Obituaries

DEATHS FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009

Friday, March 13, 2009 10:08 AM CDT

Tryfelia Mays-Burkes

Tryfelia Mae Mays-Burkes, the eldest child of Gertrude and Oscar “Red” Mays, was born Feb. 22, 1936, in Prague, Ark.

Try was joined in holy matrimony to John Wesley Burkes Sr. Of this 20-year union, they were blessed with six children.

She was preceded in death by John; and both parents.

Oscar moved his young family to Toledo, Ohio. Try attended Sherman Elementary and Whitney High School. At an early age, Try began an affair with God that would last a lifetime. She belonged to Warren AME Church, where she was a faithful member for 40 years. She sang in the Gospel Choir and was honored when asked to sing solo. In 1977, she joined Pinewood Tabernacle SSS. While there, she served as president of the Missionary Department, director of the Sunshine Band, president of the Women’s Department, supervisor of Vacation Bible School, and an avid prayer warrior. Tryfelia again joined the choir, where was an anointed soloist who sang in an operatic style.

Upon her return to Arkansas, St. Paul AME became her church family. She loved her Bible Study Group. Tryfelia worked for many years in the Toledo Public Schools system and also as a bookkeeper and tax preparer.

She leaves to cherish her memories two brothers, Henry (Geneva) Mays, Joseph (Corine) Mays; one sister-in-law, Gwendolyn Burkes, all of Toledo, Ohio; four daughters, Mary (Elvis) Speed of Redfield, Ark., Felicia Wade, Karin (Robert) Allison, Sylvia (Allen) Fell; two sons, John (Kim) Burkes, Oscar Burkes, all of Toledo, Ohio; 21 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. A host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends will miss her.

Wake services will be held at P.K. Miller Mortuary March 13 from 6-8 p.m. Pine Bluff funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul A.M.E. Church, Bookman Community, Pine Bluff, Ark.

Wordie Izard

Mrs. Wordie Wilborne Izard, 92, of Pine Bluff died Sunday, March 8, 2009.

She was born in Lillie, La., to the late Riley and Savannah Wilborne.

Her survivors include sons, Leon Izard Jr. of Seattle, Wash., and Charles Izard of Ellenwood, Ga.; daughter, Carolyn Matthews and Blivian Izard, both of Pine Bluff, and Jeanetta Matthews of Hot Springs; brother, R.C. Wilborne of Brooklyn, N.Y.; nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Her services will be Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Bethany Chapel Baptist Church by Rev. Aaron E. Barnes at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Visitation will be today from 4-7:30 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home of Pine Bluff.

The body will lie in state at the church from 9:45 a.m. until time of service.

The family will be at 3106 Kendyl Drive, Pine Bluff, Ark.

Taroyal Sims

Mr. Taroyal Sims, 65, of Pine Bluff, died Sunday, March 8, 2009.

He was born in Pine Bluff to the late Jeffery and Willie Mae Sims.

His survivors include sons, Michael Sims, James Sims and Rickey Sims, all of Pine Bluff; daughter, Joyce Wilson of Little Rock; brothers, Henry Sims of Pine Bluff and Joe Sims of Topeka, Kan.; 12 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

His services will be Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Faith and Action Church by Rev. Aundra Johnson at 3 p.m. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Visitation is today from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home of Pine Bluff.

The family will be at 2403 Eloise Circle, Pine Bluff, Ark.

Novella Thrower

Mrs. Novella Robinson Thrower, 99, of Pine Bluff died Friday, March 6, 2009.

She was born in Grady to the late Doc and Elizabeth Robinson.

Her survivors include son, Gerald Collins of Los Angeles, Calif.; daughter, Wilma Perry of Pine Bluff; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Her services will be Saturday, March 14, 2009, at True Worshippers Apostolic Church by Elder Larry Nance at 3 p.m. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Visitation is today from 6-7 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home of Pine Bluff.

The body will lie in state at the church from 2:15 p.m. until time of service.

The family will be at 3202 Almetta Drive, Pine Bluff, Ark.

Willie Johnson

ALTHEIMER — Funeral services for Willie J. “Big Will” Johnson, 81, of Altheimer, who died March 10, at JRMC, will be Saturday at noon, Mason Temple COGIC, Altheimer, Elder Karl Barnes, pastor.

He was born Oct. 25, 1927, in Ida, La., son of the late Jimmy and Nancy Johnson.

He was a member of Mason Temple COGIC. He was also the bass singer for the Joy Making Five. He retired from Potlatch in Stuttgart after 20 years.

He was preceded in death by three brothers and one sister.

He was a graduate of the first class from Altheimer High School.

Survivors include two brothers, Shelby Johnson, Cornelius (Evella) Johnson, both of Chicago, Ill.; three sisters, Annie L. Vanderbilt, Altheimer, Truly M. (Theo) White, Nancy M. Charles, both of Chicago; sister-in-law, Sammie Johnson, Chicago, Ill.; special niece caregiver, Jewel Vanderbilt, Altheimer; godson, Tony Scott.

Visitations may be made today 4 p.m. until 6 p.m., family hour 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the funeral home.

The remains will lie in state at church Saturday, 11 a.m. until funeral time.

Burial will be in Graceland Cedar Grove section by Perry Funeral Home.

Hazel Powell

DUMAS — Hazel Marie Edwards Powell, 76, of Dumas, Ark., born Oct. 15, 1932, in Yell County, Ark., member of Shannon Road Baptist Church and a retired nurse, died March 11 in McGehee, Ark.

Visitation 6-8 p.m. today, Griffin Funeral Home, Dumas, and services at 2 p.m., Griffin Funeral Home Chapel on Saturday, March 14, with burial in Holly Springs Cemetery.

Memorials in memory of Hazel may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Survivors: son, Richard Edward “Eddie” Powell, Maryland; three daughters, Janie Owings, Greenville, Miss., Sheila Harthcock, Sherwood, Ark., and Penny Smith, Arcadia, La.; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Arrangements: Griffin Funeral Home, Dumas, Ark.

Rickey Griffin

LITTLE ROCK — Rickey Neal Griffin, 44, of Little Rock, died Saturday.

Survivors include his children, Rickey Hunt, Marquacia Griffin and Jalisa Griffin; brothers, Ben Griffin and Roger Griffin; sisters, Sandra Smith and Renee Nichols; and three grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at noon Saturday at Robinson Mortuary at Little Rock with J. Barrington Minix officiating.

Visitation will be from 1-6 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Betty Carter

LOWELL — Betty Jo McClellan Carter, age 83, of Lowell, Ark., passed away Jan. 23, 2009, at NW Medical Center in Springdale, Ark.

She was born in Pine Bluff, Ark., to Joe and Elizabeth Henry McClellan and was the niece of Arkansas’s United State Sen. John McClellan.

Known as Jo, she graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 1943. She went on to attend the Barnes Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, Mo. After graduation, she served her country as a Cadet Nurse in the USCNC that formed under the Bolton Act during WWII.

Betty worked as a nurse at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., in private practice, and eventually at the University of Arkansas Student Health Center in Fayetteville, where she retired.

Betty is survived by her husband of 63 years, Col. Duffey A. Carter, USAF Ret., her daughters; Barbara Carter Whitehead and son-in-law, John D. Whitehead of Fort Worth, Texas, and Daphne Carter of Lowell. Betty also leaves two grandchildren, J. Christopher Whitehead of Norman, Okla., and Amelia Johnson of Lowell. She is also survived by her sister, Marijon McClellan Bufalini and her husband, Joe Bufalini of Cary, N.C.

On Sunday, March 15, 2009, a graveside memorial will be held for Betty at the Graceland Memorial Cemetery in Pine Bluff.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St Jude Children’s Hospital, Memphis, Tenn., 38105 in her memory.

Roberta Adams

MALVERN — Roberta Cummings Adams, 75, of Malvern died March 6 at Golden Living Nursing Home at North Little Rock.

She was born March 10, 1933, at Roseboro, a daughter of the late Esque Cummings and Mary Bell Cummings.

Survivors include one sister, Ida Fraction of North Little Rock.

She was also preceded in death by one brother and one sister.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church at Malvern. Arrangements are by Christian Way Funeral Home at Pine Bluff.

The body will be at the church from 10 a.m. until time of service Saturday.

Bobby Carter

SHERIDAN — Bobby Joe “B.J.” Carter of Sheridan, Ark., was born Aug. 26, 1943, at Prattsville, Ark., the son of the late James Allen and Ava Marie Worthen Carter.

He was a member of Harmony Missionary Baptist Church in Prattsville and was retired from Cotton Belt Railroad with over 30 years of service. B.J. was one of a group of Cotton Belt employees known as the 2nd Shift Renegades. He had a passion for trains, so much so that he built his own train, “The Spirit of the West,” that he often used for parades. He loved music and although he couldn’t play an instrument, he would spend most Friday nights listening to the "Prattsville Bluffers."

Mr. Carter died Wednesday, March 11, 2009, at Hospice Home-care in Little Rock at the age of 65.

Survivors include his wife and best friend for over 43 years, Ann Hale Carter of Sheridan. They were married Oct. 15, 1965. He is also survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Joanne and Ron Theiss and Connie and Ron Harrington, all of Prattsville; brothers, Jimmie Carter and Edwin Carter, both of Prattsville; grandchildren, Ashlea, Austen and Aron Thiess and Tyler, Taylor and Shelby Harrington.

A celebration of Bobby’s life will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Harmony Missionary Baptist Church in Prattsville with Bro. Neal Pumphrey, Bro. Shawn Hill and Bro. Richard Alonzo officiating. Burial will be in Philadelphia Cemetery at Prattsville.

Visitation will be today, 5-8 p.m. at Memorial Gardens Funeral Home Chapel in Sheridan.

Memorials may be made to Harmony Baptist Church, 9346 Hwy. 270 West, Prattsville, Ark., 72129; or to Hospice Homecare, 2200 South Bowman, Little Rock, Ark., 72211.

Arrangements by Memorial Gardens Funeral Home of Sheridan (870) 942-1306.

To sign the online guestbook: www.memorialgardenssheridan.com

Mary Bankston

WHITE HALL — Mrs. Mary Frances Bankston, 88, of White Hall died Saturday, March 7, 2009, at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff.

She was born Oct. 29, 1920, in Watson, Ark., a daughter of the late John W. and Louisa (McGehee) Branch.

She married Arthur Devert Bankston, July 31, 1944, in Waukegan, Ill.

She worked at the Veterans Hospital in North Chicago, Ill., and retired from Great Lakes Naval Training Center in 1975, then moved to White Hall in 1976.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur D. Bankston; and daughter, Jacquelyn Bankston Houston; four brothers, John W. Branch, Ezell Branch Sr., Delta Branch and Jesse Branch; four sisters, Annie Gentry, Henretta McDonald, Miles L. Scott and Minnie Bankston.

She is survived by three daughters, Dilcy A. Bankston of Little Rock, Gloria Johnson and Mary L. Bankston-Nash, both of White Hall; seven grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren; and a person she thought of as a son, Anthony Richardson of Pine Bluff.

Services will be Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Family Church in White Hall by Rev. Dr. Alford Branch at 11 a.m.

Burial will be in Porter Cemetery in Watson, Ark.

Visitation will be today, March 13, 2009, from 5 until 7 p.m. at the P.K. Miller Mortuary of Pine Bluff.

The body will lie in repose at the church from 10 a.m. until time of service.

The family will be at the home.

Ashton Hollien

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Mr. Ashton Marquise Hollien, 18, of Leavenworth, Kan., died Friday, March 6, 2009.

He was born in Little Rock to Marcus Hollien Sr., of Leavenworth, Kan., and Jackie M. Gibson of Pine Bluff.

His survivors include brothers, Roarie Gibson of Pine Bluff, Marcus Hollien Jr., of Detroit, Mich., and Robert Hollien of Leavenworth, Kan.; sisters, Trekenya Marshall of Pine Bluff and Maia Hollien of Leavenworth, Kan.; grandfather, Freddie Hollien of Detroit, Mich.; grandmothers, Daisy Gibson and Jenette Hollien, both of Pine Bluff; stepmother, Nyeika Hollien of Leavenworth, Kan.

His services will be Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Greater Ward Chapel AME Church by Rev. Michael Dean Jr., at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Visitation will be today from 5-7:30 p.m. with a family hour from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home of Pine Bluff.

The family will be at 2100 W. 23rd Ave., Pine Bluff, Ark.

Lillie Grant

KENNESAW, Ga. — Lillie Mae Grant, 94, of Kennesaw, Ga., died March 9, 2009, at Emory Adventist Hospital.

She was born Aug. 15, 1914, at Natchez, Miss., a daughter of the late Robert Clark and Polly Scott.

Survivors include a son, James Grant of Kennesaw, Ga.; two daughters, Lillie Mae Anderson of Little Rock and Rosa Wilburn of Pine Bluff; one sister, Julia M. McCloyen of Lake Village; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services: 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Peter AME Church, Lake Village by the Rev. Debra Cooper. Burial: New Cemetery at Lake Village by Davis Strickland Funeral Home of Dermott.

Repast will be at the Carter Fellowship Hall at Lake Village.

Guendolyn Jolley

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Guendolyn Davis Jolley, 95, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., formerly of Monticello, died Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at Adams Place in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

She was born Aug. 12, 1913.

She and her late husband Reginald Jolley were the owners and operators of Jolley’s Do-Nut Shop on the square for many years.

Survivors include her daughter, Regina McGinn and husband, Larry McGinn of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; a grandson, Alan McGinn of Orlando, Fla.; a granddaughter, Guen McGinn Campbell and husband, Ritch of Milton, Tenn.; two great-granddaughters, McKenna and Alanna Johnson of Milton, Tenn.

Graveside services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Oakland Cemetery in Monticello. Arrangements by Stephenson-Dearman.

Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Norman Williams

MEMPHIS — Norman Lee Williams, 60, of Memphis, formerly of Dumas, Ark., died March 6 at the Methodist Hospital at Memphis.

He was born Aug. 21, 1948, at Dumas, a son of the late Henry and Thelma Williams.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Watson District Headquarters at Mitchellville with the Rev. Roscoe Joyner Jr. officiating. Burial will be in Curtis Hall Cemetery at Pickens by Serenity Gardens Funeral Services at Dumas.

Visitation will be from 2-6 p.m. today at the funeral home with a wake from 6-7 p.m.

Jewel Elaine Eldridge Brown

STAR CITY — Jewel Elaine Eldridge Brown, 54, of Star City died Tuesday at Jefferson Regional Medical Center at Pine Bluff. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Griffin Funeral Service at Star City.

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