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Paul D. Bates
January 16, 1920 - July 04, 2004
Paul Dean Bates, 84, formerly of Pine Bluff, died Sunday, July 4, 2004, at Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Little Rock. He was born January 16, 1920, in Pocahontas, to the late Daniel V. and Mary Lou Hancock Bates.
He was reared and educated in Pocahontas, where he graduated from Pocahontas High School. He attended Arkansas State in Jonesboro for three years.
Mr. Bates served in the United States Navy during World War II.
He married the former Ira Mae Wallace on September 11, 1940 in Jonesboro.
They moved to Pine Bluff in 1944, where he owned and operated Paul Bates Insurance Agency from 1953 to 1967. He served as state legislator for two terms during 1965 to 1968.
Mr. Bates was an Executive Director at Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District Incorporation for twenty years before retiring in 1987.
He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff.
He is preceded in death a son, R. Scott Bates; six brothers, Earl Bates, Everett Bates,
Jack Bates, P. A. Bates, Ray Bates, Bill Bates; two sisters, Clara Otey and Mary Sallee.
Survivors include his wife Ira Mae Wallace Bates of Little Rock; son, Wallace Paul Bates of Little Rock; daughter in law, Rickie Bates; sister, Hazel Shivley of Texas; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be held 11:00 AM, Wednesday, July 7, 2004, Chapel of Ralph Robinson and Son with Reverend Charles Settle officiating. Private burial will take place in Nettleton Cemetery, Nettleton, Arkansas (Craighead County).
The family ask that memorials be made to First United Methodist Church, 200 West 6th Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71601.
Marylena Lowe Kennedy
September 5, 1922 - March 13, 2009
Marylena Lowe Kennedy, 86, a Pine Bluff native who lived most recently in Little Rock, died Friday at her home.
Mrs. Kennedy was the widow of William H. Kennedy Jr., a former president of both the Arkansas Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association. Mr. Kennedy was posthumously inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2008. Mrs. Kennedy supported her husband in many Pine Bluff civic endeavors and traveled with him extensively during his tenure as head of the national banking group.
The daughter of Dr. William T. Lowe and Mattie Fox Lowe, born in Pine Bluff September 5, 1922, she graduated from Pine Bluff High School and National Park College for Women in Washington, DC.
Mrs. Kennedy and her husband were founding members of Grace Episcopal Church in Pine Bluff. She was an active member of the Hawthorne Book Club, and after moving to Little Rock, she served as Arkansas regent for the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, helping to support the society’s Gunston Hall historical museum in Virginia.
Mrs. Kennedy’s survivors include two sons, William H. Kennedy III of Bentonville, Arkansas and Robert T. Kennedy of Denver, Colorado; three daughters, Mary Lowe Kennedy of Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, Susan Harris of Jonesboro, Arkansas and Elizabeth Brinker of Fort Smith, Arkansas; her brother, William T. Lowe of Plattsburgh, New York; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Grace Episcopal Church in Pine Bluff with The Reverend Dr. Cheryl Clark officiating. Interment follows in Graceland Cemetery
by Ralph Robinson & Son.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to Save the Children, 54 Wilton Rd., Westport, CT 06880
William Bell
April 16, 1917 - March 14, 2009
William D. "Billy" Bell, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to many, passed peacefully into heaven on Saturday, March 14, 2009, at the 91st year of his long and exemplary life. Billy was born on August 6, 1917 to Mable Thomas Bell and George Hugh Bell in Clovis, New Mexico.
Billy Bell grew up in Little Rock and attended Little Rock Central High School and John Brown University. In 1944 he married Doris Jean Reichenbach from Middletown, Kentucky, in New Albany, Indiana and was immediately shipped overseas by the United States Army to serve in Okinawa during World War II.
Major Billy Bell in coordination with the State Adjutant General was successful in the building of the George N. Holmes, Jr. National Guard Armory, at Grider Field in Pine Bluff. The Armory now contributes over one million dollars into the community annually.
Major Bell received a Purple Heart on April 14, 2004 by Representative Mike Ross, almost 60 years after he was wounded by shrapnel in WW II.
In 1950, Billy moved to Pine Bluff and became the owner of The Maru and in 1961 opened and owned Billy Bell's Men Store. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, the Sahara Shrine Temple, Pine Bluff Rotary Club, and the President of Senior Men's Golf Association.
Billy Bell was an accomplished well known participant in golf and tennis for over 60 years. Although a fierce competitor, he was always honest, fair and a gracious loser.
He is survived and will be missed by his devoted wife, Jean; daughter, Billie Jean Bell-Gunnell and husband Duke of Benton; son, Tom Bell of Searcy; and four grandchildren, Corry Fulton Hull, II of Fayetteville, Eden, Josh and Emily Bell of Searcy.
A memorial service will be held 2 PM Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at the Chapel of Ralph Robinson and Son, with Reverend David Moseley officating. The family will receive friends, immediately after the service.
Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, 200 W 6th Avenue, Pine Bluff, AR, 71601, or to a charity of the donors choice.
Twila Copley Burns
December 8, 1954 - March 14, 2009
Twila Copley Burns, 54, of White Hall, died Saturday, March 14, 2009 at home.
She was born December 8, 1954 in Enid, Oklahoma, daughter of Dorcas Jones Copley West and the late Garner Copley.
Mrs. Burns was reared and received her early education in several cities while traveling with her parents in the Air Force. She graduated from Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Missouri. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Home Economics from Harding University.
She worked as a computer programmer at the National Center for Toxological Research.
Twila was a member of Family Church, where she sang in the choir, and a member of the Pine Bluff Quilt Club. She was an active volunteer for the Cub Scouts when her son, the late Garrett Bixler, was a Cub Scout. She received the Cub Scout Silver Beaver Award for her outstanding work with the Cub Scouts.
She was preceded in death by her son, Garrett Christopher Bixler; father, Garner Copley; and brother, Terry Copley.
Survivors include her husband, Barney Burns, whom she married June 22, 1991, of White Hall; mother, Dorcas Copley West of Lebanon, Missouri; sister, Dianne Shoe of Bella Vista; and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at Family Church with Reverend Bill Fitzhugh officiating. Burial will follow in Cypress Memorial Gardens by Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors. Visitation will be Tuesday from 2-8 p.m. at Robinson’s.
Memorials may be made to the Family Church Building Fund, 2500 Highway 104, White Hall, Arkansas 71602.
John David Daniels
June 27, 1927 - March 15, 2009
John David Daniels, age 81, of Charleston, Arkansas, died Sunday, March 15, 2009, at the Peachtree Palliatire Hospice Center in Fort Smith. Mr. Daniels was born June 27, 1927, in Smackover, Arkansas, a son of the late W. B. and Willie Mae McGaugh Daniels.
Mr. Daniels was reared and received his education in Camden, graduating from Fairview High School there. He was a resident of Camden for thirty-five years before moving to Pine Bluff in 1986. He had been a resident of Mt. Ida from 1993 to 1995, and Charleston since.
He was a member of Pinecrest Baptist Church. He retired from International Paper Company as a machinest after thirty-six years of service.
Mr. Daniels was preceded in death in 1983, by his first wife, Jean Moore Daniels, who he married May 17, 1947, in El Dorado; one brother, Delmond Daniels and one sister, Marie Moore.
He is survived by his wife, Wilma Daniels, who he married March 27, 1986, in Pine Bluff; son, John Allen Daniels of Jacksonville; daughter, Bobbie Jean Daniels of Pine Bluff; step-son, Rickey Belvedresi of White Hall; brothers, Melvin Daniels of Camden, Raymond Daniels of Mt. Ida and Kenneth Daniels of Camden; sister, Marjorie Shaddock of Camden; three grandchildren and one step-grandson.
Funeral services will be Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at 10:00 AM in the Chapel of Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors with Reverend James Watson officiating. Burial will be at 2:30 PM in Mt. Horab Cemetery
in Camden.
Ramona Postweiler (Goodwin)
November 16, 1928 - March 18, 2009
Ramona Goodwin Postweiler, 80, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, died Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at Arkansas Convalescent Center.
She was born November 16, 1928, in Truman, Arkansas, to Charley and Ira Pope Goodwin.
She was reared and educated in Truman.
Mrs. Postweiler had worked as a production operator and inspector for Illinois Toolworks.
Survivors include her husband, Jacob Postweiler, whom she married on September 1, 1949, in Cook County, Illinois.
There are no services scheduled at this time. The family was assisted by Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors.
Thomas Russell Reed, Jr.
March 17, 1918 - March 17, 2009
Thomas Russell Reed, Jr., 91, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, died Tuesday, March 17, 2009, at his home.
He was born March 17, 1918, in Pine Bluff, to Thomas Russell Reed, Sr., and Julia Marie Reed.
Mr. Reed was reared and educated in Pine Bluff and also attended Arkansas A&M in Monticello.
He served in the United States Air Force during World War II and then went to work at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. At the time of his retirement he was a purchasing agent for the United States Government.
He was a member of Hardin Baptist Church, the Jacob Brump Lodge # 160, the Scottish Rite and a Shriner. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing golf.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Roberta Harleen Reed, whom he married April 24, 1942, in Stockton, California.
Survivors include a son, Vernon Reed of Austin, Texas; a daughter Roberta Wood of Lee's Summit, Missouri; two grandchildren, Clark and Natalie Reed; three brothers, Martin Reed of Fairbanks, Alaska, James Reed of Pine Bluff, and Johnny Reed of Pine Bluff.
Visitation will be from 1 PM until service time Friday at Robinson's.
Services will be 2 PM, Friday, March 20, 2009, Chapel of Ralph Robinson & Son, where everyone will be encouraged to share their favorite memories of Mr. Reed.
Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.
Jerry P. Glover
August 2, 1922 - March 16, 2009
Jerry P. Glover, 86, of North Little Rock, Arkansas, formerly a long time resident of Pine Bluff, passed away Monday, March 16, 2009 at Baptist Health Medical Center in North Little Rock.
He was born August 2, 1922, in Shreveport, Louisiana, a son of the late Jerry Preston and Annie Mae Railey Glover. He moved to Pine Bluff as an infant, where he was reared and received his early education. Mr. Glover was a 1942 graduate of Pine Bluff High School, where he played on the 1939 National Championship High School Football Team and also on the 1942 All-State Team.
In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II as an Airplane Crew Chief working primarily on B-24 Liberators. After attaining the rank of Technical Sergeant, he was honorably discharged in January of 1946.
Mr. Glover married Johnita Jayne Holmes in Pine Bluff during January of 1943. They spent the next fifty-four years of their lives together, until her death in May of 1997.
He worked for Arkansas Power & Light for 21 years and later became a sales representative for Mobile Chemical Corporation for 12 years, until his retirement in 1987.
Mr. Glover was a volunteer for the Pine Bluff- Jefferson County Historical Museum and a member of the American Legion. While a resident of Pine Bluff, he was a member of First United Methodist Church. After moving to North Little Rock in 1998, he became a member of Park Hill Presbyterian Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, a sister, Dorothy Cornell and a grandson, Walter Robertson.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Jo Rowe Glover, whom he married November 28, 1998, in Pine Bluff; three daughters, Brenda Robertson, of Oxford, Mississippi, Cindy Slaughter, of Pine Bluff, and Julia May (Todd), of Cabot; two step-daughters, Betty Ann Henry, of Little Rock and Sandi Kimmins, of Dallas; six grandchildren, David Robertson (Catherine), Preston Slaughter, Sara Slaughter, Wesley Gorman, Courtney Gorman and Jerry Gorman; one step-granddaughter, Michelle Garber; one great-granddaughter and one step-great-grandson.
A memorial service will be held 10:00 AM, Saturday, March 21, 2009, in the Chapel of Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Home with Reverends Dr. Gordon Garlington and David King officiating. Burial will follow in Graceland Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Park Hill Presbyterian Church, 3520 John F. Kennedy Blvd.,
North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116.
Frank F. Lightfoot
December 22, 1938 - March 20, 2009
Frank F. Lightfoot, 70, of White Hall, died Friday, March 20, 2009 at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
Frank was born December 22, 1938 in Little Rock, son of the late Thomas William and Mary Beryl Hatton Lightfoot. He was reared and received his early education in Van Buren, graduating from Van Buren High School, where he fondly served as sports editor of the school newspaper and his love for journalism began. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Westark Community College (now the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. While attending college, Frank also served in the United States Air Force Reserve.
Upon entering the newspaper business at the age of 14, Frank first served as a "printer’s devil" for the Press Argus in Van Buren. For the next thirteen years, he held various positions as reporter, sports editor and managing editor at the Fort Chaffee Reveille, Paragould Daily Press, Fort Smith Times Record, Rogers Daily News, Arkansas Gazette, and Denton ( Texas) Record-Chronicle. In 1970, Frank returned to Arkansas as Sports Editor of the Pine Bluff Commercial. During his 15-year tenure with the Commercial, he also served as Managing Editor. Stepping out of the journalism field briefly, Frank was Vice President of Marketing and later Interim Director of the Greater Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce from 1985-1986 and then Specialty Administrator of the Chemical Dependency Treatment Center at Jefferson Regional Medical Center until 1989.
In 1989, Frank had the opportunity to return to journalism and fulfill a lifelong dream to own a newspaper. He and his late wife of 29 years, Sarah Silence Lightfoot, formed Forest Communicators, Inc., and purchased the White Hall Journal March 31, 1989. For the next 18 years, he proudly served as President and Publisher of The Journal. Forest Communicators also proudly published the Arsenal Sentinel for the Pine Bluff Arsenal. After over 50 years in the newspaper business, Frank retired in September of 2007.
Frank actively participated in the Arkansas Press Association for many years, serving as President, chairman of the 125th APA Anniversary Committee and board member. In addition, he was a board member of the national Associated Press Sports Editors Association and was the Southwest United States representative of APSE.
In addition to his journalism career, Frank was very active in the community. He served as a board member of the White Hall Chamber of Commerce for three years, Tournament Operations committee member for King Cotton Sports, Inc., Media Coordinator for more than ten Babe Ruth Baseball World Series across North America, and advisory board member of the Southeast Arkansas Livestock, Fair and Rodeo. He was a graduate of Leadership White Hall and returned as an instructor for the program. A member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Pine Bluff, he served as past Vestry member, Junior Warden and Acolyte Master.
Most notable among Frank’s numerous accomplishments, was receiving the 2008 W. F. "Jack" Moody Volunteer Award from the White Hall Chamber of Commerce for his overall contributions to the White Hall community and the Arkansas Press Association’s Golden 50 Award recognizing 50-plus years in the journalism field.
Frank enjoyed traveling, camping with friends, woodworking, and of course, perusing newspapers from all over the country. He was an avid supporter of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the White Hall Bulldogs and particularly looked forward to "March Madness" at the end of each college basketball season.
Most important to Frank was spending time with the family he loved so much, especially his wife, Jeanette Bradshaw-Lightfoot, whom he married September 5, 1992; his four sons, Frank F. Lightfoot II and wife, Donna, of Dallas, Texas, Joseph A. Lightfoot and wife, Allison, of Lafayette, Louisiana, Buddy Smith of White Hall and Brian Smith of Chicago, Illinois; his two daughters, Sherri Lewis and husband, Charles, of Ft. Worth, Texas and Jeanine Hatfield and husband, Patrick, of Cheney, Kansas; his brother, Thomas H. Lightfoot, of Springdale, Arkansas; his cousin, Barbara Lightfoot Allison and husband, Robert, of Overland Park, Kansas; his thirteen grandchildren, Trey, Bailey, Lexi, Kaleb, Brennan, Cooper, Roni, Joshua, Samuel, Abby, Stephanie, Jason and Scott; and other special family members, including Judy Parker of White Hall.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m., Monday, March 23, 2009 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 703 West 3rd Avenue, Pine Bluff with The Reverend Dr. Walter Van Zandt Windsor officiating. A reception will be held prior to the service at 1:00 p.m. in the church’s Parish Hall. Burial will follow in Graceland Cemetery
by Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors. Visitation is Sunday from 3-5 p.m. at Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Home, 807 Cherry Street, Pine Bluff.
The family requests that gifts/memorials be made in Frank’s honor to White Hall High School, 700 Bulldog Drive, White Hall, Arkansas 71602 for the Frank F. Lightfoot Memorial Scholarship fund.
