Dorothy Lynn Maxwell Karnes Howar

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Mrs. Dorothy Lynn Maxwell Karnes Howar, 89, of Little Rock, formerly of Blytheville, passed from this life Tuesday, July 24, 2012, at Arkansas Hospice at St. Vincent's Hospital.

Born in Blytheville to Robert and Annie Lloyd Maxwell, she was a sister in a family of eight and often recalled her early days of working on the Gosnell farm with her other siblings.

She was a member of Gosnell Baptist Church and a member of Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church in Mountain Brook, Ala., and was always active in church as a leader in WMU. In Mountain Brook she served as Elder and head of the woman's group.

In 1995 she retired after 50 years of nursing. From her youthful days in the Nurse Corp, during WWII, to the time she retired as Director of Nursing from the former Chickasawba Hospital in Blytheville, she touched the lives of many families, from the joys of childbirth, to the support of those on their final journey.

After retirement she volunteered at the Baptist Hospital in Birmingham for two years. Even until the end, she was proud of her nursing career and wished she could still work. When she encountered anyone going to nursing school she would encourage them and tell them what a great career choice they had made.

Dorothy encouraged her daughters to get their education and instilled in them a strong work ethic. She demonstrated this by going back to nursing school at Arkansas State University and graduated with an associate's degree in 1973.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two husbands, James T. Karnes in 1993 and John H. Howar in 2012; and six siblings, Walter Maxwell, Jewel McGhee, James Maxwell, Robert Maxwell, Betty Smith and Mildred Maxwell.

Dorothy leaves her daughters, Gaye Lynn Joyner and husband, Louis, of Richmond, Va., and Sandra A. Lubin and husband, Aaron, of Little Rock;

Two granddaughters, Leigh Joyner Exley and husband, Barry, of Richmond, Va., and Laura Joyner Wood and husband, Seth, of Randleman, N.C.;

Three great-grandchildren, Savannah Lynn Exley, Lawson Maxwell Exley and Zane Patrick Wood;

A sister, Clarice Maxwell Boles of Dallas;

A sister-in-law, Lavonda Karnes Jones; and

Many nieces, nephews and greats that she loved and cared for.

Funeral services will be held Friday at 11 a.m. Friday in Cobb Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Eddie Clemons officiating. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until service time.

The family would like to thank UAMS House Calls, AR Hospice and all those at Chenal Heights Assisted Living and Memory Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to AR Hospice Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association. An online register may be signed atcobbfuneralhome.com