Draper
Bella Vista
Shirley M. Gunn, 74, of Bella Vista, Ark., died Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008, at Highland Health Care and Rehabilitation Center in Bella Vista. She graduated from Ripen College in Ripen, Wis. She was a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines; worked in human relations for the Raytheon Corp. in Boston, Mass.; for Sandia Corp. in Livermore, Calif., and Albuquerque, N. M.; and for Shephard Machinery Co. in Whittier, Calif. Then in Tulsa, Okla., she owned and managed Young World, a children’s dance studio and preschool, for 18 years. In 1982, she moved to Bella Vista and worked for Winter Moving and Storage Inc. as a moving consultant for 14 years. She was a member of St. Bernard Catholic Church, St. Bernard’s Women’s Club and the Bella Vista Women’s Golf Club. She enjoyed golf, reading, playing bridge and traveling. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert J. Gunn; and a granddaughter. Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Robert D. Gunn and Marilyn Gunn of Grapevine, Texas; a daughter, Kathryn Hagen of Beaverton, Ore.; a brother and sister-inlaw, Gerald E. Medow Sr. and Pat Medow of Wausau, Wis.; a niece, Angelique Medow of Knoxville, Tenn.; a nephew, Gerald E. Medow Jr. of Arcata, Calif.; three grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. A memorial rosary will be said at 4 p. m. Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Bella Vista Funeral Home Chapel. A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 10 a. m. Monday, Oct. 13, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Bella Vista with Father Andrew Smith. Following Mass, burial will be at the St. Bernard Columbarium in Bella Vista. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Bella Vista Animal Shelter, P. O. Box 5248, Bella Vista, AR 72714; or to the Bella Vista Library, 11 Dickens Place, Bella Vista, AR 72714. Online condolences may be made at www. funeralmation. com.
Boulder, Colo.
Thelma Marie Johnson Clark, 91, of Boulder, Colo., formerly of Bella Vista, Ark., died Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008, at Sunrise Assisted Living in Boulder. She was born Nov. 14, 1917, in Dallas, Texas, to Brown Franklin Johnson and Johanna Marie Johnson.
She was married to William S. Clark for 60 years. After his death in 1999, she moved from Bella Vista to Boulder with her son and his family. She provided Sunday piano accompaniment for worship services regularly at Sunrise Assisted Living and shared her poetry in a published book, “ Streetcars and Sassafras, ” while there. She was active in church and community in each of her home sites of Bella Vista; Des Moines, Iowa; Littleton, Colo.; and Dallas, Texas. She was an accomplished pianist and piano teacher, was active in Mu Phi Epsilon and was often asked to judge national and local piano competitions in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska and Arkansas. Survivors include two daughters, Sheryl M. Clark Schizas of Las Vegas, Nev., and Dr. Janice E. Clark of Huntington Beach, Calif.; a son, William S. Hathaway-Clark of Longmont, Colo.; and two grandsons, Jamison Hathaway-Clark and Luke Hathaway-Clark. A memorial service will be held at 4 p. m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Crist Mortuary of Boulder. Interment of ashes will be at the Bella Vista Memorial Gardens in Bella Vista, Ark. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice, in care of Crist Mortuary. Decatur Paul Fagala Paul Fagala, 94, of Decatur, Ark., died Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, at Heritage Park Nursing Center in Rogers, Ark. He was born March 23, 1914, in Benton County, Ark., to Luther Fagala and Nancy Murdock Fagala. He was preceded in death by three wives, Audrey Fagala, Fern Fagala and Eufema Fagala; a son, John Fagala; a daughter, Nancy Fagala; two brothers, Eldridge Fagala and Olen Fagala; a sister, Mae Boyd; and a son-inlaw, Jerry Holland. Survivors include three sons and daughters-in-law, Bill Fagala and Mary Jane Fagala of Jonesboro, Ark., Gary Wallis and Betty Wallis of Little Rock, Ark., and Donald Dixon and Shirley Dixon of Alabama; two daughters and a son-in-law, Anna Marie Holland of Decatur and Claudine Thomas and Jerry Thomas of Rogers, Ark.; 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and three great-greatgrandchildren. Visitation will be from 6 p. m. to 8 p. m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Rollins Funeral Home Chapel in Rogers, Ark. Funeral services will be at 2 p. m. Friday, Oct. 10, at the First Baptist Church of Cave Springs, Ark., with Larry Lavorn and Ralph Walker. Burial will be at the Phillips Cemetery near Cave Springs.
Gentry
Alexander S. Gsoell, 63, of Gentry, Ark., died Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Ark. He was born Feb. 17, 1945, in Vienna, Austria, to Anton Gsoell and Elizabeth Potzner Gsoell. He came to the United States in 1960 and became a U. S. citizen in 1987. A graduate of the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, Ohio, he joined Hallmark Cards Inc. in Kansas City, Mo. After nearly 22 years with Hallmark, he was a freelance artist for a number of years. In 2004, he moved to Gentry, where he was design manager at DaySpring Cards. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Erwin Gsoell and Gunther Gsoell; and a sister, Cristal Gsoell. Survivors include his wife, Linda Gsoell; a daughter and son-in-law, Melissa Sterner and Tom Sterner of Austin, Texas; a son and daughter-in-law, Alexander Scott Gsoell and Jeana Gsoell of Kansas City, Mo.; two sisters, Fritzi Latzko of Clearwater, Fla., and Trudi Meueller of Austria; a sister-in-law, Ava Gsoell of Austria; and six grandchildren, Michael Sterner, Matthew Sterner, Samantha Sterner, Rebecca Sterner, Avery Gsoell and Megan Martinez. A memorial service will be held at 2 p. m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Springtown, Ark., with Pastor Cindy Cooper. Arrangements are by Wasson Funeral Home of Siloam Springs, Ark. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to HOPE Inc. (Helping Oncology Patients Excel ), 2949 N. Point Circle, Fayetteville, AR 72704. Online condolences may be made at www. wassonfuneralhome. com.
Hindsville
Loye Leon Elliott, 82, of Hindsville, Ark., died Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008, in Kansas City, Mo. He was born June 24, 1926, in Whittier, Calif., to Leslie G. Elliott and Roberta C. Wilson Elliott.
Formerly a longtime resident of Grain Valley, Mo., he was a retired master plumber. He was a U. S. Marine Corps veteran who served aboard the USS New Jersey in World War II and was a longtime member of Cross Creek Baptist Mission in Oak Grove, Mo. He was preceded in death by two wives, Betty J. Hall Elliott and Lily B. Fields Elliott; a son, Monty Joe Elliott; and a sister, Carol L. Tate. Survivors include three daughters and two sons-inlaw, Deborah Henson and Robert Henson of Suffolk, Va., Jane Scott and Mike Scott of Hindsville and Rebecca Meyers of Platte City, Mo.; an adopted son, Paul Elliott and his wife Erin Elliott of Grain Valley, Mo.; an adopted daughter, Mari-jo Wilkes and her husband Dale Wilkes of Holts Summit, Mo.; a stepson, Mike Dana of Centerton, Ark.; a stepdaughter, Carol Chapman and her husband Ted Chapman of St. Louis, Mo.; a sister and brother-in-law, Virginia Fields and Bill Fields of Fayetteville, Ark.; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. An inurnment will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Evergreen Cemetery in Fayetteville, Ark.
Rogers
Martha Jane Hudson, 88, of Rogers, Ark., formerly of Gravette, Ark., died Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, at the Golden Living Center in Rogers. She was born Dec. 27, 1919, in Bentonville, Ark., to James L. Nance and Effa Ann Selvy Nance. She married Ray Hudson on Jan. 25, 1936. She worked for Gravette Medical Center Hospital for 20 years as a certified nursing assistant, the last few years on the obstetrics floor. She attended the First Assembly of God Church in Decatur, Ark. She enjoyed gardening, quilting, sewing and fishing. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ray Hudson, in 1987; and a daughter, Margaret Ann Land. Survivors include two daughters and sons-in-law, Jean Duncan and Lester Duncan of Rogers and Retha Severn and Frank Severn of Gentry, Ark.; a son, James Edward Hudson of Jay, Okla.; eight grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4 p. m. to 7: 30 p. m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Backstrom-Pyeatte Funeral Home of Siloam Springs, Ark. Graveside services will be at 2 p. m. Friday, Oct. 10, at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery near Gravette, Ark., with the Rev. Ron Fields.
Siloam Springs
Evelyn Louise Penrose Draper, 92, of Siloam Springs, Ark., died Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, at Siloam Springs Nursing and Rehabilitation. She was born March 29, 1916, in Oklahoma City, Okla., to Chester Pringle Penrose and Nellie Mae Griffith Penrose.
She was a secretary for the FortWorth YMCA and for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa, Okla., during World War II. After the war, she worked for Holubar’s Mountaineering Gear in Boulder, Colo. She was an Episcopalian. She enjoyed music and played the piano and organ at the Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, in later years.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Edwin C. Shaw; her second husband, John V. Draper; a sister, Leota M. Pilkington Smith; a grandson, David A. Shaw; and a granddaughter, Katrina W. Davis.
Survivors include two daughters and a son-in-law, Mary E. Griffin of Princeton, Texas, and A. Lynette “ Lynn ” Nix and Randall Nix of Gentry, Ark.; two sons and daughters-in-law, E. Charles Shaw and Rita Shaw of Bartlett, Tenn., and Harvey E. Draper and Barbara Draper of Farmington, N. M.; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; a niece; and many nephews.
Visitation will be from 6 p. m. to 8 p. m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Wasson Funeral Home of Siloam Springs.
Graveside services will be at 2 p. m. Friday, Oct. 10, at the Fort Gibson National Cemetery in Fort Gibson, Okla.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a local church or to Cornerstone Baptist Church in Cherokee City, Ark.
Online condolences may be made at www. wassonfuneralhome. com.
Rogers
Paul “Big Daddy” Elmer Walter, 74, of Rogers, Arkansas, passed away October 4, 2008.
He was born August 21, 1934, in Crescent City, California, to Paul and Germaine Walter.
He was a U. S. Army Veteran and moved to Rogers in 1946. He was a 32 nd Degree Mason and a Shriner. He was the youngest pilot to ever solo out of the Rogers Municipal Airport, at the age of 16. Those who knew him knew of his love for his flag pole, his dogs, the History Channel, war movies, Wal-Mart, and absolutely every airplane that he saw he took a second look at. He was a lifetime aviation and military historian and a member of the Civil Air Patrol. He was a professional truck driver for 40 years, driving for Willis Shaw and retiring from Wal-Mart after 20 years of service. He enjoyed RV traveling, boating and had a strong love for his animals. Paul decided to follow Jesus on Easter Day in 1998.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and one sister.
He is survived by his wife, Myrtle Marie Walter; three daughters, Paula Smith and husband Ronnie of Garfield, Deborah Walter of Bella Vista and Laura Tucker of Rogers. He was a Papa to his eight grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a. m. Friday, October 10, 2008, at Rollins Funeral Home. Interment will be held at Fayetteville National Cemetery with Military Honors at 2 p. m. Friday.
Arrangements by Rollins Funeral Home of Rogers.
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