Pulaski County

IRIS YARBROUGH BLACKWELL of North Little Rock, 91, died June 3, 2018. She was born November 22, 1926 in Paragould, Arkansas, the daughter of the late Ira F. and Grace Yarbrough. The family moved to North Little Rock when Mrs. Blackwell was nine months old and she has been a residence of the city ever since.

She was a lifetime member of Baring Cross Baptist Church and was a soloist at the church for many years beginning when she was 14 years of age. Through the years she sang at many weddings in the area. In 2006, she was presented with a plaque recognizing 67 years of service in the church’s Music Department. Mrs. Blackwell was a twenty-year employee of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Little Rock (now Dallas) and was Assistant Vice President of the bank at the time of her retirement.

She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Joseph T. Blackwell; two sons, Michael T. Blackwell (Madeline) of North Little Rock and Dennis J. Blackwell (Rhonda) of Maumelle; three grandchildren, Brittney L. Blackwell of Sherwood, David J. Blackwell of Maumelle and Leah N. Blackwell of Maumelle; one great-granddaughter, Iris Olivia Schroeder of Sherwood; and one sister, Alene T. Yielding of Waco, Texas.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., June 7 at Baring Cross Baptist Church, 7541 Warden Road, Sherwood, Arkansas. There will be visitation at 10 a.m. the same date and location. Memorials may be made to Baring Cross Baptist Church, 7541 Warden Road, Sherwood, Arkansas, 72120. Online guestbook: www. rollerfuneralhomes.com/owens.

–––––❖––––– SHERRY LYNN BULLARD, 74, of Little Rock, Arkansas passed away on June 1, 2018 in Little Rock. Sherry was born on February 8, 1944 in Forrest City, Arkansas to Loren and Sybil Denton.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Loren and Sybil Denton and her brother, Richard Denton. She is survived by her daughters, Rebecca Bullard and fiancé Ray McCollough of Little Rock and Lori Roberts and husband Allen of Benton, Ark.; her brother, Paul Denton and wife Bobbie of Mayflower, Ark.; her grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Ethan Roberts; several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Sherry graduated from Altus High School in Altus, Okla., and then attended what is now UA Little Rock. After marrying and having her children she finished her degree in Business Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Okla. She worked as an administrative assistant in banking and data processing for many years, finally retiring from the UAMS Department of Psychiatry in 2014.

Sherry was of the Baptist faith. She had a generous and loving spirit and was kind to all she met. She loved family, raising her daughters and then caring for her parents later in life. She loved to celebrate all occasions; her family never missed a birthday celebration and always knew they were loved. She was a wonderful hostess with no detail missed. That detail also included her perfectly coiffed hair! She will be missed every single day.

Visitation will be Wednesday, June 6, 2018 from 5-7 p.m. at Griffin Leggett Healey & Roth, 5800 West 12th Street in Little Rock, Ark. A graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 7, 2018 at Oakland Cemetery, 917 S. Detroit Ave. in Russellville, Ark. www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com.

–––––❖––––– LINDA KAYE JONES, 56, of Little Rock, passed away May 18, 2018. Visitation is Thursday, June 7 at 9 a.m., followed by the service at 10 a.m. at Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct. (NW corner I-630 and Barrow Rd.). Interment with Military Honors will follow at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock. Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, (501) 2242200. Linda’s online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.

–––––❖––––– JOANN PINION, 81, passed away June 2, 2018. She was born in Searcy, Arkansas on February 24, 1937 to Pauline and

Curtis Hubbell.

She is survived by her husband,

Larry G. Pinion.

JoAnn leaves three children,

Bo Barnwell and wife, Sara, Bart Barnwell and wife, Anne and daughter, Blake Barnwell. Three grandchildren, Bronwyn Barnwell, Merritt Barnwell and Alexandra Barnwell. Larry’s children, Dee and husband, David Houchin, Debbie and husband, David Copeland and Rick and wife, Gloria Pinion and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

JoAnn was a career employee as a Radiology Technologist and G.I. Medical Assistant at St. Vincent Infirmary. Her devotion to patient care was appreciated by countless she helped. She had a unique sense of humor, and her co-workers said she spoke a language of her own. She set an example for her children to follow with her work ethic and dedication to family.

Larry and JoAnn retired to Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs with many friends and enjoyed the First United Methodist Church family. Her passion was gardening and the numerous dogs, too many to count. She always had flowers in bloom throughout the year. Moving back to Little Rock she reunited her faith with Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church and enjoyed her roundtable Sunday school class. Their friends always had trivia group dinners, gardening clubs and various outings to keep busy. She loved being close to her children and grandchildren.

The family would like special thanks and appreciation to go to Dr. Dean Kumpuris, who devoted his time to care for both JoAnn and Larry to this day. Friends, Joe and Ann Teeter and Buddy and Sybil Laing were always close by.

In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to the Pulaski County Humane Society, 14600 Colonel Glenn Rd., Little Rock, Ark. 72210.

A memorial service will be held at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, 4823 Woodlawn Drive, Little Rock, Ark. 72205 on Thursday, June 7, 2018 at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the Gathering Hall of the church. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.

–––––❖––––– NASCAR lost one of its biggest fans on May 31, 2018. TOMMY LEE RIDLING passed on from this life peacefully surrounded by his family. We are blessed to have learned many valuable lessons during his 77 years, among them: let a dog or two

(or three) share your recliner, eat at least one

Honey Bun a day, and enjoy long “sits” on the porch with a (small) dog in your lap.

Most importantly we learned to work hard, live within your means, always help someone when you can, take pride in a job well done, and love deeply and compassionately. Tommy worked hard throughout his life to support his family, always giving a stellar example of his passion to love others.

Tommy was a master craftsman. He could build or fix anything, including turning his sons old bedroom into a “train room”, as we call it. Complete with an entire town surrounded by a fully functional locomotive track with bridges, tunnels, and all the bells and whistles. It was truly a work of art. Alongside his crafting skills, he was truly of a master of joke telling. If you weren’t fortunate enough to hear one of his stories, you missed out. He loved watching old westerns. Marshall Matt Dillon and Ben Cartwright were just some of his TV heroes.

But Tommy was the hero for his kids, Mark, Lisa, and Krissy. His sweet spirit is carried on through his children, Mark Ridling of Benton, Lisa Baker (Don) of Mabelvale, Kristina Chaney of Bryant, his adoring grandchildren, Kasey Grimmett (Dustin) of Benton, Cody Lee Ridling of Benton, Tyler Ridling (Katie) of Benton, Kyla Baker of Mabelvale, and Piper Chaney of Bryant. And by his two great-grandchildren, Conner Lee Ridling and Aylee Grace Ridling (born June 1, 2018). Tommy is survived by his loving wife, Margie of 12 years. Margie cared for Tommy like no one else could, going above and beyond what anyone could imagine, Tommy is preceded in death by his parents, Louis D. and Bessie Lee Ridling, his sister Vicki Jarrett and his first wife of 38 years, Sue Ridling.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, June 6th, 2018 at 2 p.m. at Pinecrest Memorial Park. www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com.

–––––❖––––– JARRELL BENTLEY SHAW, 82, passed away June 3, 2018. Visitation is Wednesday, June 6 from

6-8 p.m. at Little

Rock Funeral Home, 8801

Knoedl Ct. (NW corner I-630 and

Barrow Rd.). Services are Thursday, June

7 at 11 a.m. at the Otter Creek

Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, followed by interment at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery, North Little Rock. Jarrell’s online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.