Calvary Baptist Church

William Melton "Billy" Winders, Jr., age 66 of Monticello, passed away June 25, 2020. He was born March 12, 1954, in Memphis, TN to Ruby Iline Brixie Winders and the late William Melton Winders, Sr.

He was a Riverboat Captain and a member of Calvary Baptist Church. He was a member of Pilot's Agree Union. Billy was a "piddler" that always had a project going. He was a procrastinator and a perfectionist. If things were not done up to his specs, the "Old Gray Wolfe" came out. He enjoyed woodworking, building things, fabricating, hunting, fishing but his greatest love was spending time with his family and grandchildren. In addition to his father, he was also preceded in death by two brothers, Mike Houston and Bruce Houston; his mother and father-in-law, Joy Mae and Cecil Lee Pharr; and a grandbaby.

Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Deborah Joy Pharr Winders of Monticello; one son, William Lee Winders and wife Wendy of Marion; one daughter, Elizabeth Joy Stringfellow and husband Brandon of Monticello; his mother, Ruby Iline Brixie Winders of Monticello; two sisters, Ruby Brixie and husband Milton and Mariann Woods and husband Mark of Monticello; two brothers, Randall Winders and wife Twila of Monticello and Jimmy Houston and wife Brenda of Mayflower; four grandchildren, Jordan Burch, Ethan Winders, Lizzy Grace and Sofie Kate Stringfellow; one great grandson, Aiden Burch; a brother-in-law, Byron Pharr and wife Marion; and a host of nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

Bro. Dave was saved in 1975 and was ordained as a Deacon in February 1982.  He has been a Deacon with four churches including Calvary.  Bro. Dave has been married to his wife Gerry since June of 1974 and they have three children, Suzanne, Roxane, and Sean.  They also have five grandchildren, Tabi, Michael, Mary, Gracie, and Dakota.

Bro. Dave received the Gottshcalk Award from the Forest Products Society (their highest award), achieved Professor Emeritus standing after retirement, and has 92 current publications.   He has been preaching as pulpit supply for thirty years at approximately fifty churches.  He has been a BBA Brotherhood Director for twenty-two years, vice moderator three times, and moderator three times.  He has served on the ABSC Executive Board for six years and has yellow cap, blue cap, and white cap for Disaster Relief.

His favorite Bible Verse is Philippians 4:4 which reads, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

Obituary

September 21, 1944 - April 2, 2020

David Walter Patterson, age 75 of Monticello, passed away Thursday, April 2, 2020, at Drew Memorial Hospital in Monticello. He was born on September 21, 1944, in Franklin, PA, to the late Frank and Alice White Patterson.

David was a Rocky Grove High School graduate. He went on to graduate from Penn State University with a forestry degree. He joined the Navy and served as a combat rescue pilot in Vietnam. After his service in the Navy he received a Master's degree in Wood utilization from Colorado State University. His PHD came from Texas A & M University with a degree in Wood Utilization and Mechanical Engineering. He was a professor at West Virginia University for 14 years and a professor of Wood Science at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where he retired in 2010. David was an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He was a deer triple trophy winner for 7 years. He was an active church member at Calvary Baptist Church of Monticello where he served as deacon and Sunday school teacher.

In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his sister, Karon Shea; and his brother, Frank Lee Patterson.

Survivors include his wife, Geraldine "Gerry" Patterson of Monticello, who he married June 24, 1974; two daughters, Suzanne Hunter (Joey) of Fordyce, AR, and Roxane Gast (Anthony) of Colorado Springs, CO; a son, Sean Patterson (Leanne) of Warren, AR; a sister Patsy Miller (Paul) of Utica; a brother, Larry Patterson (Barbara) of Groveland, FL; 2 grandsons Michael Gast and Dakota Gast, of Colorado Springs, CO; 3 granddaughters Tabatha Gast, Mary Gast, and Grace Gast all of Colorado Springs, CO; 3 grand dogs, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

There will be a Memorial Service later this year for Bro. Dave.  Be on the lookout for a date in the Church Announcements.

Obituary

Albert Eugene Devine, age 67 of Monticello, passed away Thursday, September 13, 2018, at Hospice Home Care in Little Rock. He was born August 4, 1951, in Monticello, AR to the late Albert Devine and Betty Jean Carrington Devine.

He retired from the Army National Guard at the age of 55 after 36 years of service and was a member of Calvary Baptist Church. Eugene was a loving husband, father and papaw. His favorite passtime was spending time with his grandchildren and working in his yard. He will be greatly missed by all who loved him. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by one sister, Marnell Free.

Survivors include his wife of 36 years, Linda Hancock Devine of Monticello; one son, Matthew Devine and wife Andrea of Little Rock; one daughter, Amy Sikes and husband Mark of Little Rock; one granddaughter, Sophia Sikes; one grandson, Dean Devine; one brother, Laron "Buddy" Devine of Monticello; one sister, Brenda Adcock and husband Jim of Monticello; his mother-in-law, Shirley Hancock of Monticello; several nieces and great-nieces and nephews.

Obituary

It is with saddened hearts but faith in God's divine mercy, that the cherished family of Barbara Ann Martin, age 74, of Monticello, Arkansas has to announce that she has passed on to see her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that she loved so much on June 17, 2018. Ever courageous, not to be defeated until God was ready to call her home, she fought the good fight with her wonderful team of doctors, nurses, and staff members of The UAMS Multiple Myeloma Institute and Hospital in Little Rock for one year. Through their much appreciated efforts, from the start to the end, Barbara was able to spend that time with family, friends, see a Granddaughter get married, and her youngest Granddaughter graduate from High School. These are the things that she had set as her goals. Once those things were accomplished, God decided He needed this most devoted wife, mother, and grandmother to come to Heaven to join Him as His newest angel on the Streets of Gold. As a complication of her disease, she would succumb to it while trying to fight her way back into remission, with family and friends at her side at UAMS Hospital on Father's Day. God knows the time and the hour for us all, and there is comfort in knowing that it was His decision that He now needed his precious child and loyal servant at His side for all of eternity. The Heavenly Father loved her and she loved Him, and on Father's Day, she got to see Him in all of His glory. It is certain that she is having a joyous time singing her favorite song, "Love Lifted Me", with the angelic congregation. And it is even more certain that she is now at peace and in comfort.

Barbara Ann Martin was born in Monticello, AR in Drew County where she resided her entire life until her death. She was the middle daughter of the late John Sykes Griffin and Josephine Sawyer Griffin also from Monticello. She was a graduate of Monticello High School and as a teenager loved to go to local dances with her family, where she perfected The Two Step, The Waltz, and The Jitterbug. It was at a dance in Dermott, AR where she would meet her husband of 56 years, Robert H. Martin, from Wilmar, AR. When he saw her Jitterbug and how pretty she was, he had to dance with her. When she saw his clear, blue eyes, she decided right then and there she was going to marry him. That first dance would lead to marriage on February 16, 1962 and a lifetime of love, happiness, and family. They would dance and travel all over the USA in the pipeline construction industry until their retirement in 2011. Barbara was a devoted housewife and was known as an excellent cook. She loved her husband, her life, her home, and her family. She was a Southern Baptist, saved by God's grace and baptized into the faith by the late Brother Joe Worbington. She would later become a charter member of Calvary Baptist Church, which was began in her home in The Enon Community on September 25, 1985 under the guidance of the late Reverend Charles E. "Buddy" Carter. That church would eventually grow and require a new building at its current location in Monticello on Highway 425. She was proud of that church, was a dedicated member, loved her church family, and served as a Sunday School Teacher. Her illness was the only thing that could keep her from attending church "whenever the doors were open". But once she regained her strength in remission, she made sure she was back at church on Sundays to hear God's Word preached by her Pastor, Brother Gary Carter. Not to be "defeated by The Devil" she was proud to say to everyone in her last days that she taught her Sunday School Class once again two weeks before her death.

The walking definition of being a Christian, Barbara Ann was a charitable, selfless, and a giving person. She had a heart that had enough love for everyone she met. She would do anything for anyone to help them, even those who were not related to her. But most of all, and more than anything on this earth, she loved her husband and her two sons. She devoted her whole life to loving and caring for them. She was the wife and mother that everyone dreams of having in their life. As a wife she was devoted, loyal, in love, and committed. In regards to being a mother she was unwavering, caring, nurturing, protective, encouraging, steadfast, and strong. Her family home at 1464 South 16th Section Road in the Enon Community was her pride and joy, and she had an "Open Door Policy" to all that stepped foot on her front porch. She wanted everyone who came to her home to feel welcome no matter who they were or where they came from. No matter what, she opened her home, her heart, and her arms to all. Outside the doors of her home in her community, town, home state of Arkansas, and across the nation in her travels as a pipeliner's wife, she touched many lives with her smile and cheerful disposition. She believed in "Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you" and "To love thy neighbor as thyself", practicing it faithfully in words and deeds. To try and count the number of good things she did, or the lives she touched in her 74 years, would be as impossible as counting the number of stars in the heavens. And to be honest, she would never want them to be counted in the first place. That is because all of the good things she did for people was to give "God all the glory" and to not take any credit for herself. Besides being a homemaker, she was a former Enon Community 4-H Leader, a cafeteria worker at Monticello Junior High School, a Monticello School District Bus Driver, a member of The Teamsters Pipeline Union, and Committee Member and longtime Chairman for The Annual Pipeliner's Reunion. Due to her devotion as a pipeliner's wife, and her work later in life on the pipeline as a Teamster, she was inducted into The Pipeliner's Hall of Fame in 2006.

To bring an Obituary to a close is as difficult as it is to let go of someone who was, and will forever more, be loved by her family and so many. How can one ever sum up the life of anyone in just a few paragraphs? It is very hard to do. But, I will try in one single sentence: "Barbara Ann Martin was, as far as her family is concerned, the greatest wife, mother, and grandmother who ever walked on this earth." And because of the way she conducted her life, her memory will live on through her remaining family and others by what she showed them in the example she set for them. She believed in "Never giving up and never giving in". And that is what she would want for all that mourn her passing. Barbara Ann would want everyone to remember her well, and to do it with a smile. She would want us all to live our lives to the fullest and cherish all the precious memories. Barbara Ann Martin lived her life that way and she fought for her life that way until the very end surrounded by her family. And while we are so saddened that she is no longer with us, we can find comfort in that she is in Heaven having the time of her eternal life. She is rejoicing, and she would expect us to rejoice for her. And knowing her the way we do, there is one thing for certain, that if The Good Lord allows dancing on The Streets of Gold, the angels are in for one heck of a Jitterbug the likes The Pearly Gates have never seen.

Barbara Ann Martin was preceded in death by her father and mother, John Sykes Griffin and Josephine Sawyer Griffin; her eldest sister, Sylvia Griffin Forrest; and two twin boys who did not survive birth in 1969. Survivors include her husband, Robert H. Martin of Monticello; two sons, Dr. Robert H. Martin., Jr., MD of Monticello and Roger Dale Martin and wife Carole also of Monticello; one sister, Linda Griffin Heath, of Deer Park, Texas; six grandchildren, Brittney Ann Martin-Norsworthy and husband Seth Norsworthy, Austin Sykes Martin, Madeline Grace Martin, Meredith Jewel Martin, John Michael Efird, Max Hyatt Efird, Lexie Alexie Nichols; loving nephew Michael Leon Griffith, Jr, and niece Melissa Jo Griffith; and many other nieces and nephews way too numerous to list here, but rest assured, loved just as much in her heart. She especially enjoyed her relationship with her sister in law, Margaret Tucker, of Star City. Also of mention is a daughter in law, Angila Benson Martin. She is also survived by others she considered her family: Mary Thompson of Monticello as her other sister, Herbert Bradley of Monticello as the brother she never had, and Teresa Griffin of Ozone as like her own daughter. She also loved, cared, and appreciated Diane Marie Hof.

Obituary

Donnie Spakes passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 24 at her home surrounded by her daughters.

She was born on December 15, 1925 in Parson, Tennessee. She was raised by her grandmother Veggie Legions. The family moved to Arkansas in 1940. It was here that she met the love of her life, Cecil Spakes. The two were united in marriage on October 21, 1941. They made their home in Dermott.

Donnie was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, her brother, Kelma Legions and her grandmother, Veggie Legions.

She is survived by two daughters Barbara (Boyce) Davis of Monticello and Karen (Art) Spratlin of Overland Park, Kansas. She was known as MaMa to four grandchildren Kevin (Carissa) Davis of Franklin, Tennessee, Roxanne (Jimmy) Archer of Monticello, Heath Spratlin of Overland Park, Kansas, Betsy (Jake) Ballard of Leawood, Kansas. She leaves behind six great grandchildren to cherish her memories John Tyler (Samantha) Funderburg of McGehee, Jake Philips of Dumas, Hayden Spratlin of Overland Park, Kansas, Laila Davis of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Will and Caroline Ballard of Leawood, Kansas. She was great great grandmother to Bennett and Maybree Funderburg of McGehee. She is also survived by her beloved and faithful companion Charlie.

Before moving to Monticello she and her husband, Cecil owned and operated the Circle K Restaurant in Dermott. After moving to Monticello she continued to work in food preparation and meal planning at the Senior Citizen Center in Monticello until September, 2017 at the age of 91. She loved her work and the many people she provided for daily. She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church. She loved her church and her many church friends.

She will always be remembered for her spunk and boundless energy. She was never one to hold back anything.

The family would like to thank Dr. Tim Simon, Peggy Trantham her caretaker, Home Health Care, Arkansas Hospice Nurses and Bro. Alex Brown Arkansas Hospice Chaplain for all their love and support.

Obituary

Ronald “Ron” Watson, age 74 of Monticello, passed away Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at his home. He was born June 28, 1943 in Little Rock, AR to the late Raymond Claude Watson and Marjorie Breeden Watson Steelman.

He was a retired logger, a United States Navy Veteran and a member of Calvary Baptist Church. Other than his father, he was also preceded in death by a great grandson, Brantley Ryker Horn.

Survivors include his wife, Bettie Cox Watson of Monticello; three sons, Allen Watson of Nashville, TN, Robert Keith Watson (Stayc) of Conroe, TX and Garold Horn (Cathy) of Lacey; three daughters, Kerri Lynn Buffaloe (Brady) of Millington, TN, Lisa Hall (Jeff) of Lacey and Kathy Kellum (David) of Monticello; his mother, Marjorie Breeden Watson Steelman of Fordyce; eleven grandchildren, Joshua (Kayla) Hollis, Laci (Grant) Barnes, John David (Rachel) Kellum, Devin (Sabrina) Horn, Savannah (Austin) Shaffer, Karli Brooke Kellum, Caleb Hall, Gracie & Maggie Buffaloe and Wyatt & Garrett Watson; and seven great-grandchildren, Melana & Aaryn, Tucker & Perri Cate, Eyan & Vivi Mae and Reece.