Jean Kathleen Whatley, 72 of Benton, passed away on February 27, 2023. She was born in London, England on July 1, 1950 to the late Leslie and Kathleen Winter Hedges. Jean was a member of Parkview United Methodist Church in Benton and retired from the American Red Cross.
Jean was preceded in death by her parents; mother and father in law, Horace and Shirley Whatley.
She is survived by her husband, Keith Whatley, daughters, Dawn (Gary) James, Juli (Cody) Carter and Nicola Wells, sister, Christine (Glyn) Smith and nine grandchildren, Parker and Chase Lovejoy, Brittany Siconolfi, Devyn (Zack) Jones, Jonathan and Mitchell Christie, Kayden Pritchard, Kanyon and Kaiyah Carter, five great grandchildren.
Chapel services by Ashby Funeral Home will be 2:00 p.m. on Friday with burial to follow at Sharon Cemetery.
Visitation will be at Ashbys, Thursday, 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Stephanie “Stevie” Diane Ford, 63, was born March 14 of 1959. She sadly passed Monday, February 27th of 2023.
Stevie is survived by her husband, Douglas Edward Ford; son, Brandon Edward Ford (Brandy); daughter, Brittney Leigh Kelly (Shaun); mother, Sylvia Claudine Wingert “Mimi”; two brothers, Anthony Jhon Wingert “Tony” (Jeana) and Eugene Kelly Wingert (Terri). She is also survived by her granddaughters: Kimberly, Katelyn and Mckenzie Pierce and Adalynn Lyman; her 3 fur babies: Shoeshine, Kujo, and Babygirl; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She is preceded in death by her father, Edward Eugene Wingert “Red”; maternal grandmother, Sylvia Esther Smith; maternal grandfather, Claude Benjamin Smith; paternal grandmother, Marie Mayhorn; sister-in-law, Robbie Jean Ford; father-in-law, Robert Dale Ford; and step father-in-law, Charles Drake.
Stevie’s first job was at OpryLand Amusement Park where she had tons of fun! She would always enjoy herself anywhere! After leaving OpryLand, she went to work at the Arkansas State Hospital where she met the love of her life of 41 years, Doug. She held a couple of other small jobs after that before retiring from Southwest Airlines where she loved taking many trips with her family through the years.
She was an amazing daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, aunt, and cousin. If you knew Stevie, you know she loved her family most and was always proud of all of their accomplishments. She enjoyed making so many memories with her family. There was never a dull moment when she was around because she had a sense of humor out of this world and always kept everyone on their toes and smiling. Her smile and laughter would light up a room. To know her was to love her! Some of her favorite hobbies included quilting and cooking when she wasn’t hunting and spending time with her husband, which she loved most. She was loved by so many and will be deeply missed by all.
Celebration of life service will be 2 pm Thursday, March 2, 2023 at Midtowne Church with Pastor Doug Pruitt officiating. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Midtowne Church.
The family of Stephanie would like to extend a special thanks to Encore Heart Hospital, especially all the nurses and staff in the ICU on the second floor for all they did for her family and loved ones.
Arrangements entrusted to Smith-Benton Funeral Home. Online guestbook: www.SmithFamilyCares.com.
Connie Lou Holland age 69 of East End passed away peacefully at her home on February 27, 2023. If you knew Connie, you loved her! She had a heart of gold and helped anyone she could. Her smile was contagious and could light up a room. She was a true inspiration to so many people. She was the president of the Family Support Group 489th engineer group 420th battalion. She retired from Pulaski County Youth Services and helped thousands of children. Connie loved going to flea markets with her family and sharing every moment she could with them. She was a diehard fan of the Greenbay Packers! She loved cuddling with her cat named Kitty and her dogs Daisy, Ethel, and Lucy.
She graduated high school from Parkview and much later in life she graduated from Pulaski Tech with her Associates degree in Business with Honors.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Leeoda and James Hale; beautiful daughter, Tiffany Brooke Holland; and brother, James Carol Hale. She leaves behind her loving husband, Mark Holland of 38 years come April 6th; three daughters: Mandy Skinner (Allen Skinner), Melissa Jenson, and Crystal Peacock (Cody Peacock); 8 Grandkids: Elizabeth, Ashlee, Allyson (Clay), Jason (Zoie), Alexis, Abigail, Dahlia and Zoey; 5 Great Grandkids: Kaycee, Noah, Mason, August “Goose”, and Carson; pets: Ethel, Lucy, Kitty, Daisy; and a host of family and friends.
We want to personally thank Dr. Jeffrey Mayfield from Baptist Bryant Family Clinic for going above and beyond in taking excellent care of Connie for all these years!
We want to say a special thanks to Baptist Hospice, Connie’s nurse Dee Dee Terry which she loved dearly, and Taren Lawson another one of Connie’s nurses that took great care of her.
In leu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Memory of Tiffany Brooke Holland.
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