Obituaries
from
The EARLE
(and other various articles)
From the
Year 1955
Compiled by Debbie Yates
August-September 2003
Return to Earle Enterprise Index
Earle
Enterprise,
C. I. Phelps, Editor
Ruth Phelps, Associate Editor
Mrs. Wrenn Phelps, Society
Published every Friday by Phelps Printing Company at Earle, Ark
HENRY ALDRIDGE SUCCUMBS TO HEART ATTACK (Photo)
MALCOLM LAFONT ALDRIDGE, better known
as “Henry” to his many friends, was victim of a fatal heart attack Monday night
and succumbed while enroute to a hospital. He was 65.
Funeral services will be held Friday (today) at
He
was born in
Mr. Aldridge was a past commander of the Earle American Legion Post; a former member of the Earle Rotary Club; served on the City Council; a member of the Board of Stewards of the Methodist church, and was active in all enterprises pertaining to the betterment of the town and community.
He was a “hail fellow well met” and could always be depended on for a laugh or a smile. He was big-hearted, convivial, and an inveterate coffee drinker and his presence at the early morning round-up at the cafe will be sorely missed as well as his daily contacts elsewhere. Earle has lost a most valued citizen.
Besides his wife, Mrs. Laverne Foster Aldridge, he leaves a son Foster Aldridge of Tampa, Florida, a daughter, Mrs. S. H. Allman Jr., of Longview, Texas and five grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs. Will McKay of Hernando, Miss., Mrs. A. S. Jolly of Blytheville; four brothers, E. P. Aldridge of Saxton, Miss., Cleveland Aldridge of Clarkdale, Miss., Dee Aldridge of Batesville, Miss., and Grady Aldridge of Weslaco, Texas.
ACCIDENT SERIOUS….BUT JACK’S BACK
JACK BAKER, employee of the People’s Mercantile and Implement Company, suffered painful injuries last Friday as the result of a wreck in a company truck.
While
on a service call in the Hughes vicinity, the truck which he was driving blew
out a tire forcing him into a ditch. He
was taken to
SERVICES HELD FOR ROBERT BROUGHTON, 14
ROBERT BROUGHTON, 14-year-old son of
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Broughton of Earle died Saturday of last week at the
Funeral
services were held Monday at the
Robert
was a member of the
The
Broughton family are life-time residents of Earle with
the exception of interim moves for business reasons. They had recently returned from a year’s stay
in
LUTHER BUTLER AND SON KILLED IN WRECK
LUTHER
BUTLER, 34, and his 15-year-old son JAMES [
According to reports, Mr. Butler was making his last run of the day and had picked up his son, who had just returned from school, to make this run with him. The two were pinned in the cab of the truck and it required about thirty minutes to extricate them. James, apparently, was killed instantly and Mr. Butler died enroute to the hospital.
Mr. Butler, a former employee of the Arkansas Power & Light Company here, was of an affable disposition and had made many friends in Earle and the surrounding territory in the course of his duties with the power company. He was a Mason and a Baptist. At the time of his death he was making his home with his parents in Parkin.
Funeral
services were held at the Earle Baptist Church Saturday afternoon at 1:30
o’clock, with the Rev. Boyd Baker pastor of the Wynne Baptist Church
officiating. Burial was in
Mr. Butler leaves his wife, Mrs. Maxine Butler and two daughters, Donnie Sue and Joyce Gail, of Key West, Florida; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Butler of Parkin and V. M. Butler of Wynne and four sisters, Mrs. R. F. Doss and Mrs. Frank Davis of Wynne, Mrs. Charlie Robertson of Earle and Mrs. Laverne Davis of Memphis.
FISHING ACCIDENT TAKES LIFE OF DANIEL CAL – 12
Little DANIEL CAL, age 12, son of Leroy Cal, a very respected Negro farmer and long-time resident of the Earle community, was victim of a tragic accident Monday when he was drowned in Blackfish Bayou, about a mile east of Earle.
Daniel and his brother, Leroy Jr., were raising a wire fishing net in the Bayou when the boat overturned throwing them into the water. Leroy Jr., about 25, who returned from the Army last year, managed to reach the bank but his efforts to save his younger brother were futile when he escaped his grasp in the stream.
Wednesday
morning the body had not been recovered due to the fact that recent rains and
dredging operations had made the bayou a running stream. Officers and friends continued grappling
efforts throughout Monday night, Tuesday and Tuesday night and expressed fears
that recovery may not be made soon. The
Red Cross unit from
CARD OF THANKS -
ART EXHIBIT TO FEATURE WOK OF CARROL CLOAR
CARROL CLOAR, a local boy, and Earle’s
only claim to fame in the contemporary art field, is holding an exhibit at the
Carrol, a graduate of Earle High, Southwestern of Memphis, studied at the Memphis Academy of Arts, the Arts Students League of New York, and continued his studies abroad, chiefly in the Spanish speaking countries.
He
has exhibited in the Pittsburg International, Whitney Museum Annual,
Aside
from permanent collections in the Library of Congress, he has contributed to
the
Carrol’s paintings have been featured in several of our national magazines and has also been the topic of feature stories by some of our best known columnists. He held the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1946.
A cordial invitation is extended to all of Carrol’s friends to attend the exhibit Sunday afternoon. There is no charge for admission.
SERVICES HELF FOR MRS. GERTRUDE CRENSHAW
Services
were held Monday morning at
She is survived by two sisters, Mrs. M. M. Thompson and Mrs. Dorothy C. Varley; one brother Galen McRee, all of Earle.
HEART ATTACK FATAL TO OLLIE CROOK
OLLIE CROOK, retired farmer of Parkin,
died at his home at
Mr.
Crook, who was born in
In his younger days he was an ardent sportsman, participating in baseball, and hunting in season, and was considered an expert marksman. He adopted fishing in later years. Always civic minded, hi support could be depended on in any community or civic enterprise. He was a veteran of World War I, a member of the Methodist church and the Woodmen of the World fraternity.
He leaves his wife, Mrs. Johnnie White Crook, three daughters, Miss Audie Crook of Parkin, Mrs. Chas. Clark of Arkadelphia and Mrs. Gerald Wood of Parkin; two sons, Tommie Crook of Parkin and Charlie Crook of Earle; four brothers, J. V. Crook, R. E. Crook and Ernest Crook of Memphis and Paul Crook of Kellogg, Idaho.
CARD OF THANKS
We
wish to express our sincere thanks to our friends for their thoughtfulness and
many acts of kindness extended to us in our recent bereavement. Especially we say thanks to the T. E. L.
Class of the
[NOTE: William S. Duncan, died 1955, buried Gibson Bayou]
HAM FISHER DIES
Cartoonist HAMMOND (HAM) EDWARD FISHER, creator of the comic strip “Joe Polooka” died Tuesday night in a friend’s studio apartment, an apparent suicide.
Fisher, 54, left notes saying he was despondent over his health. His eyesight had been failing and he was suffering from diabetes.
Fisher used his idealized version of American boxing as a weapon on fighting racial, religious and individual intolerance.
DUSTING PLANE CRASHES INTO TENANT RESIDENCE
A near-fatal plane crash occurred Monday evening at about 6:30 when a crop dusting plane of the Parkin flying Service crashed into a tenant house about four miles west of Earle.
The
pilot, KENNETH JOHNSON of
According to reports, the pilot had been spraying a wheat field on the north side of Highway 64 and as he began his ascent his wheel, or wheels, caught in a telephone wire causing him to lose control of the plane which imbedded itself into the kitchen of the home.
JOE GARCIA and his wife and one child, along with MARY GUSMAN, a resident with them were in the house at the time. Mary, who was washing dishes at the time Of the accident, was injured on the hand by flying debris.
According to Mr. Garcia, at the time of the crash he rushed from the house and counted his children who were playing in the yard, all of whom were unhurt, and then helped the pilot from the plane.
Although a butane gas system furnished fuel for the home and gasoline from the airplane was sprayed over the yard and house, no fire developed which probably saved fatalities.
RICHARD A. GIBBS
RICHARD A. GIBBS, 72, passed away at the Kennedy General Hospital Tuesday, October 25, after an illness of several years which had forced his retirement.
Mr. Gibbs, who was a veteran of the Spanish-American War, was well known in and around Earle and had many friends both in Earle and the surrounding territory who are grieved at his death.
Funeral
services were held at the Earle
He
is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Ella Gibbs; three daughters, Mrs. Leonard
Hodo and Mrs. Jack Carrier both of Earle, and Mrs. Forrest Glover,
SERVICES HELD FOR MRS. C. A. HARPER
MRS. MEHETABEL COLBY HARPER, former
resident of Earle, wife of Rev. Charles A. Harper, who served at Earle
Presbyterian Church as pastor for a number of years, died Tuesday morning at
Mrs.
Harper was 67 years of age and was a native of
She was especially noted for her excellence as a Bible teacher and was in wide demand. She had been active in Presbyterian women’s work.
Besides
her husband she leaves a son, Charles A. Harper Jr., of Charlotte, N. C.; a
daughter, Mrs. W. E. Wilson of
Services
were held at
J. B. HINSON DIES AFTER LONG ILLNESS
Services
were held at
Mr.
Hinson was born in
He leaves two daughters, Mrs. McDaniel of Earle and Mrs. Edwin Handschke of Jacksonville, Fla., and two sisters, Mrs. Dona Moore of Las Vegas, Nev., and Mrs. Dea Fulgham of Birmingham, Ala.
Burial
was in
CARD OF THANKS –
With grateful hearts, we thank all those who died so much to help us in our recent bereavement. We thank each of you and assure you we are sincerely appreciative. (signed) The JEFF B. HINSON Family
MARSHALL HUMPHRIES HURT IN GUN ACCIDENT
MARSHALL HUMPHRIES, local tractor and farm machinery mechanic was victim of a gunshot wound last Saturday when a 410-gauge shotgun which he was carrying on his combine was accidentally discharged.
Mr. Humphries, who is employed by the Nodini Brothers, farmers of the Crawfordsville vicinity, was carrying the shotgun to shoot rabbits as they jumped in front of the combine as is the custom with many hunters at this time of the year.
Through some motion of the combine the gun was discharged with the load striking him in the right bicep and shoulder muscle. No bones were broken and most of the tendons were thought to be in good condition. He is expected to recover use of the arm without too serious complications result.
He
is a patient at
HEART ATTACK FATAL TO FORMER EARLE CITIZEN
R.
A. (BOB) IRBY former Earle citizen, died at his home in
Mr. Irby,
whose original home was in
Mr. Irby was a
graduate of the Atlanta School of Pharmacy, a member of the
Besides his wife, Mrs. Nettle Coughlin Irby of Forrest, he leaves two daughters, Mrs. Will Hammond, of Kosciusko, Miss., and Mrs. Lucian Connor of Jackson, Miss.; six grandchildren; two brothers, Dr. J. T. Irby of Earle, and Chester Irby of Meridian, Miss.; one sister, Mrs. C. M. Thompson of Meridian.
FORMER EARLE PASTOR CALLED BY DEATH
Services
for the Rev. GROVER C. JOHNSON,
Methodist minister in the North Arkansas Conference for 41 years, were held
last Friday afternoon at the
Born
in
He
is a former pastor of the
He
leaves is wife; a daughter, Mrs. Guy Carter of
INFANT LOCKE
Funeral
services were held Monday afternoon for the INFANT SON that was born to MR.
AND MRS. HAROLD LOCK Sunday night at
CARD OF THANKS –
The extreme kindness and thoughtfulness shown us by friends and neighbors during our recent sadness helped so much to comfort us. We are indeed grateful. (signed) The LOCK Family
JABE LUCAS VICTIM OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
Services for JABE LUCAS, former Earle citizen who was killed Saturday afternoon
in a traffic accident near Turrell, were held Monday afternoon at the Assembly
of God Church at Parkin. Burial was in
According to reports, Mr. Lucas,
and his 15 year-old son, Marvin, and L. W. Duncan, Western Auto Associate Store
owner here, had been on a hunting trip and were crossing the intersection near
Turrell when their car was struck by another.
Mr. Duncan, who was driving the car, sustained serious head lacerations
and was taken to the
He leaves his wife, four sons, Lloyd, Marvin, Melvin and Cecil; three daughters, Marilyn, Hazel and Bertha all of near Parkin; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Lucas of Parkin, three brothers and sisters.
CARD OF THANKS
We wish to thank each and every one of our Christian friends who have been praying for our little girl’s recovery. She (ELLEN LUNSFORD) is a mighty sick baby and still needs prayer.
And most of all we want to thank Dr. Savage for being so understanding and coming to our home to pray for our baby, and also for both of us that we might accept Jesus as our Saviour. We are happy to say that because of Dr. Savage we both gave our hearts to God.
We would be very happy if all Christians of each denomination, also the pastors of each church, would have special prayer each time the church doors were open for services.
We also want to thank all of our friends for the help which they so willingly gave. Thanking you very much. (signed) Mr. and Mrs. HERBERT LUNSFORD
BABY ELLEN LUNSFORD
Little ELLEN LUNSFORD, the 17-month-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lunsford of Earle, died Monday afternoon around 5 o’clock at Le Bonheur Hospital in Memphis where she had been seriously ill for the past three weeks. Cause of death was undetermined.
Services
were held at
ED L.
ED L. MCKINNEY, farmer of near Earle
died suddenly at
Services
were held Saturday afternoon at Citizens Funeral Home chapel with Elder R. L.
Colley officiating. Burial was in
He leaves his wife, Mrs. Josephine Rouse McKinney, five sons, Silas McKinney, Robert E. McKinney and Lloyd McKinney, all of Earle, and Thelvin McKinney and Junior McKinney, both of Blytheville; five daughters, Mrs. Willie Barnhill of Marianna, Mrs. Edward Wright of Crawfordsville, Mrs. James Pipkins of Blytheville and Mrs. Edmond Roberts and Miss Opal McKinney, both of Earle.
GLENDA JO OSWALT
Graveside
services were held Saturday for little GLENDA
JO OSWALT two and one-half day old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Oswalt of Hughes.
Glenda Jo was born at the
Mrs. Oswalt is the former Mary Julia Humphries, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Humphries of Earle.
JESSE PARK
JESSE
PARK, father of V. H. Park of Earle, passed away Saturday, April 30, at the
home of his daughter, Mrs. La Von Iverson in
Mr.
Park was born in Marshall County, Kentucky but had resided in
Besides his son, R. H. Park of Earle, he is survived by two other sons, three daughters, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
PAUL PATTERSON HURT IN PLANE CRASH
PAUL PATTERSON,
Mr. Patterson was
taken to
Mrs. Patterson, who is the former Annie Ruth Harris of Earle, said her husband had just completed the sale of the duster and had taken it to be re-licensed for the new owner. She said the engine apparently stalled as he was coming in for a landing.
It was the second
time in less than a year that Mr. Patterson has been injured in a plane
crash. His wife said he was hospitalized
POWELL RITES ARE HELD ON MONDAY
Services for R. L. POWELL,
retired farmer of Earle, was held at
Mr. Powell was born in Lee County, Miss., and moved to Earle many years ago. He was a Methodist and was a regular attendant at services until recently.
Mrs. Powell died several years ago. He leaves two sons, R. F. Powell of Earle and George Powell of Marion; four daughters, Mrs. Temple Warner of West Memphis; Mrs. Irma Layton and Mrs. Lera Layton of Earle and Mrs. Erlie Gardner of Woodland, Ill.; a brother, O. D. Powell of Tupelo, Moss., 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
TWO NEGROES DIE IN TRUCK-TRAIN CRASH
One Negro was killed and three others critically injured at 5:050 Sunday morning in Crawfordsville, when a Missouri Pacific freight train collided with the truck in which they were riding.
Killed was ROBERTA LEE REED, 30, of Crawfordsville. Critically injured and taken to Crittenden Memorial Hospital were Jessie Love, 40, driver of the truck; Jerry Bell, 21, and NOVELLA LEMONS, 30, who died Monday at 11:30 to become the second fatality.
Deputies said the
truck was traveling west on a side street and that the driver’s view was
blinded by a small building. The
engineer on the freight train was D. C. Walmsbey of
RABIES CASE IS REPORTED IN EARLE
It has been reported that FREDDIE LEE RODGERS, 3-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Rodgers of Earle was bitten by a rabid dog last Sunday and is now taking preventative treatment at Dr. Wright’s Clinic.
While Earle began preventative measures on February 26 to avoid situations such as this, no doubt some dogs escaped being vaccinated or destroyed. Two clinics were held in Earle and dogs were administered preventative for rabies and dogs running loose were ordered destroyed.
Your Mayor asks
that you notify the City Marshal of any dog running at large in the City of
There is no need
for alarm in the City of
LAMAR L. RODGERS IS VICTIM OF STROKE
LAMAR LUCIUS RODGERS, veteran State
Senator and prominent landowner of
Mr. Rodgers,
familiarly known to his friends as “Poppa,” was 73 years old. He was born at Whitehall Landing, the son of
James Washington Rodgers and Ella Norman Rodgers of
He became interested in politics in 1943 and was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives. He served in that capacity until 1946 when he was elected to the State Senate and was serving in this capacity when overtaken by his fatal illness. He was a favorite around the Capitol due to this gift of wit and humor and was also a dyed-in-the-wool sportsman. Deer hunting became his favorite pastime in later years.
Besides his wife,
he leaves two brothers, Harry and Amos Rodgers, both of
MOTHER OF
MRS. ALICE
RAGLAND SCOTT, mother of Dr. J. Leighton Scott, pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church in
Mrs. Scott, who
was 85, was born in
She leaves another son, Herbert Scott of Ward, and two daughters, Mrs. Whit Yancey of Ward and Mrs. J. O. Campbell of Trumann.
Services were
held at
SERVICES HELD FRIDAY FOR MRS. SELLERS
Funeral services
were held last Friday morning at
Mrs. Sellers was
born near Colt,
Besides her two daughters she is
survived by a son, Thomas Sellers of Earle; a sister, Mrs. Ella Hardin of
Pallbearers were J. E. Fullwood, O. B. Cox, Richard Wood, Levy McCracken, Bill Kennedy and Vernon Hodges.
WAR INJURIES PROVE FATAL TO FORD TURNER
FORD TURNER, 34, of
Ford was
critically injured in a plan crash over
His father was
the late Judge Renfro Turner of Earle.
His mother Mrs. Elise Turner lives at 4206 Myers in
At the time of
his death he operated the Byrnes-Turner Insurance Agency in
Services were
held at
He leaves his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Rhodes Turner; a son, Bart, a daughter Susan Porter Turner all of Marion; his mother of Memphis; two sisters, Mrs. Dan Femal of Houston, Texas and Mrs. Nat Norten of Forrest City and two brothers Phil Turner of Memphis and Comdr. Renfro Turner who is in the Navy stationed at Newport News, R. I.
R. E. “REG” WALLIN DIES IN
REGINALD
EVERETT WALLIN died at
Services were
held at 10 Thursday morning at the First Methodist church here with Rev. G. A. McKelvey officiating.
Burial was in
Mr. Wallin, who was the son of Mrs. Luther Wallin and the late Mr. Wallin, was a member of the Methodist Church and had farming interest in Cross and Crittenden counties.
“Reg” as he was familiarly known, was a graduate in
Journalism of the
“Reg’ had a dynamic personality and his innate friendliness won for him friends whenever he went. His ready, effervescent laugh and his warm “Hi Bud” greeting endeared him to his many Earle friends who were profoundly grieved at his passing.
Besides his wife, he leaves a son, R. E. Wallin Jr., both of Earle; his mother; three sisters, Mrs. Bert Dickey Sr., and Mrs. Frank Stalcup of Earle, and Mrs. Jack Rich of Memphis; two brothers, Luther Wallin Jr. of Columbus, Miss., and Gene Wallin of Earle.
Pallbearers were; Bill Kennedy, A. H. Harrell, W. E. Crenshaw, Ed Hollan, Floyd Roberts, J. R. Gardner, Harold Weaver and M. E. Bird.
ADOLPH WHITE DIES….PIONEER CITIZEN
ADOLPH WHITE, lifetime resident of this community, died at his home here Monday afternoon following a lingering illness. He was 62.
Funeral services
were held at the Holt Funeral Home Wednesday at
The White family were among the pioneers of this section and helped hew it from the wilderness. Adolph spent his lifetime following logging and farming pursuits. He had a ready smile and a pleasing personality which gained for him many friends wherever he went, and will be missed by all who knew him.
Besides his wife,
Mrs. Pearl White, he leaves two daughters, Mrs. Frank Cudd
of Wynne, and Mrs. Eugene Pittman of
Pallbearers were,
Clarence Hood, Everett Hood, Charlie Cloar, Tom Cloar, Ivan Drew and Kenneth Kilcrease. [NOTE:
Burial was in
TENANT FARMER SHOT NEAR PARKIN
A 65-year-old
tenant farmer was shot and killed near Parkin around
Marshal Lloyd C. Cole said, William S. “Bill” Simpson, 55, shot HENRY H. YOUNG, at the Shady Grove Grocery Store on Highway 75 after an argument over a crop settlement.
Mr. Simpson was in the store when Mr. Young came in “after him” with a 12-gauge shotgun, Marshal Cole reported. He said Mr. Simpson fired four shots from a 22-caliber pistol at Mr. Young, but only one of them hit him, entering his left side.
Mr. Young leaves
his wife and six children. [Burial was in
NEGRO BURNED FATALLY IN
Earle’s first death from fire of 1955 occurred Wednesday morning at 12:30 when JAMES YOUNG, colored, was trapped in his two-room residence on the south side of the railroad and was fatally burned. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Firemen answering the alarm did not know that Young was trapped in the house until the odor of burning flesh made them aware of it. Indications were that he had made frantic efforts to escape to no avail and was found huddled in one corner of the room.
The room in which the body was located was completely burned out and the other room suffered slight damage due to the efforts of the fire department.
WORK TO BEGIN ON HIGHWAY 149 NORTH
Crittenden County Judge Milton Beck said Monday the Arkansas Highway Department is ready to go ahead with blacktopping a nine-mile stretch of State Highway 149 between Earle and the county line.
The only thing holding up the project is removal of buildings and fences.
Judge Beck said right-of-way has already been given by
property owners. Included in the plan
are two new bridges, both over
The Highway Department is studying costs and other factors in preparation of letting another contract to blacktop the highway south of Earle to connect with U. S. Highway 70. When the strip is finished it will provide a shortcut from Highway 63 to Highway 70, the judge said.
WORK TO BEGIN ON HIGHWAY 149
Work should get
underway on a $365,787.85 highway construction project in
The project is for grading, minor drainage structures, gravel base and surfacing of approximately 9.154 miles on the Earle-Marked Tree road on Highway 149 and two bridges on this section of highway.
The project will
begin northeast of Earle and extend northeast and north generally along the
present location to the
Contract was
awarded to the Mississippi Valley Contracting Company of
PRESIDENT ASKS AID FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
President Eisenhower has asked the American National Red Cross to assist the stricken area in the North eastern part of our county due to the devastating floods occasioned by hurricane Dianne.
The Crittenden County Chapter is endeavoring to answer this appeal and is sending an appeal of their own to our citizens in the hope that money can be raised in a substantial amount.
Mr. S. A.
Johnson, Chairman for Crittenden County, asks that everyone make a special
effort to donate to this cause and adds that the Red Cross has come to our
assistance on three or more occasions.
He asks that you send your donations to A. B. Carter, Home Service
Chairman, at
The damage as reported run into the hundreds of millions of dollars and at least ten million is needed at once.
The call is urgent, and to paraphrase the President; “You will sleep better tonight if you make your contribution today.”
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