OBITUARIES
Mary Jo Merrell
Mary Jo Merrel, 78, of Bentonville, Ark., died Jan. 23, 2018, at Circle of Life, Springdale, Ark., after battling Parkinson’s disease.
She was born Aug. 16, 1939, in Anthony, Kan., to Swede and Bea Arnold. She was raised on a farm and graduated from Bluff City High School. She lived in Kansas until the late 1970s when she moved to Arkansas with her late husband, Bob Merrell. She was a member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Bella Vista for 40 years.
Survivors include her children, Sharon (Mark) Reuter of Bentonville, Sharla (Jay) Fellers of Englewood, Colo., David Baker of Bentonville, Susan (Wallace) Keck of Almo, Idaho, Kent (Kathleen) Baker of Bentonville, and Cheryl (Lane) Schartz of Spring Hill, Kan.; a sister, Vickie (Jim) Shellhammer of Bluff City, Kan.; two brothers, Bill (Janet) Arnold of Anthony, Kan. and John Arnold of Bluff City, Kan.; and eight grandchildren.
Visitation was held Jan. 25 at Bella Vista Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in Anthony, followed by inurnment in Spring Grove Cemetery.
An online guestbook is available at www.funeral mation.com.
Bella Vista Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Verelin G. Holmstrom
Verlin G. Holmstrom, 91, of Bella Vista, Ark., died Jan. 20, 2018, at Circle of Life in Bentonville, Ark., after a battle with Alzheimer’s.
He was born Sept. 30, 1926, in Hastings,
Minn., to Gustave and Ida. He graduated from Hastings High before serving in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force for 30 years. He joined the IRS and retired in Duluth, Minn.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Linea Pajerski, Lucille Pike and Clarice Valois; and two brothers, Kenneth and Paul.
Survivors include his wife Jenny; a daughter, Katherine Busche (Todd) of Bella Vista; a son, Steven Holmstrom (Laura) of Duluth; and two grandchildren.
A funeral mass was held Jan. 25 at St Stephen’s Catholic Church in Bentonville.
An online guestbook is available at www.funeral mation.com.
Bella Vista Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.