Area Deaths
Notice of passing
RICKY CLARK
Ricky Clark, 66, passed away March 1, 2017 at St. Vincent Medical Center in Little Rock.
Arrangements will be announced by Sims Mortuary, Inc.
JOHN A. JOHNSON
John A. Johnson, 84, passed away Wednesday March 1, 2017 at his home.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Bailey Funeral Home.
Reminder of services
GREG L. DEATON
Graveside services for Greg L. Deaton, 60, of El Dorado, will be held at 10 a.m. today at Rest Haven Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Steve Moss officiating.
The family will receive friends at Young’s Funeral Directors from 9 a.m. until service time today.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
MARKEISHA GENERAL
Markeisha General, 23, of El Dorado passed away Feb. 11, 2017.
Funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 3 at Zion Watts Baptist Church of El Dorado. Burial will follow at Zion Watts Cemetery of El Dorado, under the direction of Paradise Funeral Home of Bernice, Louisiana.
CHARLES L. ROGERS
A graveside service for Charles L. Rogers, 89, of El Dorado, will be held at Rest Haven Memorial Gardens at 2 p.m. today with the Rev. Jim Bolding officiating.
Visitation will be held from noon until service time today at Young’s Funeral Directors.
Memorials may be made to the Salvation Army, 419 S. Madison, El Dorado, AR 71730; or to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, 1 Children’s Way, Little Rock, AR 72202.
SPEAKER RUSSELL
Services for Speaker Russell, 82, will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at the Millard Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Farmerville, Louisiana, with the Rev. Stephen Dixon officiating. Interment will follow at the Millard Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3, at the Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Farmerville.
Obituaries
JAMES W. CAVENDER
James Weldon Cavender age 78 of El Dorado passed away on Monday, February 27, 2017 at the John R. Williamson Hospice House. He was born on January 18, 1939 in Harrison, AR to the late Bertha Elizabeth Harris Cavender and Everett Lee Cavender.
Weldon worked as a Machinist for the
U.S. Navy, having served abroad many navy ships before his discharge in 1977 and after 20 years of honorable service.
Weldon was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Nova Inman; four brothers, Utah Cavender, Charles Cavender, Clifford Cavender and Clifton Cavender also, by one nephew, Bobby
Jackson.
Survivors include; two sons, Michael Cavender and wife Sandy and Scott Cavender and wife Gina all of Folsom, CA; one sister, Elsie Rainbold of Alpena, AR; five grandchildren; four great grandchildren; special niece and great niece, Carolyn Warren and Kristy Langston both of El Dorado; two special great great nieces, Katelyn and Laney Langston both of El Dorado, along with numerous other nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.
A graveside memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 3, 2017 at Old Parkers Chapel Cemetery, with Bro. Bob Inmon officiating. Interment with military honors will follow under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home.
Cremation services were provided by Bailey Funeral Home.
Please sign our online guestbook at www.baileyfuneralhome.net.
ROBBIE L. STEPHENSON
Robbie Lee Shipman Stephenson, 89, of Monticello, passed away Monday, Feb. 27, 2017 at Drew Memorial Hospital in Monticello.
She was born on Aug. 11, 1927 south of
Lacey, to the late Leo Claude and Ruby
Merle Whitehead Shipman. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her husband, Doyle Stephenson; and her brother, John Will Shipman.
She grew up at Prairie Chapel and graduated from Drew Central High
School at the age of 16 and attended Arkansas A&M College. She taught at
Fountain Hill High School, where some of her students were her age. Robbie
Lee married Doyle Robert Stephenson on June 8, 1946 and honeymooned at the Ridgeway Hotel.
They moved to Little Rock, Jackson, Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee and Pine Bluff (Doyle’s job with Singer Co.) before returning “home” to Monticello in 1998. She worked at Crow-Burlingame in Little Rock as a personal secretary, and secretary to vice principal at Dollarway High School for 30 years.
She loved mission work and she loved to “go;” serving in Haiti, McCurdy School in New Mexico, Sager-Brown Depot, and UMW School of Missions, each several times. She served on the Drew Memorial Hospital Auxiliary for several years, and was very active in United Methodist Women most of her life. Between mission trips, she enjoyed traveling with her friends and family to Europe, Australia, Hawaii, Canada, the Caribbean, New York, Chicago and Las Vegas. She was a member of the PEO of Monticello and ABWA of Pine Bluff.
Robbie was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to her family.
Survivors include three sons, Mike (Dalene) Stephenson of Monticello, Bob (Carol) Stephenson of El Dorado, and Robin Stephenson of Fayetteville; one daughter, Susan Pemberton of Fayetteville; grandchildren, Casey Stephenson (Sarah), Carrie Gray (Stephen), Flaura Jaden, and Penny Pemberton, and Nina Rose Stephenson; great-grandchildren, Sawyer and Claire Gray, and Bennett and Alice Stephenson; her brothers, Paul Douglas Shipman (Melba) of Como, Mississippi; sister-in-laws, Wanda Shipman of Little Rock, Audrey Stephenson of Crossett, and Dorothy Jones of Greenbrier; and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
Funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3, 2017 at Stephenson-Dearman Chapel in Monticello with the Rev. Dennis Spence and the Rev. Keith Dodson officiating. Burial will be in Lacey Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon until 1:30 p.m. prior to the service on Friday.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 317 S. Main, Monticello, AR 71655; First United Methodist Church Building Fund, 201 S. Hill, El Dorado, AR 71730; or Lacey Cemetery Association, c/o Roy Alan White, 671 Highway 133, Fountain Hill, AR 71642. Online guestbook at www.stephensondearman.com.
ETTA S. TRIMBLE
Etta Sue Murphy Frantz Trimble, 87, of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, went to Heaven to be with our Lord on Feb. 23, 2017 at home surrounded by her family in Horseshoe Bay.
She was born on Jan. 11, 1930 in El
Dorado. She was always a loving woman with great faith. Etta Sue enjoyed marching as a majorette in the high school and college bands. After attending Southern Arkansas University, she worked at Lion
Oil. Etta Sue was also the pianist at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in El Dorado.
She was financial controller of the family business, The Frantz Co., in Houston,
Texas for 30 years. Etta Sue had a passion for flying, was a private pilot, and a longtime member and president of the
Houston Chapter of the 99’s Ladies Pilots Association.
Etta Sue was preceded in death by her parents, Fred Ballard Murphy and Marjorie Yocum Murphy; and her husband of 47 years, Dr. Joseph Foster Frantz.
She is survived by her husband of two years, John D. Trimble of El Dorado; her children, Marjorie Frantz Ferguson and her husband, Tim, of Greenville, South Carolina, Joseph Foster Frantz II and his wife, Tricia, of Horseshoe Bay, and Susan Frantz Brassard and her husband, Joe, of The Woodlands, Texas; nine grandchildren, Nicole Frantz Smith and her husband, Bryan, T. J. Ferguson and his wife, Rebecca, Danielle Frantz, Grace Ferguson, Austin Brassard, Joseph Brassard, Bailey Brassard, Camille Ferguson, and Brady Ferguson; a great-granddaughter, Sarah Smith; her brother, the Rev. Bruce Murphy and his wife. June, of El Dorado; and many adored nieces and nephews.
Funeral will begin with viewing at 12:30 p.m. and church service at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, 2017, in the Church at Horseshoe Bay , 600 Hi Ridge, Horseshoe Bay, Texas, 78657, with the Rev. Johnny White officiating.
Interment will follow at the Lakeland Hills Memorial Park, 4219 Park Road, 4 Burnet, Texas under the direction of Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home, 1805 Highway 281 N., Marble Falls, Texas, 78654 (830)693-4373. Flowers; Marble Falls Florist. 214 Main St., Marble Falls, Texas, 78654 (830)693-4812. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Houston Ninety-Nines, c/o Kathy Clark, 3403 Candleknoll Drive, Spring, TX 77388-5864.
Online condolences may be made at: www.clementswilcoxfuneralhome.com.
JOHN H. WILLETT SR.
John Henry Willett Sr. found peace in heaven on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. John was born to Arthur “Scott” and Corrinne Murphy Willett of Lisbon on Sept. 12, 1924.
He is survived by a daughter, Linda
Willett (Charles) Ellis of El Dorado; and daughters-in-law, Carolyn Parks
Willett of Smackover, and Libby Pedigo
Willett of Hot Springs; grandchildren,
Keith (Molly) Willett, Deborah Willett
(Ricky) Herring of Smackover, Christina
Ellis (Jerry) Harper of Russellville, Mara
Willett Williams of Conway, and Andrew
Willett of Hot Springs; and great-grandchildren, Mason, Karli, Trinity, Alaina,
Eli, Case, Kinsey, Sawyer, and Hampton.
He was preceded in death by his wife,
Marie Bull Willett; two sons John Henry
Willett Jr., and William (Bill) Willett; brothers, James, Murray, Max, and Randolph; and a sister, Albertine Willett Meek.
Willett worked as a surveyor for the Sun Oil Company. He was a pipe-fitter and was a member of Local 155 and he retired from the El Dorado Post Office after 25 years of service. He is remembered by many on his mail route not only for the letters he placed in their mailboxes but the produce from his garden he also delivered.
He was a lifetime member of Mount Moriah Masonic Lodge where he served for over 50 years.
He was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 3, at Young’s Funeral Home.
Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday, March 4, at Young’s Chapel with Bro. Rusty Pedigo officiating. Burial will follow at Salem Cemetery under the direction of Young’s Funeral Directors.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Life Touch Hospice or Salem Cemetery.
An online guest registry will be available at www.youngsfuneralhome.com.
(The deadline for full obituaries for the next day’s newspaper is 4 p.m. The deadline for death notices is 5 p.m. the day prior to publication. Obituaries submitted after these deadlines will not be published the next day, but will run in the following day’s newspaper. For more information about costs of obituaries and photos, call 870-862-6611).