Obituaries

DEATHS FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2009

Friday, March 20, 2009 11:02 PM CDT

Frank Lightfoot

Frank Forest Lightfoot of White Hall, a well-known member of the newspaper industry in Arkansas, died Friday morning at the age of 70.

“The newspaper was his life, wherever he was working,” said Lightfoot’s son, Buddy Smith. “He loved the people that it exposed him to and the people he was able to meet in his 50 years of service to the newspaper business.”

“But as important as the newspaper business was to him, family was more important.”

Lightfoot, a former president of the Arkansas Press Association, became publisher and president of the White Hall Journal when he purchased the paper March 31, 1989, through his family-owned corporation, Forest Communications Inc. He sold the Journal, which also produces the Arsenal Sentinel for the Pine Bluff Arsenal, to Gatehouse Media Inc. of Fairport, N.Y., in 2007.

He was born Dec. 22, 1938, in Little Rock and grew up in Fayetteville and Van Buren.

He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Jeanette. Between the two they had four sons, Frank Jr. and Joe Lightfoot and Buddy and Brian Smith; two daughters, Sherri and Jeanine Smith; and 13 grandchildren.

“The loss is just tremendous to all of our children and our community and friends,” said his wife, Jeanette.

He was preceded in death in 1990 by his first wife, Sarah Silence, whom he married Dec. 22, 1960.

Lightfoot worked for The Pine Bluff Commercial from 1970 to 1985, serving as sports editor and managing editor.

Ed Freeman of Little Rock, who was publisher of The Commercial during Lightfoot’s tenure, said Lightfoot was “serious about his work and he was a pleasure to work with.”

“I don’t think he had an enemy in the world,” Freeman added. “My heart goes out to his family and his friends and I know he’s going to be missed very deeply.”

John Henry of White Hall, former managing editor of The Commercial who now writes for Arkansas Business in Little Rock, said Lightfoot was “one of the nicest guys anyone could ever meet and a good friend to many in the newspaper business.”

“Even after he left The Commercial and bought the White Hall Journal, he always found time to be a friend and even hired my son, Seth, to cover high school football games for a season,” Henry said. “The Arkansas newspaper business will miss him, as will I.”

Lightfoot started his journalism career working as a printer’s devil at age 14 in Van Buren at the Press Argus. He then served as editor of the Fort Chaffee Reveille from 1957 to 1958.

He went on to serve as sports editor of the Fort Smith Times Record in the early 1960s, then as managing editor of the Rogers Daily News until 1965. He then moved to Little Rock and served as sports news editor until 1969. He spent a year as managing editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle in Denton, Texas.

Buddy Smith said Lightfoot also was “proud to be a part of the community, proud to be a part of White Hall.”

White Hall Mayor James “Jitters” Morgan described Lightfoot as a close friend.

“I didn’t only lose a good citizen, I lost a good friend,” Morgan said, adding, “The last thing he told me was if there was anything he could do for the city to let him know. That’s just the kind of person he was; even after he retired he still wanted to help the city.”

Morgan said Lightfoot was “a big factor in all the youth programs” in White Hall.

Lightfoot attended Trinity Episcopal Church in Pine Bluff.

He was a former board member of the White Hall Chamber of Commerce; served as media coordinator for the Junior Babe Ruth World Series and King Cotton Sports Inc.; and was an advisory board member for the Southeast Arkansas Livestock, Fair & Rodeo.

Lightfoot died of natural causes at 5:37 a.m. Friday.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Trinity Episcopal Church by Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors. Burial will follow in Graceland Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to White Hall High School, 700 Bulldog Drive, White Hall, AR 71602, in honor of the Frank F. Lightfoot Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Information for this report was contributed by the Arkansas Press Association and the White Hall Journal.



CONWAY — Joyce Ann Lacy Dickens, age 62, of Conway, passed away Thursday, March 19, 2009, at Conway Regional Medical Center.

She was born July 10, 1946, in Monticello.

She was a homemaker and Assembly of God.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Rev. W.J. Lacy and Lula Mae Piper Lacy; and one sister, Betty Garganeous.

Survivors include one son, Wade Curtis of Conway; one daughter, Sheila Beavers of Greenbrier; one sister, Sue Judkins of Monticello; and three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Funeral service is 2 p.m. today at Stephenson-Dearman Chapel. Burial in Green Hill Cemetery.

Arrangements by Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home of Monticello.

Charles Dougan

DUMAS — Charles Michael Dougan, 55, of Dumas died Thursday.

He was born Feb. 26, 1954, at Sheridan.

Survivors include his wife, Cherry Dougan; one son, Lee Michael Dougan of Dumas; three daughters, Julie Ann Dougan and Stephanie West, both of Dumas, and Jennifer Weast of Star City; three brothers, Jimmy Dougan of Sheridan, Robert Dougan of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Jerry Brewer of Junction City; and four grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held March 28 at his home. Arrangements are by Griffin Funeral Home at Dumas.

Geneva Berryman

GREEN HILL — Geneva Irene Haynes Berryman, 86, of Green Hill died Thursday at her home.

She was born Oct. 12, 1922, at Monticello.

Survivors include her husband, Steve Berryman; one son, Jonathan Ferry of Green Hill; one daughter, Nancy Berryman Reese of Conway; two sisters, Audrey James of Monticello and Evora King of Alexandria, La.; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. today at Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home at Monticello. Burial will be in Green Hill Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Immanuel Baptist Church.

Walter Forrest

MONTICELLO — Walter Lee Forrest, age 57, of Monticello, passed away Wednesday, March 18, 2009, in Atchison, Kan.

He was born Sept. 2, 1951, in Monticello.

He was a welder and pipefitter, a member of Local Union 706 in El Dorado, a U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam and a Baptist.

He was preceded in death by his father, J.C. Forrest; and one brother, Jerry Lewis Forrest.

He was a blueberry farmer and an avid fisherman.

Survivors include his wife, Deborah J. Cater Forrest of Monticello; one son, Lee Alan Forrest of Monticello; one daughter, Lisa Ann Forrest Marlar of Monticello; his mother, Martha Francis Bodiford Forrest of Monticello; four brothers, Larry Forrest, Kenneth Forrest, Travis Forrest and Ricky Forrest, all of Monticello; three sisters, Mary Hayes of Wilmar, Brenda K. Land of Arkansas City and Martha Francis Donaldson of Monticello; two grandchildren, Sarah Elizabeth Marlar and Kacie Leighanne Marlar.

Graveside services are 2 p.m. Sunday in Lone Sassafras Cemetery, Rev. Jeremy Brown officiating. Arrangements by Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home of Monticello.

Family visitation is 6-8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Ethel Doles of Pine Bluff died Thursday at Baptist Medical Center at Little Rock. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Henson Mortuary.

Christopher Lancaster of Pine Bluff died Tuesday. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Henson Mortuary.

LITTLE ROCK — Mary Ann Willis of Little Rock died Monday at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center at Little Rock. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Henson Mortuary at Pine Bluff.

WHITE HALL — Frank F. Lightfoot, 70, of White Hall died Friday at Jefferson Regional Medical Center. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors at Pine Bluff.

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