Paul and Lana Dunnaway celebrate 50th anniversary
GRAVETTE — Paul and Lana Dunnaway celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Friday evening, June 14. An estimated 150 friends and family members attended the celebration at the home of their daughter and son-in-law, Jeff and Sundee Hendren, on Little Spavinaw Road. The couple was very pleased with the good turnout.
Tables, set up on the lawn between the Hendren home and the creek, were covered in red and blue tablecloths. Table decorations, in a patriotic theme, were in shades of red, white and blue. A buffet meal, prepared by Jeff Hendren, was served from one long side table, with several family photos of the Dunnaways at the head of the table and the anniversary cake at the end. Family friend Clint Scrivner provided entertainment, playing the guitar and harmonica and singing. Several youngsters enjoyed a dip in the creek during the evening.
Paul Dunnaway and Lana Moberly met at a Gravette homecoming parade their junior year in high school. Lana was a student at Bentonville High School, and Paul attended classes in Gravette. They continued dating through high school, then Lana went to nursing school and Paul joined the Army.
“They wrote lots of letters while Dad was stationed in Vietnam,” Sundee says.
After Paul was discharged from the Army at Fort Dix, N.J., the Dunnaways were married June 14, 1969, at the First Christian Church in Bentonville. Lana worked at the Gravette hospital and the Gravette nursing home off and on for about 15 years, then went back to school at John Brown University to become a teacher. She taught at Gravette Middle School for 16 years.
Paul worked as a salesman for Winston Delaware for about five years and then started selling cars. He has been selling cars for about 40 years and Sundee reports that you can still find him most days selling cars out of the Cornerstone Bank in Southwest City, Mo., or hanging out looking for customers while playing dominoes at Harris Auto Sales in Gravette.
The Dunnaways have two children and two grandchildren. Their son, Choate Dunnaway, came in to attend the party from San Diego, Calif. Jeff and Sundee have two children, Paulee and Drew Hendren.