JACIE LYNN WEST
Jacie Lynn Michelle West, 3 months, of McRae went to Heaven on March 24.
She is survived by her parents, Christopher and Jamie West; a sister, Carsyn; grandparents, John and Michelle Poole of Bradford, and William and Tammy Griswold of McRae; great-grandparents Raymond and Edna Allen of Floyd and Reatha Griswold of McRae, and numerous aunts and uncles.
The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until noon Monday, March 28 at Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at New Floyd Cemetery.
LOUELLA COX
Louella (Sis) Roper Cox, 86, of Jacksonville died on March 24.
She was born Nov. 26, 1929, in Calhoun County to the late Vollie and Dora Davis Roper.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Joshua Gilbert Cox, and a brother, Jody Roper.
She is survived by three daughters, Sandra and her husband Randy Nichols of Sherwood, Linda and her husband Kent Hardy of Little Rock, and Donna and her husband Chuck Moravec of Jacksonville; two grandsons, Joshua and Todd Paintin, and two brothers, Roddy Roper of Enterprise, Utah, and Veetaugh Roper of White Hall.
Visitation will be held from 1 until 2 p.m. Monday, March 28 at Union Grove Assembly of God Church near Hampton. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. at the church. Burial will be at Union Grove Cemetery.
Arrangements are by Benton Funeral Home of Fordyce/Hampton.
VELMA RANDOLPH
Velma Mae Randolph, 81, of Cabot went to be with her Lord on March 24.
She was born July 20, 1934, in Prescott (Nevada County) to the late Guy and Maggie Brown.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Darlene Jones Johnson, and her first husband, Tommy F. Jones, and four brothers.
Mrs. Randolph worked as a dietary manager for Malvern Nursing Home for many years and was a faithful member of Cabot Church of Christ.
She enjoyed gardening and sewing. She will always be remembered as a loving, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
She is survived by her husband, Duane Randolph; her children, Dianna Baldovino, Donna Birnbaum, Denise Heard and Capt. David Jones; her stepchildren, Phyllis Loftin, June Miller and Dennis Randolph; a sister, Ruth Garrett, eight grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday, March 28 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
BETTY MAE WILLIAMS
Betty Mae Williams, 81, of Jacksonville went to be with her Lord on March 25.
She was born Dec. 19, 1934, in Decatur, Ala., to the late Wheeler and Lee Chamlis.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Johnny J. Nichols.
Ms. Williams retired from Remington Arms in 2004 with over 26 years of service. She spent time in her early life in Hawaii and in Maine.
She also enjoyed roller-skating and quilting, as well as teaching others to roller skate and quilt. She will always be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and great-great-grandmother.
She is survived by her children, Danny O. Nichols, Lerenda L. Judy, John P. Smith and Montie Williams, two sisters, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be to CARTI of North Little Rock.
The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 29 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
DANNY PLUMMER
Danny Oneal Plummer, 70, of Beebe went to be with the Lord on March 23.
He was born in Beebe on June 11, 1945.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Otis and Alberta Plummer; a brother, Doyle Boone, and a sister, Louise Brown.
He is survived by his sons, Danny Plummer Jr., and Brian Plummer and his wife Selena; a daughter, Heather Thompson; his grandchildren, Darren Plummer and his wife Juliana, Bryce Plummer, Courtney Lemire and Macey Kearse; great-grandchildren, Luca Plummer and Karley Lemire; a brother, Billy Boone and his wife Wanda; a sister, Katheryn Adams and his wife Euell; a sister, Shirley Brown, and many nieces and nephews.
A graveside service was held March 26 at Beebe Cemetery. Arrangements were by Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
GENE RUPLE
Retired Air Force Tech Sgt. Gene Arden Ruple, 80, of Jacksonville went to be with his Lord on March 23.
He was born April 19, 1935, in Keeler Township, Mich., to the late Harold and Dorothy Ann Ruple.
Mr. Ruple retired with over 20 years of service in the Air Force serving numerous tours in Vietnam, and he earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses. His military career allowed him to serve his country around the world, stationed in France, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and numerous bases in the U.S.
After his retirement, he enjoyed spending time with his family, travelling in his RV, coaching little league baseball, woodworking, gardening and was very active member of the retirees whom he met daily at McDonald’s.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Betty Waldenmaier.
He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Delois (Dee) Ruple; a son, Dale Arden Ruple and his wife Kimberly; grandchildren, Bradley Arden Ruple and his wife Sheri, and Joshua Aaron Ruple and his wife Gina; great-grandchildren, Kylee Grace Ruple, McKenzie Lee Ruple, Cayleb Arden Ruple, Julian Aaron Ruple and Joshua Maxey; a brother, Wayne Allen Ruple and his wife Pat; a brother-in-law, William Waldenmaier, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, March 28 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home with military honors to follow.
Memorials may be made to the DAV or a charity of your choice.
KENNETH ERNHART
Kenneth (Wayne) Ernhart, 53, of Conway, passed away on March 20 at his home.
He was born on Sept. 28, 1962, in Rantoul, Ill., the son of Chief Master SGgt. Kenneth Ernhart and Ann Ernhart.
Wayne was a field technician for Verizon for 24 years. He enjoyed playing poker, golf, watching sports, coaching his daughter in softball, and most of all spending time with his grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Frank and Dorothy Ernhart, and his maternal grandfather, Henry Sharp.
Survivors include daughters, Kristen and her husband Greg Horton, and Kacey and her husband Alex Price; her grandchildren, Kayden, Laken and Jude Price and Landen Horton; his parents, Ken and Ann Ernhart; a brother, Paul and his wife Robyn Ernhart; a sister, Cyndi and her husband Dave Kalpac; his girlfriend, Elaine Lively and her son Josh Lively; a grandmother, Clara Sharp, and a host of nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.
The funeral will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 29 at Huson Funeral Home Chapel in Sherwood. Interment will follow at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in Sherwood.
Visitation will be from 6 until 8 p.m. Monday, March 28 at the funeral home.
KENNETH LYKENS
Kenneth Lykens, 80, of Ward went home to Our Lord on March 22.
He was born to George and Mary Lykens on Jan. 18, 1936, in Pennsylvania. Ken was deeply devoted to his wife, Debbie, and their son, Chris and his wife Amber, and grandchildren, Belle, Tom, Bailey and Emma.
Ken proudly served his nation in the Army for 20 years. He was a Vietnam veteran and was awarded the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal (3D Award), Vietnam Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Bronze Star Medal and two Overseas Bars.
The family moved to Arkansas in 1988, and Ken worked for Southern Cotton Oil until he began serving his community as a volunteer firefighter for Ward and later as a police officer for both the Ward Police Department and Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office. He was selected as a Lonoke County Sheriff’s Deputy of the Year in 2000.
During his 23 years with the Law Enforcement Brotherhood, Ken became involved in aiding abused children and was a strong supporter of the Wade Knox Children’s Advocacy Center in Lonoke.
He was known as a tough-but-fair man, who believed that our children must be raised with love and discipline and protected at all times. Ken would tell friends that moving his family to Arkansas was the second best decision he ever made.
Ken was preceded in death by his parents, George and Mary Lykens. Left to cherish their memories are his wife, Debbie; a son, Chris and his wife Amber; a sister, Nellie; brothers, Frank and his wife Patsy, Earl and his wife Mary, and George Jr.; his dear sister-in-law, Cheryl Charbonneau; brothers-in-law, Bruce Bell and Steve Bell, four grandchildren and many friends in the community who he loved.
The funeral will be held at Cornerstone Assembly of God Church in Ward at 9 a.m. Monday, March 28 and will be followed by an escort by Patriot Guard Riders to Ken’s resting place at the North Little Rock Veterans Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Wade Knox Children’s Advocacy Center in Lonoke.
Arrangements are by A Natural State Funeral Service in Jacksonville.
WILLIAM BLACKWELL
William Dale (Bill) Blackwell, 82, was born on May 20, 1933, in Gillham (Sevier County) to the late Emma Grace and Jasper Franklin Blackwell. He went to be with the Lord on March 25.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Douglas Alan Blackwell, and his grandchildren, Kyle Landon Vocque and Wiley Nicole Russell.
He is survived by his wife, Martha Blackwell; his children, Jeff Blackwell and his wife Paula, Karen Vocque and her husband Lance, and Mark Russell and his wife Lyn; his grandchildren, Joseph Blackwell, Brandon Vocque, Conner Vocque, Erika Nelson, Morgan Russell and Elizabeth Russell; his great-grandchildren, Bailey Vocque, Aiden Sandoval and Easton Kramer, and his siblings, Donald Blackwell and his wife Mevelene, Eunice Verrett and her husband Leroy, and Wanda Branch.
He was a member of First Baptist Church. He served 23 years in the Air Force, where he retired. He was an avid golfer and a supporter of Razorbacks sports. He enjoyed traveling and spending quality time with his family.
A memorial service will be at First Baptist Church in Hot Springs at 2 p.m. Monday, March 28.
Arrangements are by Hot Springs Funeral Home.
JOHN WILKINS
John L. (J.L.) Wilkins, 73, of Hickory Plains (Prairie County) passed from this life on March 22 at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Little Rock.
John was born on April 10, 1942, to the late Freddie Coy and Thelma Sullivan Wilkins of North Little Rock.
J.L. attended Sylvan Hills High School and enlisted in the Army in 1959. He served as a paratrooper during the Korean War era and was stationed in Korea after the truce as a staff sergeant with the 82nd Airborne Division.
In 1972, J.L. started what would later become John Wilkins Trucking, a cross-country trucking company, which he operated until 2011.
J.L. was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Hilary, and a daughter, Melody Wilkins Kinney.
J.L. is survived by a sister, Geneva Wilkins Boatman and her husband Ralph of Little Rock; a very special cousin, Phillip Sullivan of Mayfield, Ky.; two sons, Jay Wilkins and his wife Jeannie of Smithville, and Darren Wilkins and his wife Sheila of Sherwood; two daughters, Shannon Wilkins and Micah Wilkins, both of Tampa, Fla.; five grandchildren, Jennifer Collier, Chris Kinney, Jason Wilkins, Sherry Yancey and Jasmine Wilkins; six great-grandchildren, and a host of friends including, Mike McDaniel and Diane Hanks, both of Carlisle, Arkansas.
The funeral was held March 24 at Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe with visitation to follow. J.L. will be interred at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in Sherwood with military honors.
CHERYL HESTER
Cheryl Ann Hester, 54, of Mt. View (Stone County), went to be with the Lord March 23.
She is preceded in death by her parents William and Judith Hester and a grandson Davian Briggs.
Survivors are her daughters, Ami Hester (Murad) and Jennifer (Don) Briggs; one son, Seth Wall; siblings, Cliff and wife Stacia Hester, Connie and husband Kenny Wood, and Craig Hester; 15 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; best friend Donna Remphry; two step-daughters Tammy Calloway and Sherry Miller, their children and grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
