Obituaries

OBITUARIES Information for the obituaries and funeral notices below was supplied to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Advertising Department by funeral homes. For more information including cost and deadlines contact the advertising department at (501) 378-3889.

CAVE SPRINGS — Helen Howard was born Oct. 25, 1929, to Richard Dickinson and Hazel Hammock Dickinson Porter. Helen died Feb. 14, 2020, in Rogers, Ark., at age 90. A native Mississippian, Helen grew up in Monticello, Ark. After graduating from Monticello High School, she was a student at University of Arkansas, Monticello, formerly Arkansas A&M. She later taught school for five years.

In 1951, she married Lloyd C. Howard. They were married almost 69 years. With Lloyd being with oil companies, they were transferred numerous times and lived in many locations. In 1972, they moved to Rogers, Ark., having left corporate life to begin new careers.

Helen had always wanted to own a children’s clothing shop and her dream was realized in the formation of The Children’s Shop, which she had for 20 years and retired, as Lloyd did. They had fun traveling and “doing as they wanted to do,” as long as health permitted. Helen was a member of First United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by parents Richard L. Dickinson and Hazel Hammock Dickinson and brother Richard L. Dickinson Jr.

She is survived by husband Lloyd C. Howard; son Richard Howard and his Shiela of Cave Springs; daughter Karen Albares and husband Andy of Foreman, Ark.; grandchildren Jennifer Laurent of Shreveport, La., Rich Howard and wife Nancee of Cave Springs, Ark., Jason Howard of Hot Springs, Ark., Trip Hawkins and Candace Ripley of Foreman, Ark., and Kaitlyn Flanagan and husband Zach of Texarkana, Ark.; great-grandchildren Jaxson Hawkins, Aubree Hawkins, Melanie Flanagan, Ben Flanagan, Sawyer and Luke Johnson, Connar Ripley and soon-to-be-here Gracie Kate Howard; step-grandchildren Tara McCabe of Centerton, Ark., and Terese Turner and husband Jeb of Bentonville, Ark.; and step-great-grandchildren Zachary McCabe, Mason Muellenberg, Seth, Luke, Cole, Cam and Hallie Turner.

A memorial celebration of Helen’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Rogers First United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Rogers First United Methodist Church, the American Heart Association, or the American Cancer Society.

FAYETTEVILLE — Shirley L. Clark, age 84, of Fayetteville, Ark., passed away Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. She was born Nov. 3, 1935, in Shreveport, La., a daughter of the late Houston Leffall and Abbie B. Turner Leffall.

Shirley was the widow of Lenthon Clark, a retired employee of the University of Arkansas and a member of Rolling Hills Baptist Church.

Also preceding her in death was brother Tyrone Leffall.

Survivors are nephew Tyrone Leffall II of Houston, Texas; niece Nakia Allen of Washington, D.C.; and friend Cyrus Mosley of Fayetteville, Ark.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at Moore’s Funeral Chapel. Private inurnment will be at Fayetteville National Cemetery.

To place an online tribute, visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.

FAYETTEVILLE — Linda J. Seay Worley, age 76, a resident of Fayetteville, Ark., passed away Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, at Willard Walker Hospice House in Fayetteville, Ark. She was born Dec. 20, 1943, in Lincoln, Ark., the daughter of Rufus H and Ruby Mae (Morris) Seay.

Linda retired from Standard Register after 40 years of service. She was a member of the Mount Comfort Church of Christ.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother James Preston Seay and sisters Betty Howell and Thada Seay.

Survivors include her husband of 41 years Danny Worley; son Shawn Sellers and wife Tonda of Houston, Texas; and grandchildren Beckett and Cougar.

The family will receive friends Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Luginbuel Funeral Home. Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, at Luginbuel Chapel in Prairie Grove, Ark. Burial will be in Bethesda Cemetery in Morrow, Ark.

Online guest book, www. luginbuel.com.

GENTRY — Bobbie Dean Philpott, 82, of Gentry, Ark., died Feb. 16, 2020, at Circle of Life Hospice at Legacy Village, Bentonville, Ark. Bobbie was born in the Fairmount community on Nov. 25, 1937, to Luther and Alva (Morris) Philpott.

He lived all of his life in the Gentry area and married Loretta Rayner in 1957. Bobbie was a member of Gentry Masonic Lodge and a 32-degree Mason, the Scottish Rite, Gentry Order of the Eastern Star. He was a powerhouse operator for Gates and was a member of the First Christian Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters and four brothers.

Survivors include wife Loretta; son Bobbie “Steve” Philpott and wife Carolyn of Gentry; daughter Debbie Guss and husband Ronnie of Bentonville, Ark.; grandsons Bobbie Glen Guss and wife Brandy, Bradley Scott Philpott and Jason Philpott and wife Sarah; great-granddaughters Emma Grace and Jonna Mae; sister Mary Sue Roberts and husband Roy of Perry, Kan.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, at Wasson Memorial Chapel, Siloam Springs, Ark. Burial will follow at Fairmount Cemetery, Gentry, Ark. Visitation will be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, at Wasson Funeral Home, Siloam Springs, Ark.

Memorial contributions may be made to Circle of Life Hospice, 900 Jones Road, Springdale, Ark., 72762.

To sign the online guest book, visit www.wassonfuneralhome.com.

LITTLE ROCK — Charles McColl Portis, 86, of Little Rock, died Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. He was the son of the late Samuel Palmer Portis and Alice Waddell Portis. Charles, known as “Buddy” and “Charlie” to his family and friends, was born Dec. 28, 1933, in El Dorado.

He grew up in El Dorado, Norphlet, Mount Holly and Hamburg, all in south Arkansas.

His beloved sister, Aliece Portis Sawyer, died in 1958.

After graduating from Hamburg High School, Charles enlisted in the Marine Corps and fought in the Korean War, serving with H Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, to battle the invading communist Chinese and North Korean forces. He was promoted to sergeant and received several commendations for his service.

He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas in 1958. He was a reporter at the Northwest Arkansas Times in Fayetteville and the Commercial Appeal in Memphis. He was a reporter and columnist for the Arkansas Gazette, a writer for Newsweek magazine and was the London bureau chief for the New York Herald-Tribune.

Charles published fine novels, numerous magazine articles and short stories and one stage play. He was perhaps best known for his 1968 novel True Grit, which was a New York Times best-seller, and was made into a two acclaimed motion pictures, though neither film measured up to Charles’s masterwork. The novel also became a television program and inspired a film sequel caller Rooster Cogburn. His first novel, Norwood, published in 1966, was made into a movie in 1970.

His articles, short stories and memoirs were published in such magazines as The Saturday Evening Post, The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly

and The Oxford American. Much of this work was collected in Escape Velocity: A Charles Portis Miscellany, edited by Jay Jennings and published by the Central Arkansas Library System.

Buddy was a devoted son, a generous brother, a doting uncle and a steadfast friend. He shunned the spotlight, social events and self-promotion while quietly mentoring other writers who somehow managed to find him.

He loved dogs and cats, having no preference for one species over another. As a teenager he worked as an apprentice mechanic at a Chevrolet dealership, setting off a lifelong fascination for working on used cars and trucks in his spare time.

He was a voracious reader, a habit he acquired

while serving in the Marine Corps.

He was a really funny guy with an uncanny gift for observing human behavior and capturing it in a sui generis style of writing that fascinated fans and critics. “Charlie thinks things no one else thinks,” his friend, the late Nora Ephron, once said.

Charles is survived by brothers Dr. Richard P. Portis (Leah) and Jonathan W. Portis; nephews Samuel Portis Sawyer, Robert Paul Sawyer (Nathania), Charles J. Portis, Cameron Aviles (Samantha) and Palmer Aviles; nieces Dr. Susan Portis-Ferguson (Michael), Jane Portis and Toni Portis King (Rob); grandnieces and grandnephews Laura Davis, Walter Ferguson, Cora Ferguson, Allison King and Timothy King.

The funeral service will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, at Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock, Ark., 72227, followed by a graveside service at 2:30 p.m. at Hamburg Cemetery in Hamburg, Ark.

Charles’s family is grateful to the staff of the Parkway Shell Alzheimer’s Center, the McClellan Veterans Hospital, Hospice Home Care, and the owners, staff and friends at Rivercliff Apartments and the Faded Rose Restaurant.

The best way to honor Charles’s memory is to make a generous donation to the Humane Society of Pulaski County, Ark.

Arrangements are by Ruebel Funeral Home, www. ruebelfuneralhome.com.

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Joan H. Yeagley, 90, of Lee’s Summit, Mo., passed away Feb. 13, 2020, after a short illness. Joan was born in Denver, Colo., but grew up in Kansas City, Mo., where she lived until 1974.

She and her husband, Hac Yeagley, moved from Kansas City to McDonald County, Mo. They built a house on the cliffs of the Big Sugar Creek at the end of County Road V and she lived there until 2008, when she moved to Mexico.

After five years in Mexico, she moved back to Lee’s Summit, Mo., where she remained until her death.

Joan was a member of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Noel, Mo., and later, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Lee’s Summit, Mo.

A full obituary and condolences may be viewed at www.kccreamation.com.

SELIGMAN, Mo. — Lavon Marie Henry, 62, of Seligman died Friday, Feb. 14, at her home. Visitation is set from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Sisco Funeral Home in Pea Ridge with a 2 p.m. graveside service following at Antioch Cemetery. Online condolences may be made to sisco funeralhome.net.

HENDERSON, Nev. — Theresa Birkner, age 93, of Henderson, Nev., passed away Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nev. She was born Jan. 23, 1927, in Erie, Pa., to Herman and Helen

Rosenthal.

She graduated from Villa-Maria Academy in Erie, Pa., and attended the University of Arkansas. Mrs. Birkner worked for the VA Hospital in Fayetteville, Ark., as the department head of medical records, retiring after 25 years of service. She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Henderson and was active in several card-playing clubs at Sun City McDonald Ranch. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fayetteville while living in Arkansas.

She was preceded in death by husband George Birkner, and sisters Evelyn Rosenthal, Dorothy Dylewski and Donna “Joanne” DeSanti.

Survivors include children Dr. Kathy Birkner (Deborah Day), Ann (Dr. Ben) Mammina, Carl (Dr. Linda) Birkner and Jayne (Dr. Richard) Scarff; grandchildren Tara Meaney, Cody and Eric Birkner; great-grandchildren Blaine Birkner, Ryan and Kaitlyn Meaney and her dog, Keba.

Visitation will be noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, at Moore’s Chapel. Graveside service will be 2 p.m. Friday at Fayetteville National Cemetery. To place an online tribute, visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.

TULSA, Okla. — William Allen Kern, 30, of Tulsa, Okla., died Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Tulsa. Memorial service is 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, at Roller Funeral Home in Paris. Memorial mass is 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Scranton. Online guestbook, www. rollerfuneralhomes.com/ paris.