2017 Pioneer Citizens
Omo’s roots run deep in community
Judy and Gene Omo moved around the country a lot before 1974. The couple was sent to a series of different Air Force bases, where they would stay just long enough to put down roots before being transplanted again. But when the Omo family landed in Siloam Springs, they were planted for good and they bloomed.
Omo was named as one of the two Siloam Springs Pioneer Citizens for 2017, along with Jerry Cavness, and the two will be honored at the annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet, which will be held Thursday at the Simmons Great Hall on the campus of John Brown University.
The Chamber of Commerce’s press release announcing the recipients of the award said this year’s nominations put an emphasis on service, and Omo certainly fits the bill in that regard.
“She’s probably one of the most phenomenal women that I’ve met, as far as accomplishments,” said Dawn Denton, with whom Omo worked as a volunteer. “And yet, she’s very humble.”
Omo and her husband have lived in Siloam Springs for the last 43 years, after Gene retired from the Air Force, ending about
20 years of base-hopping.
“Coming into a new town and not knowing anyone, that’s a little bit scary,” Omo said. “But Siloam welcomed us with open arms. What little I’ve done has kind of been to pay that back.”
“She loves this town, she really does,” said Denton.
Much of what Omo has done to give back to Siloam Springs has come in the form of Omo’s favorite hobby — gardening. Omo spent years volunteering with Denton when she worked at the Siloam Springs Parks and Recreation Department, helping with such projects as the Moss House restoration, the gardens in front of the Manna Center, the Twin Springs Gardens and the Triangle Garden near the Moss house.
“Judy was one of my star volunteers,” Denton said. “Enthusiastic, dependable. Sometimes she was the only one that showed up. … When she was there, she came to work.”
Denton described Omo as a hard worker, despite suffering from arthritis, a positive person who makes things brighter around her and a friend.
“She’s just one of those people that you’re happy to see,” Denton said. “You always want to meet a person and say, ‘That’s what I want to be when I grow up.’ For me, that’s Judy.”
After the Omo family moved to Siloam Springs, Judy got a job with the State Employment Office, where she spent 28 years helping people find jobs in the community. While there, she met Marla Sappington.
Sappington said she was impressed by the way Omo held people in high regard. Omo would be working with all kinds of people, some more obviously better off than others. But Omo never looked down on anyone and did the best she could to help them.
“She held everyone in high regard,” Sappington said. “There’s a lot of people that are still employed or just retiring that Judy found work for. You could go up and talk to a lot of people… and they would say they got their start from Judy.”
After a few years of working with Omo in the Employment Office, Sappington left to go back to school. She eventually wound up at the Manna Center, where after years, her path crossed Omo’s again when Omo began volunteering under Sappington’s supervision at the Manna Center.
“I didn’t think that fate would bring us back together after those few years I was with her,” Sappington said. “I have the most respect for her because she is such a kind person.”
“I really thought, ‘Hey, they picked a jewel this time,’” Sappington said. “She’s been a great example in my life, not only in how to achieve, but how to serve.”
In addition to serving with the Manna Center and with gardening around the city, Omo spends time serving with the Beta Sigma Phi sorority, which she joined before moving to Siloam Springs.
“She’s a very gracious lady, she gets very involved in the community and she doesn’t do it for recognition,” said Carol Smiley, who is also a member of the sorority.
Omo has been part of the sorority for around 40 years, and she has taken the position of Service Chair in the organization for multiple terms. In addition to the regular service projects with the sorority, Omo made a major impact in the community when she helped lead the Koala Park construction project for the Northside adopters.
Smiley said she learned the most about Omo during that project, which saw community volunteers swarm together for a week to construct a playground at Northside Elementary. The park has since been removed, but for around 10 years, Smiley said it brought joy to the community, adding that her grandchildren had loved the park.
“This is the friend that you want to have,” Smiley said. “She doesn’t expect a lot of you and she will give everything.
“She’s just a wonderful person, and she loves Siloam Springs.”
“We never had a feeling of belonging in the 20 years he was in the military,” Omo said. “I think that’s why Siloam means so much to us.”
Omo has planted herself here in Siloam Springs, and over the last 40 years she has branched out to serve across the community. And her friends agree that the city is much better for it.
“When anybody asks for help, she’s been there,” said Judy’s husband, Gene.
“You know, when you think of a pioneer that’s blazing new trails, she definitely did some things that made some long-term impact on our town,” Denton said. “I think people would be surprised at how many things wouldn’t have happened around our town if Judy hadn’t been there.”