Mr. Carl Gene Barker, age 73, of Pocahontas, died Sunday, Jan. 11, 2004, in Little Rock.
Mr. Barker, born July 7, 1930, in Memphis, was the son of Harry M. Barker and Lalah Taylor Barker. He had served as a hospital administrator and a school teacher and was a veteran of the Korean War. Mr. Barker was also a member of the First United Methodist Church in Pocahontas.
In 1964 Mr. Barker married Jackie Clarke and she survives him along with four daughters, Nancy Rundle, of Benton, Mary Katherine Swan of Memphis, Carla Anderson of Woodbridge, Va., and Becky Captain of Paw Paw, Mich.; one son, Bruce Swan of Piggott; one sister, Sue Ergle of Aiken, S.C.; and 12 grandchildren.
There will be a memorial service for Mr. Barker at 10 a.m.
on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004, at First United Methodist Church in
Pocahontas. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday,
at Forrest Park Cemetery with Rev. Glenn Pettus officiating. Stevens
Funeral Home is charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Lillian "Lady" Bridges, age 88, of Palestine, died Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City.
Mrs. Bridges, born Sept. 29, 1915, in Palestine, was the daughter of Sam Jones and Jeanettie Dover Jones. She lived in Palestine for all of her life and attended the Twin Assembly of God Church in Palestine.
Mrs. Bridges married Chester Bridges in 1933 and he preceded her in death in 1984. She is survived by five sons, Grandville Bridges, Tony Bridges and Ronnie Bridges, all of Palestine, Bert Bridges of Bald Knob and Bill Bridges of Wynne; five daughters, LaVern McBride and Billy Jean Skjerseth both of California, Linda O'Brien of Colorado, Patricia Hayden of Oklahoma and Helen Reed of Wynne; three sisters, Pat Howton and Jewel Good, both of Palestine and Lois Johnson of Little Rock; 28 grandchildren; 46 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Visitation for Mrs. Bridges will be held on Thursday, Jan.
15, 2004, from 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Friday,
Jan. 16, 2004, at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Stevens Funeral
Home. Burial will follow in Bell Cemetery.
Mrs. Vicki Casey, age 52, of Forrest City, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City.
Mrs. Casey, born Feb. 8, 1951, in Forrest City, was the daughter of C.H. "Buster" Whittenton and Ida Lee Rust Whittenton. She lived in Forrest City for all of her life and was a secretary for the Forrest City Public School System. She was a member of Second Baptist Church.
In 1971 Mrs. Casey married Norval Casey and he survives her along with one son, Rustin Casey of Horn Lake, Miss.; a daughter, Emily Casey of Forrest City; her mother of Forrest City; a sister, Judy Stotts of Forrest City; and two grandchildren.
Visitation for Mrs. Casey will be held on Thursday, Jan. 15,
2004, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the Chapel of Stevens Funeral Home.
Graveside services will be held on Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, at 1
p.m. at Forrest Park Cemetery.
Mrs. Blonce Mae Franklin, age 65, of Little Rock, died on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2004.
Mrs. Franklin, the daughter of Sally and Walter Franklin, was a member of Beth Salem Baptist Church in Forrest City for many years prior to moving to Detroit, Michigan. She recently returned to Little Rock and is survived by her mother, Sally Gregory of Forrest City; seven daughters, Jeanette Cobb, Mildred Moore, Sally Medley, Trisha Tomlin and Delois McIntosh, all of Little Rock and Thelma Moore and Debra Jones, both of Forrest City; one son, Warren Moore of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; four brothers, John Franklin, Eugene Franklin and Walter Franklin Jr., all of Forrest City and Charles Clayborn of Memphis; one sister, Evene Lewis of Detroit, Mich.; 18 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Mrs. Franklin will be held on Saturday,
Jan. 17, 2004, at Greater New Hope Baptist Church in North Little
Rock. Burial will follow at Forrest City Cemetery under the direction
of Hubble Funeral Home of North Little Rock. There will be a graveside
service at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Forrest City Cemetery.
Our beloved Ann Davis Nickle Tillman of Hot Springs died Sunday,
January 11, after a brief illness.
Born in Hughes, Arkansas in 1923 to Robert & Stella Nickle.
Ann attended Sullins College in Bristol, VA, and then completed
her baccalaureate at the University of Arkansas where she was
an active Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority member and broke many a heart.
Following graduation, she returned to the family plantation as
the bookkeeper. Later, Ann began her teaching career at an elementary
school in Crawfordsville, AR.
She was swept off her feet at a Tom Nix Rodeo by the dashing
Rodney V. Tillman and married in 1951. As they say, this was only
the beginning. During their 52 years of marriage, Ann & Rodney
had three sons: Davis Tillman the Baron deAbilia (a purchased
title), Ann's Middle Boy, the multi-talented Mark Tillman, and
finally, the father of her grandchildren, the entrepreneur extraordinaire,
Nick Tillman, who after searching the world found and married
his own Homecoming Queen Ann McCombs.
Ann and Rodney moved to Hot Springs in 1982 to open Tillman's
Antiques and Collectibles.
She was a devoted Grandmother to Brittany Ann, Madison Nickle,
and Alayna Davis Tillman. Ann always said she could never have
a favorite grandchild because they all shared her name.
Proceeded in death by her parents, her sister Mary Frances
Biggs, and brothers Karl and Robert Nickle. She is survived by
her loving husband and sons, her sister Amanda Wise of Hughes,
AR, her brother Cliff Nickle of Philadelphia, MS, her bossy daughter-in-law,
and three as yet, unspoiled granddaughters, the unexplained Stockton
Briggle and numerous relatives who were all loved, but not mentioned
in the will.
The memorial service will be conducted by Rev. David Wilson at 11:30 am, Thursday, January 15th, at the First United Methodist Church at 1100 Central Ave., Hot Springs. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the First United Methodist Church of Hot Springs or the charity of your choice. Join us for a celebration of Ann's life.