Area Deaths
BOBBY R. DANIELS SR.
A celebration of the life of Bobby Ray Daniels Sr. will be held at 1 p.m. today at St. James Baptist Church with Bishop George Calloway, eulogist. Interment at Lott Burgy Cemetery will be under the direction of Sims Mortuary.
JOHN A. JOHNSON
Visitation for John A. Johnson, 84, of Junction City, will be from noon until service at 2 p.m. today at the Scotland Presbyterian Church, Junction City. Interment will be in the Scotland Cemetery under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home, Junction City.
SPEAKER RUSSELL
Services for Speaker Russell, 82, will be held at 11 a.m. today at the Millard Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Farmerville, Louisiana, with the Rev. Stephen Dixon officiating. Interment will follow at the Millard Hill Cemetery.
ALLEN SMITH JR.
Allen “Donut” Smith Jr., 47, of Farmerville, Louisiana, passed away on Feb. 27, 2017.
Services will be at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 10 at the Christ Centered Ministries in Farmerville. Interment will be held at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Spearsville, Louisiana, under the direction of Paradise Funeral Home of Bernice, Louisiana.
JOHN H. WILLETT SR.
Services for John H. Willett Sr., will be held at 10 a.m. today at Young’s Chapel with Bro. Rusty Pedigo officiating. Burial will follow at Salem Cemetery under the direction of Young’s Funeral Directors.
Obituaries JAMES LAUNIUS
James “Jim” Launius, 85, of El Dorado, formerly of Hope, passed away Thursday, March 2, 2017, in El Dorado.
Launius was born in El Dorado on June 21, 1931 to John Roland and Ora Ophelia
Hodge Launius.
He had worked for Wheeling Pipeline for over 30 years, was a U.S. Army
Veteran of the
Korean War, a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church in El Dorado, a Mason, a member of the American Legion and the Disabled Veterans.
Launius was preceded in death by his parents, John Roland and Ora Ophelia Hodge Launius.
Launius is survived by his wife, Dora “Deanna” Collier Launius of El Dorado; a son, James “Leo” Launius of El Dorado; daughter, Dawn Beasley and her husband, Chuck, of El Dorado; a brother, Roland Launius of Little Rock; a sister, Elinor Cheatham of El Dorado; a granddaughter, Ashley Deanna Smith and her husband, Chad, of El Dorado; other family members and friends.
Visitation for Launius will be from 10 a.m. to noon today at Brazzel/ Oakcrest The Funeral Home, 1001 S. Main in Hope.
Funeral will be 2 p.m. today at Brazzel-Oakcrest Funeral Home with Steve Pelz officiating. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery in Shover Springs.
Arrangements are by Brazzel - Oakcrest The Funeral Home of Hope, Eddie Brazzel, director, Funeral Directors of Distinction. Online guestbook: www.brazzelfuneralhomes.
RICKY D. LUMSEY
Ricky Dell Lumsey was born Jan. 8, 1966 in Strong, to the late Curtis C. Lumsey and Ollie Faye Champion. He was a longtime resident of El Dorado and he went to his resting home on Thursday, Feb. 23,
2017.
Ricky Dell loved life and his family. He always had a smile on his face. Sandra and Cassandra were his heart. He was preceded in death by his father; and one brother, Steve
Lumsey.
He leaves to cherish his memories, his mother, Ollie Faye Lumsey of El Dorado; Sandra Traylor, a special friend of El Dorado; one daughter, Cassandra Lumsey of Conway; two sisters, Lisa Lumsey of Milwaukee, and Denise Lumsey of El Dorado; five brothers, Curtis (Von) Lumsey, Cory (Ann) Lumsey, both of El Dorado, Randy Lumsey of Houston, Charles Lumsey of Strong, and Ray Lumsey of Little Rock; and a host of nieces, nephews, and other loved ones.
Services will be at 11 a.m. today at Union Mission Baptist Church, 1621 E. Short Hillsboro St., El Dorado, with burial to follow at Gill Cemetery.
NELDA J. SILLIMAN
Nelda Jean Silliman, 87, of El Dorado, went to be with her Lord on Thursday, March 2, 2017, at the John R. Williamson Hospice House in El Dorado.
She was born Aug. 4, 1929, to Urney Alvis Sanders and Lois Peterson Sanders in Tinsman. She was a star basketball player for Hampton High School and later in life she started playing golf; she was the Women’s Golf Champion for El Dorado Country Club for one year. She also learned and mastered sign language as a favorite pastime.
During World
War II, she worked at the East Camden Ordnance Plant assembling bombs while confined in a blast protected room. She believed in helping others and always placed her God and family first. She was an active and devoted charter member of College Avenue Church of Christ. A kind and gentle soul, Jean always exemplified the values of a virtuous woman.
Jean was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Urney Alvis Sanders Jr.; a grandson, Christopher Horne; a son-in-law, Snuggs Brown; and her husband, Walter “Sam” Silliman.
Survivors include her daughter, Belinda Silliman Brown of El Dorado; one son, Gregory Silliman of El Dorado; two sisters, Malissa Biggers Crowe of Lafayette, Indiana, and Patricia Biggers Curtis of Los Angeles; along with grandchildren April Silliman, and Clint ( Ashley) Silliman all of Conway; a great-grandson, Pearce Silliman; and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 5, 2017 at College Avenue Church of Christ with Kent Jobe and Gary Schloemer officiating. The family will receive friends an hour prior to services at the church. A private burial will follow at Means Cemetery in Hampton, under the direction of Young’s Funeral Directors.
Memorials may be made to The Widow and Widower or Prime-Timer Ministries in care of College Avenue Church of Christ, 1817 N. College, El Dorado, AR 71730; or to Children’s Home Inc., 5515 Old Walcott Road, Paragould, AR 72450; or the children’s home of your choice.
Jean would want each of us to remember that death sets the soul at liberty to fly.
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 870862-6611).