Obituaries
Notice of Passing
KATHRYN S. GRIFFIN Kathryn “Kappy” Sayle Griffin, 90 of Friendswood, Texas, formerly of El Dorado, passed away Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, at Houston Methodist St. John Hospital in Clear Lake, Texas.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Young’s Funeral Directors.
Reminder of Services
NORMA K. BRADLEY Visitation for Norma King Jones Bradley, 87, of Strong, will be from 9-11 a.m. today at the Bailey Funeral Home, El Dorado.
A private graveside service will be held at the Strong Cemetery, Strong, with the Rev. Richard Turnley officiating. Interment will be in the Strong Cemetery under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home, El Dorado.
ICY B. THOMAS The funeral for Icy B. Thomas will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at A.C. Henderson Memorial Chapel, 614 Calhoun Road in Magnolia, with the Rev. Reginald James officiating. Burial will follow at Noxube Cemetery, Emerson, under the direction of Henderson Funeral Service.
Calling hours will be noon to 4 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. An online guestbook is available at www.hendersonsmortuary.com.
EDDIE L. PARKER
A celebration of the life of Eddie L. Parker will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, at the American legion hall, 325 Legion Drive, in Magnolia. An online guestbook is available at www.hendersonsmortuary.com.
Obituaries
ORVILLE H. DARLING Orville Hervey (Doogie) Darling of Crossett, Arkansas, was born June 28,
1928, in Fordyce, Arkansas and died
Sept. 23, 2017, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a graduate of Fordyce High School, the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Louisiana State University, and held a master’s degree in forestry from Yale University.
He retired in April 1994 as forest resource regional manager for Georgia Pacific Corporation after 44 years service with Georgia Pacific and a predecessor company, Fordyce Lumber Company. He was presented Georgia Pacific’s Distinguished Service Award in 1983 in Atlanta, Georgia, and UAM’s Achievement and Merit Award for Alumni in 1993. He served many years on the Arkansas Forestry Association Executive Committee and served as president in 1988 and 1989. He was appointed to the Arkansas State Forestry Commission in 1994 and served as chairman in 2002-2003. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for Deltic Timber Corporation of El Dorado from 1996-2008.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Arkansas Foresters Hall of Fame. In 2006, after several years of research he wrote a book, “A History of the Mills, Logging Camps and Early Forestry Operations of Crossett Lumber Company.” It was put in the Yale Forestry Library, University of Arkansas at Monticello Library and the Crossett Public Library. In 2008, he wrote “Fordyce, Arkansas: A History of the Town, and its Forests, Timber and Mills.”
He was a retired major from the Arkansas National Guard and a deacon and longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Crossett. He taught a men’s Sunday school class for many years.
He is survived by his wife, Patsy Miles Darling of Crossett, and granddaughters, Megan Jantz and her husband Victor, and Bethany Williams. He is preceded in death by his son, Edward Collins (Eddie) Darling, daughter, Linda Darling Williams and his parents, Orville and Aleen Darling.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Darling Scholarship Fund at First Baptist Church, 701 Main St., Crossett, AR 71635.
The visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, at First Baptist Church. The service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017, at the church. A private family burial will follow at Pinewood Memorial Park under the direction of Jones Funeral Home of Crossett, Arkansas.
MITCHELL POSEY Mitchell Posey, 73, of El Dorado, formerly of Jacksonville, Texas, peacefully passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, at the John R. Williamson Hospice House in El Dorado.
Mitchell was born March 8, 1944 in Cherokee County, Texas, to Amelia and Earl Posey. He is preceded in death by his parents and four brothers, Ronald Posey, Gordan Posey, Richard Posey and Gary Posey.
Mitchell is survived by two brothers, Edward Posey and Robert Posey; his wife, Shirley Posey of Jacksonville, Texas; one daughter, Stacey Little and her husband Shannon of Jacksonville, Texas; one son, Alan Posey and his wife Allison of El Dorado; seven grandchildren, Brandy Hubble, Haley Posey, Morgan Bragg, Colton Posey, Austin Posey, Mitch Lewis and Steven Lewis, and two great grandchildren, Tucker Bragg and Logan Sprayberry.
Arrangements will be announced by Boren Conner Funeral Home of Jacksonville, Texas. The family will be at 7925 Magnolia Highway, El Dorado.
BOBBIE J. SULEPHEN Bobbie Jean Sulephen, 88 of El Dorado, passed away Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, at her residence.
She was born Feb. 24, 1929, to Harla C. and Louana Womack Beavert in Pike County, Arkansas.
She was a graduate of El Dorado High School and she was an active member of Hillsboro Street Church of Christ. Bobbie worked in accounting for Murphy Family Investments for many years. She was Pink Lady at the Medical Center of South Arkansas and was a world traveler.
Preceding her in death are her parents; two sons, Andrew Sulephen and Todd Sulephen; sister, Jo Ellen Beavert; and brother, Ted Beavert.
Survivors include her brother, Jack Beavert of Nashville, Arkansas; sister, Jill McKenna of North Little Rock, Arkansas; five nephews, Dennis Beavert, Dave Beavert, Joseph McKenna, Charles McKenna, Sawyer Sinclair; and four nieces, Renee Walls, Amy Worthington, Lana Gajeski and Samantha Sinclair.
Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, at Hillsboro Street Church of Christ with J.O. Leal and John Fields officiating. A reception will follow at the church. A private burial will be held under the direction of Young’s Funeral Directors.
Memorials may be made to Southern Christian Home, 102 E. Harding St., Morrilton, AR 72110, or to Hillsboro Street Church of Christ, 1322 W. Hillsboro, El Dorado, AR 71730.
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).