortridge of Lockesburg. He is also survived by numerous cousins and other relatives, friends and former students.
No services are scheduled per Jimmie's request. His ashes will eventually be spread on the land he grew up on, loved and never wanted to leave. A scholarship has been started in his name for a graduating senior at Cossatot River School District (formerly Wickes).
Donations may be made to the Wickes branch of the Union Bank of Mena at P.O. Box 100 Wickes, Ar. 71973.
Stephen Glen Ward
An old aviator, Stephen Glen Ward, age 84, has “Gone West.” His life will be celebrated Saturday May 10 at 10:00 AM at Smith Funeral Home in Stamps, AR. Visitation will be conducted 6-8 PM Friday May 9 at the same location.
Steve was born to Glen and Dorothy Ward on Dec 19, 1929 in Stamps, AR and died May 6, 2014 in Bossier City, LA. Eyeing the heavens, he earned a pilot license in 1948 and continued a lifetime association with aircraft. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was an aircraft mechanic with VF144 “Bitter Birds” during and after the Korean War. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1958 and joined Boeing in Wichita, KS to complete work on the B-52 program. In 1961, he relocated to Crossett, AR with the Georgia-Pacific Paper Company and in 1968 moved to Ashdown, AR with Nekoosa Paper Company from which he retired in 1985 as a senior engineer.
Steve married Hazel Warren of Springhill, LA in June 1955. Steve and Hazel were inseparable during their nearly 57 years of marriage until her death in 2012. They are now reunited in heaven, absent from the body, but forever with the Lord. Together, they have a daughter, Vickie Lee of Sherwood, AR; she is married to Dr. Richard Lee, pastor of First Baptist Church, Sherwood. Steve and Hazel’s son, Colonel Warren Ward, USAF (ret) and his wife, Amanda Ward, live in Benton, LA.
Steve is also survived by a sister, Joanna Dubose and husband CMSgt Jack Dubose, USAF (ret) of Aiken, SC; brother Leon Ward and wife Barbara Ward of Holly Lake, TX. He has four grandchildren: Stephen Lee and wife Robyn Lee of Sherwood, AR; Bryan Lee and wife Shannon Lee of Bryant, AR; Michaella Ward of Benton, LA and Ethan Ward of Benton, LA. He has one great-grandson, Gideon Lee of Sherwood, AR.
The family is grateful to the superb staff at the Northwest Louisiana War Veteran’s Home in Bossier City.
Memorials may be directed to Millwood Baptist Church, 800 Hwy 32 E, Ashdown, AR, 71822.
Lana Dean Autry
Lana Dean Autry, 69, of Little Rock, passed away May 1, 2014. She was born in Hobbs, New Mexico to Walter and Juanita Robson Hildebrand and was a member of FaithSpring Church. Lana graduated from Mena High School in 1963 and attended Henderson State University. She resided in De Queen, Arkansas for most of her adult life but moved to Little Rock in the late 1990’s.
Lana worked in a variety of occupations including retail management, floral design, and numerous administrative assistant/secretarial positions. She enjoyed cooking and her delicious cakes were well known among some lucky friends. Lana loved decorating and was gifted at planning and coordinating special events. She loved flowers and gardening and spent her spare time working in her yard and enjoying the gifts of Mother Nature.
Lana, affectionately known as “Nana” when she became a grandmother in 2000, was a spirited woman with a young heart. She shared many laughs with those she loved; she often gave more than she received and the world was a better place with her thoughtfulness.
Preceded in death by her mother, she is survived by her daughter, Ladeana Autry Bell and granddaughter, Kelsey Bell, both of Little Rock; father, Walter Hildebrand of Greenville, Texas; aunt, Muriel Stokes (Fred) of Jonesboro; uncle, Larry Robson of Hot Springs; step-sister, Sandy Hubbell of Winnsboro, Texas and dear friends, Larry Autry (Lygia), Judy and Tim Tomlinson, Judy and Bill Stewman, Casey Morris, Jennifer Ray and Laura Frachiseur.
Visitation will be Monday, May 5 from 5-7 p.m. at Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct. (NW corner I-630 and Barrow Rd.). Services will be Tuesday, May 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home, officiated by Rev. Brock Patterson, followed by interment at 2:00 p.m. at Pinecrest Cemetery in Mena. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the FaithSpring Church Music Ministry, 1514 Market St., Little Rock, AR 72211.
Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, (501)224-2200.
Laura Irene Allen Dierks
Mrs. Laura Irene Allen Dierks, age 94, a resident of Foreman, Arkansas, died Monday, May 5, 2014, in Ashdown, Arkansas.
She was born to Emmitt P. and Jessie N. Pullen Allen in Horatio, Arkansas, on March 16, 1920.
She was a Baptist and a homemaker. She enjoyed quilting, sewing, gardening, cooking, and spending time with her family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her siblings, Mida Jones, Buz Allen, Lester Allen, Mary Chandler, a daughter, Marquite Dierks, and her husband of 67 years, Thurman Dierks.
She is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, Emmitt Thurman “Ted” and Lucy Dierks of McKinney, Texas, and Dean and Peggy Dierks of Foreman, five grandchildren, Daniel Allen Dierks of San Diego, Calif, David Adam Dierks of McKinney, Texas, Dusty Dean Dierks, Misty Warren, and Lonnie Beau Strout all of Foreman, 11 great-grandchildren, a sister, Edna Morris of Nashville, Arkansas, and a number of nieces and nephews.
Funeral Services for Mrs. Irene Dierks will be held at 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, May 7th in the Old Center Church with Pastor Frankie McBride officiating. Burial will follow in the Old Center Cemetery, under the direction of Chandler Funeral Home, De Queen. The family will receive friends at Chandler Funeral Home on Tuesday, May 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.
James Schiffman
James Schiffman, age 78, a resident of De Queen, Arkansas, died Saturday, May 03, 2014 at his home.
He was born September 4, 1935 in Rudy, Arkansas. He was a retired U.S. Army veteran having served in Vietnam; he attended the First Pentecostal Church of God in De Queen and was a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Mr. Schiffman was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn Maxine Brizendine Schiffman on June 25, 2006; parents, Justin Joseph and Bessie White Schiffman; granddaughter, Jessica Lopez; four sisters and two brothers.
He is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Carolyn and Michael Socash and Barbara and Ramiro Lopez all of De Queen; one stepdaughter, Mary Ann Perez and (Victor) of De Queen; one stepson, John McRae and (Lawana Wright) of Foreman, Arkansas; one brother, Glenn Schiffman of Prairie Grove, Arkansas; eight grandchildren, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Catherine and Courtney Socash, Jorge Chabelo, Christopher and Myra Lopez and Little John McRae and a number of nieces, nephews and friends.
Graveside funeral services for Mr. Schiffman will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday May 5, 2014 in the Avon Cemetery with Marlon Schiffman officiating, under the direction of Wilkerson Funeral Home in De Queen.
The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m., Sunday May 4, 2014 at the funeral home.
Anna C. Runyan
Anna C. Runyan, age 87, a resident of Cabot, Arkansas, died Sunday, November 3, 2013, in the Cabot Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
She was born February 18, 1926, in Ashdown, Arkansas. Mrs. Runyan had worked in banks, as a teller and later in accounting. She loved to read and she loved her dogs, including a number of Pekingese through the years but most recently a Toy Poodle named Beauregard.
Mrs. Runyan was preceded in death by her parents, William Rufus and Annie Lee Thompson Cobb; her husband, Cue Runyan, Jr.; one son, Chris Runyan and a granddaughter, Corinne Runyan.
She is survived by one son, Rick Runyan of Auburndale, Massachusetts; one daughter, Tina Watson of De Queen, Arkansas; four grandchildren, Amelia Runyan of Brooklyn, New York, Anna Reale of Kilauea, Hawaii, Tyrus Runyan of Nashua, New Hampshire and Zoe N. Urban of Jamesport, New York; two great-grandchildren, Louis Reale, IV and Giuseppe Christopher Reale; her devoted friend Billie Dougherty of Ward, Arkansas; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service for Mrs. Runyan will be held at 11:00 a.m., Sunday, May 4, 2014 in Redmen Cemetery in De Queen.
Cremation arrangements by Wilkerson Funeral Home, De Queen, Arkansas.
