Obituaries
BENJAMIN W. COOK
Benjamin Wesley “Ben” Cook, 33, of El Dorado passed away Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 at Baptist Health in Little Rock.
Visitation will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18 with services following at 2 p.m., both at Perry’s Funeral Chapels. Donations to help with funeral expenses can be made to Perry’s Funeral Chapels.
CHARLES R. GRIGSBY
Funeral for Charles Ray Grigsby, 61, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov, 18, 2017 at the Christ Centered Ministries Church in Farmerville, Louisiana, with the Rev. Michael Singleton, pastor, and the Rev. George Grigsby, officiating. Interment will follow at the Community Memorial Garden (City) Cemetery in Farmerville.
Visitation will be held from 2 until 6 p.m. Friday Nov. 17, at the Memorial Funeral Home Chapel of Farmerville.
OLA M. MADDRY
Graveside services for Mrs. Ola Mae Tugwell Maddry will be held at 2:30 p.m. today at Restlawn Memorial Cemetery, Sulphur Springs, Texas with Bro. Pepper Puryear officiating. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until noon today at Murray-Orwosky Funeral Home in Sulphur Springs.
JULIA A. SMITH
Memorial service for Julia Ann Smith, 60, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017 at the Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Homer, Louisiana. Services entrusted to Memorial Funeral Home, Farmerville, Louisiana.
LONNIE SMITH
A graveside service for Lonnie “Billy” Smith, 85, of El Dorado, will be at 3 p.m. today at Canaan Cemetery in Lockhart, Louisiana. A visitation will start at 2 p.m. prior to the service, all under the direction of Perry’s Funeral Chapels.
Obituaries ROBERT M. RILEY
Robert Maurice Riley was born Feb. 6, 1937 in El Dorado, Arkansas, the only child born to Morris Sylvester Riley and Mary Lou Ward (Riley).
He passed away Oct. 28, 2017.
Robert was baptized at First Baptist Church under the pastorage of the Rev. T.O. McJunkins and involved himself in many religious activities.
He was a graduate of Washington High School
(1954). He was also a graduate of AM&N college in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1967. Robert was a teacher in public schools in Detroit, Michigan.
Robert was blessed with many gifts and talents he was a singer, actor, producer of plays and as a writer under the name of Robertu Ras Riley. “Life Dancers” Alvin Alley American Dance Theater 1970 to 1980 was his latest book published in 2008.
He loved to eat soul food, Momma Ward’s greens and Momma Essie’s hot water corn bread was his favorite. He loved giving advice to children and was always encouraging them to stay in school.
Left behind to morn are his son, Patrick and Paula Riley (daughter-in law); his grandchildren, Maurice Riley and Phantasia Riley; his first cousin, Elzie B. Walker Jr. and his children, Suzette, Michael, Cynthia, Anthony, Annette and Pamela; his 13 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren; a host of cousins and friends, Gladys Williams, John Estrella, Cynthia Scott, Melvin Jones, Dr. Rosenwald Altheimer, and Elder Delano Bowman.
(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 870862-6611).