Obituaries

Willie Mae Holloway “Danky” of Blytheville was born Sept. 1, 1935, in Wilson to the late Tommy Henderson, Sr. and the late Louise Miller Robinson. She was a cook for St. Joseph Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., and a member of True Foundation Church of Jesus Christ in Yarbro. ...

Eddie Dean Williams of Gosnell was born July 15, 1951, in Benton Harbor, Mich., to the late Claudie Brown Williams, Sr. and the late Dovie Stewart Williams. He was a factory and construction worker and was of a non-denominational faith. Mr. Williams passed away Aug. ...

Bishop Gerald Mitchell Sr. was born Oct. 25, 1965 in Blytheville, to Willie B. Burdin and Imogene Swift. He departed this life Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, at NEA Hospital in Jonesboro at the age of 54. He was preceded in death by his parents. Gerald leaves to cherish his memories, his wife, Jessie Wright Mitchell, of Blytheville; seven daughters, Tangela Mitchell Dickerson and Shatia Mitchell, both of Little Rock, Wakonda Cox and Ashley Bryant, both of Jonesboro, Shondra Wright of Brooklyn, Ark., Conneshia Bryant of West Memphis, and Victoria Lakes of Houston, Texas; seven sons, Gerald Mitchell Jr. ...

Betty Sue  Massey Brown was born Jan. 18, 1938, in El Dorado, to Johnny Moses and Gladys Jaynie Burks Massey. She was the fifth child of eight born to their union. Finding Christ at an early age, Betty became a member of the First Baptist Church in El Dorado. She joined their choir and took several other assignments while serving in their budding ministries...

Jackie “Jack” Goodman, of Blytheville, was called home by the Lord on Aug. 3, 2020, at the age of 82. Jack passed away peacefully, at his home, with his loving wife Nancy by his side. Jack was born in Cotton Wood Point, Mo., to father T. L. Goodman and mother, Virgie Weaver. ...

Joseph Eugene Jones, 64, of Osceola died July 31, 2020, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was a factory worker and of the Baptist faith. He was born April 5, 1956 in Cleveland, Miss., to Rueben Eugene and Evelyn Isom Jones. He was preceded in death by his parents...

Wanda Whitney Fincher, 81, of Prescott, passed away Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, in Prescott. She was born July 24, 1939, to Willie Jo (Billie Billings) and Woodroe Whitney in Blackwater, a farming community south of Manila. Wanda attended school at Blackwater, Bragg City, Deering, Rector and graduated from Manila High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) and her master’s degree from Ouachita Baptist University...

Stephanie Ann Perry was born Aug. 2, 1952, in Milo, Okla., to the late Thomas McGee, Sr. and the late Rena Stevenson Murphy. She was a hair stylist and a member of Temple of Praise in Blytheville where she sat on both the motherboard and the trustee board. ...

Eddie Dean Williams of Gosnell was born July 15, 1951, in Benton Harbor, Mich., to the late Claudie Brown Williams, Sr. and the late Dovie Stewart Williams. He was a factory and construction worker and was of a non-denominational faith. Mr. Williams passed away Aug. ...

Carroll D. Anderson, 78, of Jonesboro, formerly of Trumann, passed from this life Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House with his family by his side. He was born to the late Garland and Maxine Anderson on Jan. 10, 1942, in Brookland. ...

Helen J. Cothran (Lendies) was born Aug. 6, 1935, in Luxora. She departed this life Monday, July 27, 2020, at Great River Hospital in Blytheville at the age of 84. Helen was preceded in death by her mother Lilly Lyons, her stepfather Aaron Stephens, and her youngest daughter Mary Elizabeth Cothran...

Roderick S. Wells was born in Blytheville June 4, 1973, to Johnny and Betty Wells. Roderick confessed a hope in Christ at an early age at Prince of Peace Church under the leadership of Reverend TJ Rogers. Roderick loved his family dearly and never met a stranger. He loved being with his siblings and special friends. He prided himself on being a hard worker and taking care of his children. Roderick graduated from Blytheville High School with the class of 1991...

Conita was born March 30, 1938, in Lepanto to Coleman and Nita Jernigan. “Conita” is a combination of her parent’s names. Later in life, her nieces, nephews and friends began calling her “CoCo”. She was a Christian and of the Baptist faith. She graduated from Lepanto High School in 1955. In 1959 she graduated from The University of Arkansas with a BA Degree in Sociology and Government. Her Elementary Education Certification was from Texas Tech University...

Mackie Joe Champion, 68, of Blytheville, passed away Thursday, July 30, 2020, at NEA Baptist Hospital in Jonesboro. Mackie was born in Dyess to Jewell Champion and Barbara Estes Russell and J.C. Russell. Mackie was a paramedic for over 40 years and was the former owner and operator of Northeast Arkansas Ambulance Service. ...

Ronald Keith Cannon, 67, left this world for his heavenly home on July 26, 2020. He was born Feb. 28, 1953 in Blytheville. Ronald spent most of his career as an auto mechanic working in Osceola at Beardsley’s Garage for his best friend Bobby Beardsley...

Jesus Rafael Gonzalez, 55, of Lepanto died July 19, 2020, at his home. He was a farm worker. Mr. Gonzalez was born Dec. 22, 1964, in C.D. Mante Tamaulipas, Mexico, to Salomo Alvarez and Rosalina Gonzalez. He was preceded in death by one daughter, Virginia Gonzalez Juarez, and one brother, Rafael Hernandez...

Kenneth Floyd Brown, 55, died peacefully July 27, 2020 at his home in Manila. He was born Nov. 29, 1964, in St. Louis, Mo., to Floyd and Ruby Brown. He was one of the original icons of Blytheville, a legend, “Downtown Kenny Brown”. Kenny had a contagious smile that lit up the room. He was larger than life, outgoing, wild, and full of laughter. He never met a stranger and never forgot a face...

Marcus Junior Wilbanks, 69, of Greenfield, Tenn., and formerly of Blytheville, passed away Sunday, July 26, 2020, at his home. Marcus was born in Dyess to Walter and Eunice Spencer Bouie. Marcus was a minister and was of the Assembly of God faith. He enjoyed woodworking and could build anything...

Caroldene Warren Jones, 90, of Memphis, Tenn., formerly of Blytheville, died July 26, 2020, in the home of her daughter (Carol Martin) surrounded by loving family members. The Amedisys Hospice group of Memphis lovingly supported the family during the last months of her life. She was formerly a resident of Kirby Pines LifeCare Community in Memphis. She was born in North Little Rock to Claude and Madeline (Harris) Warren...

Williams Allen “Bob” Bomar, Sr. was born Nov. 21, 1939, in Pemiscot County, Mo., to Henry German Bomar, Sr. and Mary Holbert Bomar. He passed away June 7, 2020 in Steele, Mo., at the age of 80. Bob was a Baptist and a U.S. Army veteran. He had been employed as a farm worker and then worked at Motor Appliance in Blytheville for 12 years before his retirement. He enjoyed working on cars and lawnmowers, and especially loved older cars. ...

Marcus Wilbanks, 69, of Greenfield, Tenn., formerly of Blytheville, passed away Sunday, July 26, 2020, at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced when complete. Cobb Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Caroldene Jones, 90, of Memphis, Tenn., formerly of Blytheville, passed away Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Memphis. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced when complete. Cobb Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Louie Frank Dudley, Jr., 84, of Blytheville, passed away Saturday, July 25, 2020, at his home. Louie was born in Caruthersville, Mo., to Louie Frank “Cooger” and Medrieth Kelly Dudley. He was a graduate of Caruthersville High School and the University of Tennessee. Louie was the owner and operator of Owens Drugs before retiring. He served as a pharmacist in the state of Arkansas for 54 years. Louie enjoyed the outdoors and loved to be on the golf course or working in his yard...

Ronald Cannon, 67, of Blytheville, passed away Monday, July 27, 2020, at Great River Medical Center in Blytheville. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced when complete. Cobb Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Patricia "Darlynda" Penn, 58, of Paragould, passed from this life Monday, July 27, 2020, at the Greene Acres Nursing Home in Paragould. Born in Blytheville, she had been a Paragould resident since 1977. She was a former employee of Nestle and had been a longtime employee of St. ...

Moses Mullins Jr. was born March 24, 1957, in Blytheville to Moses Mullins Sr. and Margaret Mullins. He departed this life Thursday July 23, 2020, at Great River Medical Center in Blytheville the age of 63. He was preceded in death by his parents, Moses and Margaret Mullins; his sister, Brenda Mullins; and his nephew, Nick Floyd...

Brenda Mullins was born April 20, 1956, in Blytheville to Moses Mullins Sr. and Margaret Mullins. She departed this life Monday July 20, 2020, at St. Bernards Hospital in Jonesboro at the age of 64. She was preceded in death by her parents, Moses and Margaret Mullins; her son, Nick Floyd; and her brother, Moses Mullins Jr...

Nicholas K. (Nick) Floyd was born May 14, 1987, in Blytheville to LeVern Floyd Sr. and Brenda Mullins. He departed this life on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at his home in Blytheville at the age of 33. He was preceded in death by his parents, LeVern Floyd and Brenda Mullins; his grandparents, Moses and Margaret Mullins; and his uncle Moses Mullins, Jr...

Kevin Burton Sr. was born Feb. 25, 1975, in Blytheville to Robert Burton and Joyce Booker Daniels. He departed this life Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at NEA Hospital in Jonesboro at the age of 45. Kevin leaves to cherish his memories his wife, Rosalind Burton of Blytheville; his mother, Joyce Daniels of Blytheville; his father, Robert Burton of Osceola; three daughters, Kevyontae Burton of Little Rock, Jadakuess Hughes and Ja’Najia Burton, both of Blytheville; two sons, Kevin Burton Jr. ...

Dennis Paul Parris, 60, of Blytheville, passed away Sunday, July 19, 2020, at his home. Paul was born in Orlando, Fla., to Howard Pullman Parris, Jr. and Jeannine McGee Parris. He was a mechanic and former employee of Hopper’s Exxon. Paul was a kind, sweet, and gentle man that enjoyed visiting and spending time with his relatives...

Carolyn Virginia (Stigall) Littleford, 76, of Brockwell, departed this life July 24, 2020, at home. Carolyn was born Dec. 21, 1943, to Robert Lee Stigall and Avilou (Peters) Stigall in Blytheville. Carolyn met Robert Lynn Littleford while he was stationed at Blytheville Air Force Base. ...

Emily Hartgraves, 50, of Steele, Mo., passed away Saturday, July 25, 2020, at her home. Emily was born in Garden City, Mich., to Otis and Florabell Harwood Gifford and was a 1989 graduate of Manila High School. She was a former security guard at Nucor Yamato and was of the Baptist faith. ...

Wava Jean McMillon Wilcox, 93, of Arkadelphia, formerly of Paragould, died Friday July 24, 2020. She was born June 30, 1927, on a farm in the Alexander community near Paragould, the daughter of Sam and Syble Wineland McMillon. She was a retired cosmetology instructor at the Delta Vocational Technical School in Marked Tree. ...

Joseph Wayne “Butch “Thomas, 69, of Armorel, passed from this life on Friday, July 24, 2020, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born to Joseph Henry Harrison Todd and Shirley Grace Thomas at the Army Base in the Panama Canal Zone, he was a maintenance mechanic with Nucor Hickman and of the Christian faith. ...

Virginia Louise Pitts Stewart, 95, passed away Saturday, July 25, 2020, at NEA Baptist Hospital. She was born Jan. 21, 1925, in Monette to the late Hosea and Amie Hill Pitts. Mrs. Virginia was a 1943 graduate of Monette High School. She and G.F. were married June 16, 1943, and enjoyed many years together until he passed in 2005. Mrs. Stewart was a member of the Monette First Baptist Church. She loved spending time with her family...

Shirley Jean Carmon Nichols, 85, of Blytheville, passed from this life Friday, July 24, 2020, at Great River Medical Center in Blytheville. Born to James Stephen and Birdie Nave Carmon in Tomato, she was a retired accountant for American Greetings Corporation and a member of the Rosa Baptist Church where she and her husband Rev. ...

Joyce Hamby of Trumann departed from this life Saturday, July 25, 2020, at the family residence at the age of 83 years, 1 month and 29 days. She was born Wednesday, May 26, 1937, in and was a lifetime resident of Trumann. Joyce worked at Salant & Salant and retired from Parker Hannifin and was of the Pentecostal faith. ...

Charlene Rebecca Neal Jewell, 57, of Jonesboro passed from this life Thursday, July 23, 2020, at the St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born in Memphis, Tenn., she was the daughter of the late Charles Henry Neal and was an employee of Sodexo USA in Jonesboro. Charlene had an adventurous spirit and flair for life, love and laughter that was contagious to all who knew her. She had simple taste and focused on spending quality time with her family and friends.  Family was everything to her; she had the most trusting heart and lived her life believing in the best in people and their ability to change for the better. In addition to her father she was preceded in death by two sisters, Janie Fay England and Jeanie Kay Abbott; and one brother, Carl Raymond Neal.. ...

Richard Arlien "Dickie" Allen, 78, of Manila, passed from this life Friday, July 24, 2020, at his home. Born in Jonesboro he was the son of the late Arlien Henry and Ruby Lucille Hoskins Allen and was a 1960 graduate of Jonesboro High School. Affectionately known as "Dickie" by his family and friends, he had been a longtime Jonesboro resident and had also lived in Blytheville before moving to Manila in 2015. ...

Dorothy Turner, 89, of Orlando, Fla., formerly of Manila, passed away July 18, 2020, at Health Central Hospital, Ocee, Fla. She was born Feb. 17, 1931, in Rogers Springs, Tenn., to James and Effie Sasser Antwine Brady. She enjoyed reading and working crossword puzzles and visiting family, especially great-grandchildren...

David Lee Ford, 63, of Blytheville, passed from this life on July 21, 2020 on his way to St. Bernard Medical Center, in Jonesboro. He was born April 12, 1957, the son of Mamie Lee (Ford) Horton and AJ Ford Sr. in Osceola. David was raised in Blytheville...

David Sylvester Fowler, Sr. of Blytheville was born Sept. 26, 1975, to Quincy Fowler of Blytheville and the late Ethel Jean Whitfield Fowler. He was a farmer and was a member of Morning Star M.B. Church in Blytheville. Mr. Fowler passed away July 22, 2020, at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro at the age of 44. He was preceded in death by his mother, Ethel Jean Whitfield Fowler...

Ethel Jean Whitfield Fowler of Blytheville was born July 9, 1953, in Greenwood, Miss., to the late Charlie Whitfield and late Ella B. Hudson Whitfield. She was a homemaker and a member of Southside Church of Christ Church in Blytheville. Mrs. Fowler passed away July 18, 2020, at her residence in Blytheville at the age of 67. ...

Hattie B. Coleman of Blytheville was born Dec. 8, 1946, in Promiseland to Doretta Love Williams of Blytheville and the late John D. Williams. She was a retired apartment manager of Maco Management in Missouri and was a member of Gospel Tabernacle in Blytheville under Pastor Ivory Diamond. ...

Paul David Adams, 72, lifelong Milligan Ridge resident, passed away Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at his home. Born in Manila to the late Nelson Wade and Mattie Ruth Reagan Adams, he was a lifelong area resident, a 1965 graduate of Manila High School, and had attended Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. ...

Terry Lynn Ballard, M.D., 84, of Brevard, N.C., formerly of Manila, passed from this life Saturday, July 18, 2020, at his home. Born in Manila, he was the son of the late Perry Gilford "Pete" and Maude Dudley Ballard. Terry's lifetime of grace and service extended well beyond the Orlando, Fla., operating rooms where as a trauma surgeon he saved countless lives and repaired others. Grateful patients without means were permitted payment plans of just a few dollars a month, while the true costs were written off as losses. Oftentimes those dollars were offered with handmade gifts that Terry brought home to show his children as lessons in the value of effort, dignity and appreciation. Terry's years of service to Native American hospitals throughout the Southwest as a volunteer physician resulted in a life-long passion for tribal history and culture; personal gifts of traditional handcrafted weavings and dreamcatchers that hang on the walls of his Connestee Falls home; and an adored dog gifted by the Sioux, "Lakota."  As his final act of service, Terry bravely enrolled in a research program at Duke University to treat the cancer that he battled for 24 years. While complications proved too much to overcome, Terry died cancer-free and his experience will help refine the treatment for others.. ...

Charles Steven Williams Sr. was born May 10, 1968, in Blytheville to Charles Williams and Frankie Williams. He departed this life on Sunday, July 19, 2020, at his home in Blytheville at the age of 52. He was preceded in death by his father. Charles leaves to cherish his memories, his fiancee, Keyaun Robinson-Williams of Blytheville; his mother, Frankie Williams of Blytheville; six sons, Conrad Jackson and Terrick, Lewis both of Osceola, Dominic Claybrooks and Charles Williams Jr., both of Jonesboro, Antonio Dunbar Johnson of Dallas, Texas, and Scaraydreon Hopkins of Blytheville; six daughters, Bianca Willis, Skadazah Hopkins, Lexus Moses, Macaijah Williams and Nakyjah Robinson, all of Blytheville, and O’Shanique Banister of Dallas, Texas; two sisters, Shalonda Williams of Jonesboro and Jennifer Williams of Blytheville; three brothers, Isaac Williams of Blytheville, Cornelius Williams of Phoenix, Ariz., and Rod Spencer of Georgia; and a host of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.. ...

Thresa Ann Bennett Gill of West Memphis passed peacefully into Heaven at the age of 85 on July 10, 2020. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Robert Earl Gill of the home; daughter, Valorie Gill Wilson (husband Rick) of Munford, Tenn.; son, Robert Earl Gill II (wife Marie) of Bartlett, Tenn.; grandson, Robert Earl Gill III, of West Memphis; granddaughters Sonja Maria Wilson of Brentwood, Tenn., and Stella Marie Gill of Bartlett, Tenn.; sister, Evalene Bennett Tarlton of Jonesboro; a host of beloved cousins, nieces and nephews and an honorary family member, Mats Liljestam of Hollviken, Sweden. ...

Kenneth Leon Thompson, 85, of Manila, passed from this life Thursday, July 16, 2020, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. Born in Leachville, he was the son of the late Rev. Lester and Brilla Croom Thompson and had been a Manila resident since 1982. ...

Terrence Torrell Spinks was born April 13, 1985, in Blytheville to the late Danny Johnson Sr. and Jamie Spinks Brown. He departed his life on Saturday, July 18, 2020, at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., at the age of 35. He was preceded in death by his parents, Danny Johnson Sr. and Jamie Spinks Brown; his grandmother, Aretha Kimble; and two brothers, Tristen Johnson and Deandre Love...