JOANN HELLEN ARNN,
age 79, of Little Rock, passed away on Oct. 21, 2022. She was born on Jan. 5, 1943, to Charles Frank and Glenda Earlene Salmons Hellen of East St. Louis, Illinois. After moving to Benton in 1952, JoAnn graduated from Benton High School in 1960. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in piano performance at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark.
After graduating with her degree, JoAnn started teaching public school music to elementary-aged children. She spent five wonderful years teaching music, where she was known for orchestrating many successful and entertaining performances, all the while instilling a love of music in the children.
In 1969, JoAnn married Joe Arnn, and by 1975, they had been blessed with two children, David Allen and Holly Merideth. Since she and Joe then had children of their own, they decided JoAnn would bring her love of music home to work as a private piano teacher. During her more than 12 years as a beloved piano teacher, JoAnn was also the organist for First Methodist Church of Benton, Ark., and First Baptist Church of Benton, Ark., for a collective 25 years. The congregation of FBC Benton looked forward to hearing JoAnn’s choral accompaniment and offertory duets with her sister, Shirley, who played the piano for Sunday morning services. JoAnn’s family would say that she was crafty and imaginative. Whether it was sewing dresses or doll blankets, fashioning Halloween costumes, painting holiday-themed sweatshirts, or splicing and editing home videos, JoAnn was always creating something, usually for someone besides herself. She loved spending time with family. From TV and popcorn nights to vacationing at Disney World or the beach, she always looked forward to a new adventure. In her and Joe’s retirement years, they had a favorite place to visit, Maine, where they vacationed several times, enjoying fresh seafood and sights of the ocean, lighthouses, covered bridges, fall foliage and moose. JoAnn was predeceased by her parents, Frank and Glenda Hellen. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Joe Arnn; her three sisters, Shirley Mundy(Rod), Peggy Truitt(Charlie) and Patti Hellen(Aaron); her son and daughter-in-law, Allen and Debbie Arnn; and her daughter and son-in-law, Merideth and Kellee McCoy. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Emmaleigh Ortiz (husband, Marcos), Alex Arnn, Chandler Holcomb, Jon McCoy, Susannah Arnn, Annah Kayte Holcomb, Will McCoy and Theo Howard, who were her pride and joy. A visitation for JoAnn will be held Monday, Oct. 31, 2022 at 1 p.m., at Pinecrest Funeral Home, 7401 Hwy 5 N, Alexander, Ark., 72002, followed by a memorial service officiated by Dave Hughey at 2 p.m. Family and friends are invited to attend this celebration of the life and legacy of JoAnn. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or the Arkansas Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries.