Obituaries

James Allen Vail, Sr. (12/06/06)
James Allen Vail, Sr. died Monday, Nov. 27, 2006 in Lennox, S.D., at the age of 89. He was born in Caledonia, Miss., the son of the Robert Gillian and Eva Green Stevens Vail and had lived in Trumann for most of his lifetime. He had lived and worked in Chicago for 16 years before returning to Trumann after retirement. Mr. Vail was a retired security guard and of the Baptist faith...

Jimmy Ray Watkins (12/06/06)
Mr. Jimmy Ray Watkins, 68 of Trumann, died Monday, Dec. 4, 2006 evening at the family residence. He was born in Trumann and lived most of his life in Trumann after moving back from Michigan City, Ind. He was past member of the Wheeling Eagles Wheelchair Basketball team, previously served as trustee of the First General Baptist Church where he was a member...

Ruby Harris (12/06/06)
Ruby Harris, 78, of Bay died Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born in Sanburg, Tenn. to Ronal and Maggie Rodgers Lynch and had been a homemaker and factory worker who had worked for several factories in the area. She was a member of the Walnut Street Baptist Church and the Caregiver's Sunday School Class...

Troy Ransom Wilson (12/06/06)
Troy Ransom Wilson died Monday, Nov. 27 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro at the age of 83. He was born in Mountain View on August 23, 1923, the son of the late Ellis Newton and Willy Mertyl Wooton Wilson. He had lived most of his lifetime in Trumann and was a retired Singer Company employee and a member of the Providence Baptist Church...

Lou Donald Weems Dudley (12/06/06)
Lou Donald Weems Dudley died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro, at the age of 92. Born in Pontotoc, Miss., on Friday, Aug. 21, 1914, she was the daughter of the late L.A. and Ludie McMurray Mathews. She had lived in Trumann from 1938 to 1956 and was formerly of Louisiana and New Mexico. She was a housewife and of the Baptist faith...

Norman Francis, Sr. (12/06/06)
Mr. Norman Edward Francis, Sr. 82, of Trumann, died Monday, Dec. 4, 2006 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born in and a lifetime resident of Trumann he was a well known businessman for over 50 years. He was a member of the Shady Grove School Board, manager of the Shady Grove ball team, chairman of the Trumann Planning & Zoning Commissioner, former member of the Trumann City Council, member of the Trumann Masonic Lodge 693, a 32nd degree mason and a member of the First Baptist Church in Trumann. ...

Esta Imogene Dickens Dame (12/13/06)
Esta Imogene Dickens Dame, a lifetime resident of Trumann, died Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006 at the family residence in Trumann at the age of 70. She was born on Tuesday, March 31, 1936, in Trumann the daughter of the late Dennis Devoe and Pauline Elliott Hawkins. She was a housewife and a member of the Freer Baptist Church...

Rev. Virgil Elmo Tackett (12/13/06)
Rev. Virgil Elmo Tackett of Trumann died Friday, Dec. 8, 2006 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro at the age of 86. He was born in Lunsford on Saturday, July 31, 1920, son of the late Ithmer John and Clara Marie Moore Tackett. He lived most of his lifetime in Trumann and was a retired minister, farmer and a member of the Church of God of Prophecy...

Syble Janice Martin (12/13/06)
Syble Janice Martin, 83, of Trumann, died Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006 in Trumann. She was born Nov. 14, 1923 in Thola, Ark. and she was a homemaker and member of the Walnut Grove Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Earl Martin; one son, James Martin; her parents and four sisters...

Brett West (12/20/06)
Brett West, 20, of Trumann died Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006, at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born in Jonesboro and had lived his lifetime in Trumann. He was a 2005 graduate of Trumann High School and a member of the Maple Grove Baptist Church...

Mattie Lou (Clem) Lewis (12/20/06)
Mattie Lou (Clem) Lewis, 93, of Trumann died Thursday, Dec. 14 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born in Ripley, Tenn., and had lived most of her lifetime in the Trumann area. She was a housewife and a member of the Eastside Baptist Church in Trumann...

Goldie Leffie Short (12/20/06)
Goldie Leffie Short, 87, of Trumann died Sunday, Dec. 17, 2006 at Trumann Health & Rehabilitation Center in Trumann Born in Marked Tree, she had lived most of her lifetime in Trumann and was of the Pentecostal faith. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wheeler and Nora Miller Short...

Robert Smith Jr. (12/20/06)
Robert Smith Jr., 48, of Marked Tree died Dec. 14, 2006 at the VA hospital in Memphis of cancer. He was born Nov. 13, 1958 in Marked Tree and was a Marine and a member of the Christian faith. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Smith Jr.; one son, Robert Smith III and two brothers, Harold Lacy and Lawrence Smith...

Goldie Leffie Short (12/27/06)
Goldie Leffie Short died Sunday, Dec. 17, 2006 at the Trumann Health and Rehabilitation Center in Trumann at the age of 87. Born on Saturday, Jan. 11, 1919, in Marked Tree, she was the daughter of the late Wheeler and Nora Miller Short. She lived most of her lifetime in Trumann and was of the Pentecostal faith...

Wilma Lee Adams Hamilton (12/27/06)
Wilma Lee Adams Hamilton died Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006 at Plantation Homes in Trumann at the age of 67. Born on Monday, April 3, 1939, in Elm Grove, she was the the daughter of the late W. H. and Sudie Turner Adams. Mrs. Hamilton. She lived in Bay for the past 40 years. She was a housewife and a member of the Elm Grove Missionary Baptist Church...

Linda Carol Cole (12/27/06)
Linda Carol Cole, 58, of Harrisburg died Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006 in an automobile accident near her home in Harrisburg. She was born July 14, 1948 in Harrisburg, the daughter of Raymond Burgess and Leona James Burgess. She was a lifetime resident of Trumann and Harrisburg and was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church in Harrisburg where she was a volunteer helper with AWANA. ...

Longtime publisher Hazel Freeman dies at age 91 (12/27/06)
Poinsett County lost one of its finest Christmas Eve with the death of longtime newspaper publisher Hazel Garvey Freeman. Freeman died at the age of 91 at her home in Harrisburg Sunday. For 50 years Freeman was actively involved in the operation of the Modern News at Harrisburg, a publication that has been owned and operated by the Freeman family since 1888...