Stories from Monday, February 17, 2020

Virginia Murphy, 71, of Monette, passed from this life Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, at the NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro. Born in Russellville to the late Lonnie and Lena Harris Murphy, she had spent much of her youth in the Buckeye community and was a graduate of Leachville High School. ...

Deborah Carleane Simmons, 65, of Jonesboro, widow of Earnest Simmons, died Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Born in Hot Springs, she was the daughter of the late Carl and Nellie Pilgrim Kemp and was raised in the Lepanto and West Ridge areas. ...

Phillip Ray Gillette, 76, of Little Rock, passed from this life Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, in Higden. Born in Blytheville to the late Eugene and Pauline Weaver Gillette, he was raised on the family farm in Reeves, Mo., and graduated from Holland High School in Holland, Mo. ...

Barbara Lynn Carr, 69 of Manila, passed away Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. Born in Pueblo, Colo., she was the daughter of the late Tony and Clara Owens Ruggieri and was raised in the Rocky Community near Leachville by her grandparents, Mollie and Cleve Owens. ...

Johnny Mack Combs, 61, of Blytheville, passed away Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020 at his home. Johnny Mack was born in Luxora to John Murphy Combs and Edith Green Combs and was a retired farmhand. He was a very active person and loved to hunt and fish. He enjoyed watching football and tending to his garden. ...

Joel Scott Downing, 55, of Blytheville, passed from this life Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, at the Great River Medical Center in Blytheville. Born and raised in Blytheville, he was the son of the late Ben Henry and Peggy Ball Downing and had been a lifelong Blytheville resident. ...

Loudeen Cude Nolen, 98, of Walnut Ridge, former longtime Leachville resident, passed from this life Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at the Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Walnut Ridge. Born in Blytheville to the late Boyd and Ethel Lane Tomlinson she had lived most of her life in the Leachville area. ...

Zachary Renaldo Marquez, 55, of Leachville, passed from this life Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, at the St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born in Sacramento, Calif., he was the son of the late Victor Ezekiel and Ramona Martinez Marquez and was a 1984 graduate of Rio Linda High School in Sacramento. ...

Roy Wayne Byrd, 73, of Higden passed away Feb. 16, 2020. He was born in Blytheville on Sept. 20, 1946, to the late Ernest B. and Cricket Marie (Green) Byrd. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and raising a vegetable garden. He was an amazing husband, father, grandfather and brother, who was loved and will be missed deeply...