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Jack Hobbs
CLARKSVILLE — Jack R. Hobbs, 71, of Clarksville died Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, in Clarksville. He was born Oct. 10, 1932, in Mountainburg. He was a graduate of Mountainburg High School and University of Arkansas, was a member, deacon and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church and was formerly purchasing agent at Formal Co.
Funeral will be 10 a.m. today at First Baptist Church with burial at Oakland cemetery in Clarksville under the direction of Hardwicke Funeral Home of Clarksville.
He is survived by his wife, Bettye; two sons, Brad Hobbs of Clarksville and Ray Hobbs in Rogers; his mother, Zora Hobbs of Van Buren; and four grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Lonnie Qualls, Alan Brooke, Dan Leeds, David Ross, Dane Woodard and Earl Green.
Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 525, Clarksville, AR 72830.
Viola Edwards
MULBERRY — Viola Edwards, 79, of Mulberry died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003, in Van Buren. She was born Aug. 9, 1924, in Van Buren. She was a homemaker, was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church and the West Ark Writer’s Guild.
Funeral will be noon Friday at Shaffer Funeral Home Chapel in Mulberry with burial at U.S. National cemetery in Fort Smith.
She is survived by her husband, Randall; three daughters, Mary Hairston of Witherby Lake, Mo., Sara Nelson of Washington, D.C., and Randi Smith of White Hall; a son, Marcus Cates of Mulberry; two sisters, Lucille Brown of Hector and Ruby Prescott of North Little Rock; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Zelma Clement
Zelma Yolando Clement, 74, of Van Buren died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003, in a local hospital. She was a member of Evangel Temple in Fort Smith, a lifetime member and past president of PTA and a retired employee of K-mart and Wal-mart.
Funeral will be 10 a.m. today at Ocker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Van Buren with burial at Oak cemetery in Fort Smith.
She is survived by her husband, Denver; two daughters, Shirley Wilson of Siloam Springs and Cynthia Hoffman of Memphis; a sister, Bobbie Carlisle of Fort Worth, Texas; two grandchildren, two stepgrandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Dean Epps, Murel Tabor, Joe Hoyle, Larry Combs, Wayne Farrar and Dino Hutchings.
Honorary pallbearers will be Upper Room Sunday school class.
Willie Tippit
WAVELAND — Willie Gertrude Tippit, 78, of Waveland, formerly of Uniontown and Van Buren, died Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, in Booneville. She was of the Baptist faith and was a grocery store owner of Waveland for the past 35 years.
Funeral will be 1 p.m. Friday at Ocker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Van Buren with burial at Gill cemetery in Van Buren.
She is survived by two daughters, Dorella Havard of Grand Prairie, Texas, and Wanda Hultquist of Rineyville, Ky.; three sons, William Fincher of Van Buren and Joe and Dan Fincher, both of Havana; 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Mark, Jason and Jody Fincher, Gene Havert, Carroll Adair and Tunis Vanderschartz.
The family will visit with friends from noon to 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Donnie Horne
CATOOSA, Okla. — Donnie Lee Horne, 62, of Catoosa, Okla., formerly of Fort Smith, died Friday, Dec. 5, 2003, in his home. He was born May 3, 1941, in Fort Smith. He worked as a heavy equipment operator for Wagoner County Public Works.
Memorial service was held Dec. 14 in Catoosa, Okla. Arrangements are under the direction of Amis-Kennard Funeral Service of Broken Arrow, Okla.
He is survived by three daughters, Kim Sawyer, Kelly Rosencutter and Tonya Horne, all of Tulsa; a son, Jimmy Horne of Tulsa; his parents, Newton and Evelyn Horne of Fort Smith; three sisters, Patricia Morris of Georgia, Beva Baker of Texas and Sherry Green of Pocola; three brothers, Bobby Horne of Tulsa, Gary Horne of Barling, and Ricky Horne of Fort Smith; nine grandchildren.; three great-grandchildren; three stepchildren, Rosie, Danny and Larry; and a companion, Minnie Young.
Raymond Hatfield
Raymond Hatfield, 88, of Van Buren died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, in a local hospital. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and a retired self-employed real estate developer.
Graveside service will be 2 p.m. today at Huntsville cemetery in Huntsville under the direction of Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home of Van Buren.
He is survived by a son, Charles Hatfield of Van Buren; a sister, Adeline Harris of Springdale; two brothers, Everett Hatfield of Fort Smith and Thurman Hatfield of Dumas, Texas; four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Rev. Preston Raney
CHARLESTON — The Rev. Preston T. Raney, 81, of Charleston died Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, in Greenwood. He was born April 17, 1922, in Heber Springs. He served in the Army during World War II as a 
military orthopedic doctor and was a member of the American Legion and Disabled Veterans of America and the Branch Assembly of God.
Funeral will be 3 p.m. today at Smith Mortuary Chapel in Charleston with burial at Dawson cemetery west of Booneville.
He is survived by his wife, Leatrice; two stepdaughters, Betty Cray of Booneville and Sharon McWhirter of Oklahoma City; a stepson, Glen Mayo of New Aygo, Mich.; eight stepgrandchildren; and eight stepgreat-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Daniel Mayo, Steven Reid, Donald and Charles Elmore, Dale Rice and John Bell.
Melba Bell
WALDRON — Melba Jean Bell, 68, of Waldron died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, in Waldron. She was a homemaker, was a veteran of the
Korean War and attended Waldron United Methodist Church.
Funeral will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Waldron United Methodist Church with burial at Duncan cemetery in Waldron.
She is survived by two sons, Jerry Bell of Broken Arrow, Okla., and Jeffery Bell of Tulsa; a brother, James Rose of Tulsa; and three grandchildren.
The body may be viewed 3 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Catherine Moore
Catherine Beatrice Haggard Moore, 86, of Fort Smith, formerly of Van Buren, died Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, in a local nursing home. She was a member of the Christian Church, was retired from the Kopper Kettle and the widow of Ted Haggard.
Funeral will be 2 p.m. today at Ocker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel in Van Buren with burial at Dripping Springs cemetery near Van Buren.
She is survived by a daughter, Sharon Norris of Fort Smith; two sons, Rex and Donald Haggard, both of Sallisaw; three sisters, Lois Geels of Fort Smith and Nancy Williams and Earnestine Webb, both of Van Buren; a brother, Charles Brown of Springdale; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Melvin Williams, Jay, Ronnie and Danny Geels, Paul Brown, Gary Webb and Roger Claplan.
Joe Smith
LOCKNEY, Texas — Joe Dale Smith, 68, of Lockney, Texas, formerly of Mena, died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, in his home. He was born March 16, 1935, in Lockney, Texas. He served in the Army, was a farmer, raised chickens and was a member of Yocana Baptist Church. He was the widower of Kathryn Smith.
Graveside service will be 11 a.m. Monday at Pinecrest Memorial Park under the direction of Hall Funeral Service of Mena.
He is survived by a daughter, Kimberly Perry of Plainview, Texas; two sons, J.D. Smith of Petersburgh, Texas, and Rodney Smith of Lockney, Texas; two brothers, Lynn Smith of Lockney, Texas, and Ernest Smith of San Antonio; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchildren.
Wannie Hambleton
WALDRON — Wannie Hambleton, 60, of Waldron died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, in Waldron. She was the retired manager of Waldron Pizza Hut and a member of Denton Baptist Church.
Funeral will be 2 p.m. Friday at Martin Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron with burial at Gipson cemetery in Bates.
She is survived by her husband, James; a daughter, Bridget Larsen of Dallas; four sons, Ken Hambleton of Austin, Texas, James Hambleton Jr. of Springfield, Mo., and Jeffrey and Anthony Hambleton, both of Waldron; three sisters, Delma Young of Waldron, Betty Randle of Garden City, Kan., and Donna Hess of Sharpe, Kan.; three brothers, Thad Thompson of Winnsboro, La., Don Hambleton of Waldron and Dick Hambleton of Corpus Christi, Texas; and four grandchildren.
The body may be viewed 3 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Della Barnes
HACKETT — Della Barnes, 95, of Hackett died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, in a Fort Smith hospital. She was a homemaker, a member of Hackett First Baptist Church and the widow of Thomas Barnes.
Funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Hackett with burial at Mount Olive cemetery in Midland under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood.
She is survived by three daughters, Lavern Byrd and Lenora Hearron, both of Hackett and Betty Sisk of Fort Smith; a son, Vernon Graham of Muldrow; several grandchildren, several great-grandchildren and several great-great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons.
The body may be viewed 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, where the family will visit with friends from 4 to 6 p.m.
Laura Leleux
NEW IBERIA, La. — Laura Annette Fox-Leleux “Fox-on-the-run”, 45, of New Iberia, La., formerly of Poteau, died Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, in New Iberia. She was born Oct. 15, 1958, in West Point, Neb. She attended junior and high school in Poteau and graduated from Arkoma High School. She was part owner of Pocola News, a member of the volunteer fire department and owner of Fox Transportation, Inc., and a member of Highland Baptist Church in New Iberia.
Funeral will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Cameron Civic Center in Cameron with burial at Greenhill cemetery in Cameron under the direction of Evans & Miller Funeral Home of Poteau.
She is survived by her husband, William; a daughter, Shannon Franklin of Nashville, Tenn.; a son, Joshua McClain of Lafayette, La.; an adopted daughter, Emily Leleux of the home; her parents, Bill and Janet Fox of Panama; two sisters, Lynda Fox of Cameron and Darla Fox of New Iberia, La.; two brothers, Nathan Fox of Cameron and Jerald Fox of Shady Point; maternal grandmother, Ida Scroggins of Poteau; and three stepgrandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Troy and Todd Eckelhoff, Brandon, Nicholas, Nathan and Jerald Fox.
Virginia Mannng Taylor
Virginia Mannng Taylor, 78, of Van Buren passed away Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, in a Fort Smith hospital.
Virginia was born to Clifton R. and Emma Gill Manning Feb. 9, 1925, in Romance. Her parents and brother, Clifton R. Manning Jr. predeceased her.
She was a retired merchandise buyer and manager for Hunt’s Department Store, Boston Store and Casual Corner. She was a member and past president of Alpha Beta Chapter and past city council president Beta Sigma Pi and charter member Romance Arkansas Eastern Star. She had been active in numerous charity activities. She was also a member of Heritage United Methodist Church in Van Buren.
She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Kermit L. (Kopper) Taylor; a daughter, Rebecca Jane Freeman and husband, Harry of Fort Smith; her sons, Rick Taylor and wife, Susan of Lavaca and Kendall Taylor and wife Kristi of Berkley, Calif.; grandsons, Kevin Nunley of Cary, N.C., Geoff Freeman of Cary N.C.; granddaughters, Meredyth Freeman of Fort Smith, Claire, Christine, Audrey and Madeline Taylor of Lavaca. Also her special cousin, Sylvia Manning Williams of Little Rock; her uncle, Tom Manning and his wife, Lois of Searcy; and her special friend, Carolyn Greenfield of Fort Smith.
A gathering for family and friends will be held Friday, Dec. 26, 2003, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ocker Funeral Home in Van Buren. Graveside services will be in Romance, Ark., on Saturday, Dec. 27.
Pallbearers will be Emma Jean Reames, Joe Butler, Douglas Stroud, Gary Williams, Johnnie Lowrey, Gene Angel, Pauline Harrison and Susie Coffey.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Ozark Mission Project, Heritage United Methodist Church. 1604 Pointer Trail, Van Buren, AR 72956 or American Parkinson Foundation, c/o St. Joseph’s Regional Health, 210 Woodvine, Hot Springs, AR 71901 or Lupus Foundation of America, 220 Mockingbird, Hot Springs, AR 71913.
Margaret Alston
Margaret Ellen Alston, 83, of Fort Smith died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003, in her home. She was a retired lab technician and a member of Evangel Temple Assembly of God.
Funeral will be 11 a.m. Friday at Evangel Temple Assembly of God with burial at Highland cemetery in Ozark under the direction of Rowell-Parish Mortuary of Fort Smith.
She is survived by a daughter, Geraldine Alston of Fort Smith; four sons, Jimmy Alston of Roland, Curtis Alston of Inglewood, Calif., and Donnell and Sherman Alston, both of Fort Smith; three sisters, Dorothy and Betty Alston, both of Fort Smith, and Laura Newton of Ozark; two brothers, Nathaniel Johnson of Wichita, Kan., and Floyd Johnson of Topeka, Kan.; 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Jerome Jones, Mitchell Parker, Willie Love Jr., Delbert Armington, James Morgan Jr., Mitchell Sherrell, David Deerwater and Tommy Mundy.
The body may be viewed 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today.
The family will visit with friends at 2732 Koller Street in Fort Smith.
