Obituary
Mary Lou White, age 86, of Arkadelphia passed away Thursday, February 13, 2020. Mary Lou was born in El Paso, TX October 24, 1933 to the late Robert and Jennie Lee (Jacks) White.
Mary Lou worked in retail and was a newspaper carrier for many years. She loved to farm, hunt, and was a great photographer. She was a member of the Historical Journals Society and served as organist at her beloved Gum Springs Baptist Church.
Though Mary Lou never married she is survived by many cousins and friends, who loved her spit fire spirit and tales of days gone by.
Graveside service will be held Monday, February 17, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Unity Cemetery under the care of Ruggles Wilcox Funeral Home, with Brother Kenneth Anderson officiating. Memorials can be made to Gum Springs Baptist Church or Unity Cemetery.
The Family would like to express their deepest thanks to the staff of Twin Rivers Health and Rehab.
Remembering Mary Lou
We came in Tuesday evening to look over the obits that the typist had placed on the page. In the lower left corner, a name caught our eye. It was a short obituary, one that listed no survivors.
A day earlier, we had passed by Unity Cemetery and noted someone was being buried in the old section. That caught our eye, because we realized that only someone with deep roots to this area would be buried in the old section. We wondered who it could be.
Staring at the short obituary, we now knew who it was: One of our oldest and dearest friends from years back, Mary Lou White.
A small-built country woman with bright, dancing eyes and a personality to match to those who knew her. Mary Lou never married and preferred to keep out of the limelight. She probably wouldn't like this article, but we feel that a person who influenced so many of us country kids and gave selflessly of her time and talents deserves more than just a small obituary. That she was largely unknown in most circles matters little, for her influence can be seen in many of us today.
Mary Lou was one of our late granny's friends, even though she was nearly two decades younger. We can't remember not knowing her, but one of our earliest memories, from about when we were 3 - 4 years old, is of standing in Granny's front yard and referring to her as "Miss White", only to have her request that we call her by her first name "because every time I hear Miss White, I look around for my mother". She was the first adult to give us that privilege.
Born with one leg shorter than the other, Mary Lou was plagued by pain for many years, but did not allow her disability to keep her down, working whatever odd jobs she could and hunting as much as possible during the season to keep her freezer full. Her best friend, Georgia Lou, was always with her as they, along with others explored South Arkansas, taking in the history and the views.
Many of us 4-H kids learned photography, bug collecting, and wild flower identification from Mary Lou, who seemed to know a little bit about everything if it came from the woods. When I wanted to learn how to play guitar as a youngster, she taught my mother to play, jokingly saying she didn't think she had the patience to teach a child.
As a child, it seemed Mary Lou was ageless and knew the answers to any question one could ask. Out in the country, if we needed information, we called her as she had one of the first police scanners we had ever seen nearly 40 years ago. With a twinkle in her eye, she told us one day about hearing that someone "up on the highway" had hit a deer in the middle of the night.
"That was a good deer," she said with a wink. She wasn't one to waste anything.
Never one to back down, we recall years ago when the ditch in front of her house kept flooding. She would dutifully dig it out until she got tired of politely asking the country judge to handle the situation. On that day, she mucked out the ditch, crawled into her old white Dodge truck and drove tot he courthouse and walked into the judges office, dripping mud and water all over everything as she calmly restated her complaint. The ditch was repaired.
Once a year, we'd see Mary Lou Shen she would make her way to the office to pay for her subscription in person. By then she was using a cane and we commented on it. That was our Christmas tree in 1957," she said of the cedar stick in her hand.
Every child needs a Mary Lou in their lives. We know ours, and those of our friends, was richer for having known her.
May, Joe (2020, February 27). Remembering Mary Lou. Southern Standard, pp 1, 6
Mary Lou White, age 86, of Arkadelphia passed away Thursday, February 13, 2020. Mary Lou was born in El Paso, TX October 24, 1933 to the late Robert and Jennie Lee (Jacks) White.
Mary Lou worked in retail and was a newspaper carrier for many years. She loved to farm, hunt, and was a great photographer. She was a member of the Historical Journals Society and served as organist at her beloved Gum Springs Baptist Church.
Though Mary Lou never married she is survived by many cousins and friends, who loved her spit fire spirit and tales of days gone by.
Graveside service will be held Monday, February 17, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Unity Cemetery under the care of Ruggles Wilcox Funeral Home, with Brother Kenneth Anderson officiating. Memorials can be made to Gum Springs Baptist Church or Unity Cemetery.
The Family would like to express their deepest thanks to the staff of Twin Rivers Health and Rehab.
Remembering Mary Lou
We came in Tuesday evening to look over the obits that the typist had placed on the page. In the lower left corner, a name caught our eye. It was a short obituary, one that listed no survivors.
A day earlier, we had passed by Unity Cemetery and noted someone was being buried in the old section. That caught our eye, because we realized that only someone with deep roots to this area would be buried in the old section. We wondered who it could be.
Staring at the short obituary, we now knew who it was: One of our oldest and dearest friends from years back, Mary Lou White.
A small-built country woman with bright, dancing eyes and a personality to match to those who knew her. Mary Lou never married and preferred to keep out of the limelight. She probably wouldn't like this article, but we feel that a person who influenced so many of us country kids and gave selflessly of her time and talents deserves more than just a small obituary. That she was largely unknown in most circles matters little, for her influence can be seen in many of us today.
Mary Lou was one of our late granny's friends, even though she was nearly two decades younger. We can't remember not knowing her, but one of our earliest memories, from about when we were 3 - 4 years old, is of standing in Granny's front yard and referring to her as "Miss White", only to have her request that we call her by her first name "because every time I hear Miss White, I look around for my mother". She was the first adult to give us that privilege.
Born with one leg shorter than the other, Mary Lou was plagued by pain for many years, but did not allow her disability to keep her down, working whatever odd jobs she could and hunting as much as possible during the season to keep her freezer full. Her best friend, Georgia Lou, was always with her as they, along with others explored South Arkansas, taking in the history and the views.
Many of us 4-H kids learned photography, bug collecting, and wild flower identification from Mary Lou, who seemed to know a little bit about everything if it came from the woods. When I wanted to learn how to play guitar as a youngster, she taught my mother to play, jokingly saying she didn't think she had the patience to teach a child.
As a child, it seemed Mary Lou was ageless and knew the answers to any question one could ask. Out in the country, if we needed information, we called her as she had one of the first police scanners we had ever seen nearly 40 years ago. With a twinkle in her eye, she told us one day about hearing that someone "up on the highway" had hit a deer in the middle of the night.
"That was a good deer," she said with a wink. She wasn't one to waste anything.
Never one to back down, we recall years ago when the ditch in front of her house kept flooding. She would dutifully dig it out until she got tired of politely asking the country judge to handle the situation. On that day, she mucked out the ditch, crawled into her old white Dodge truck and drove tot he courthouse and walked into the judges office, dripping mud and water all over everything as she calmly restated her complaint. The ditch was repaired.
Once a year, we'd see Mary Lou Shen she would make her way to the office to pay for her subscription in person. By then she was using a cane and we commented on it. That was our Christmas tree in 1957," she said of the cedar stick in her hand.
Every child needs a Mary Lou in their lives. We know ours, and those of our friends, was richer for having known her.
May, Joe (2020, February 27). Remembering Mary Lou. Southern Standard, pp 1, 6
Obituary
Mary Lou White, age 86, of Arkadelphia passed away Thursday, February 13, 2020. Mary Lou was born in El Paso, TX October 24, 1933 to the late Robert and Jennie Lee (Jacks) White.
Mary Lou worked in retail and was a newspaper carrier for many years. She loved to farm, hunt, and was a great photographer. She was a member of the Historical Journals Society and served as organist at her beloved Gum Springs Baptist Church.
Though Mary Lou never married she is survived by many cousins and friends, who loved her spit fire spirit and tales of days gone by.
Graveside service will be held Monday, February 17, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Unity Cemetery under the care of Ruggles Wilcox Funeral Home, with Brother Kenneth Anderson officiating. Memorials can be made to Gum Springs Baptist Church or Unity Cemetery.
The Family would like to express their deepest thanks to the staff of Twin Rivers Health and Rehab.
Remembering Mary Lou
We came in Tuesday evening to look over the obits that the typist had placed on the page. In the lower left corner, a name caught our eye. It was a short obituary, one that listed no survivors.
A day earlier, we had passed by Unity Cemetery and noted someone was being buried in the old section. That caught our eye, because we realized that only someone with deep roots to this area would be buried in the old section. We wondered who it could be.
Staring at the short obituary, we now knew who it was: One of our oldest and dearest friends from years back, Mary Lou White.
A small-built country woman with bright, dancing eyes and a personality to match to those who knew her. Mary Lou never married and preferred to keep out of the limelight. She probably wouldn't like this article, but we feel that a person who influenced so many of us country kids and gave selflessly of her time and talents deserves more than just a small obituary. That she was largely unknown in most circles matters little, for her influence can be seen in many of us today.
Mary Lou was one of our late granny's friends, even though she was nearly two decades younger. We can't remember not knowing her, but one of our earliest memories, from about when we were 3 - 4 years old, is of standing in Granny's front yard and referring to her as "Miss White", only to have her request that we call her by her first name "because every time I hear Miss White, I look around for my mother". She was the first adult to give us that privilege.
Born with one leg shorter than the other, Mary Lou was plagued by pain for many years, but did not allow her disability to keep her down, working whatever odd jobs she could and hunting as much as possible during the season to keep her freezer full. Her best friend, Georgia Lou, was always with her as they, along with others explored South Arkansas, taking in the history and the views.
Many of us 4-H kids learned photography, bug collecting, and wild flower identification from Mary Lou, who seemed to know a little bit about everything if it came from the woods. When I wanted to learn how to play guitar as a youngster, she taught my mother to play, jokingly saying she didn't think she had the patience to teach a child.
As a child, it seemed Mary Lou was ageless and knew the answers to any question one could ask. Out in the country, if we needed information, we called her as she had one of the first police scanners we had ever seen nearly 40 years ago. With a twinkle in her eye, she told us one day about hearing that someone "up on the highway" had hit a deer in the middle of the night.
"That was a good deer," she said with a wink. She wasn't one to waste anything.
Never one to back down, we recall years ago when the ditch in front of her house kept flooding. She would dutifully dig it out until she got tired of politely asking the country judge to handle the situation. On that day, she mucked out the ditch, crawled into her old white Dodge truck and drove tot he courthouse and walked into the judges office, dripping mud and water all over everything as she calmly restated her complaint. The ditch was repaired.
Once a year, we'd see Mary Lou Shen she would make her way to the office to pay for her subscription in person. By then she was using a cane and we commented on it. That was our Christmas tree in 1957," she said of the cedar stick in her hand.
Every child needs a Mary Lou in their lives. We know ours, and those of our friends, was richer for having known her.
May, Joe (2020, February 27). Remembering Mary Lou. Southern Standard, pp 1, 6
Mary Lou White, age 86, of Arkadelphia passed away Thursday, February 13, 2020. Mary Lou was born in El Paso, TX October 24, 1933 to the late Robert and Jennie Lee (Jacks) White.
Mary Lou worked in retail and was a newspaper carrier for many years. She loved to farm, hunt, and was a great photographer. She was a member of the Historical Journals Society and served as organist at her beloved Gum Springs Baptist Church.
Though Mary Lou never married she is survived by many cousins and friends, who loved her spit fire spirit and tales of days gone by.
Graveside service will be held Monday, February 17, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Unity Cemetery under the care of Ruggles Wilcox Funeral Home, with Brother Kenneth Anderson officiating. Memorials can be made to Gum Springs Baptist Church or Unity Cemetery.
The Family would like to express their deepest thanks to the staff of Twin Rivers Health and Rehab.
Remembering Mary Lou
We came in Tuesday evening to look over the obits that the typist had placed on the page. In the lower left corner, a name caught our eye. It was a short obituary, one that listed no survivors.
A day earlier, we had passed by Unity Cemetery and noted someone was being buried in the old section. That caught our eye, because we realized that only someone with deep roots to this area would be buried in the old section. We wondered who it could be.
Staring at the short obituary, we now knew who it was: One of our oldest and dearest friends from years back, Mary Lou White.
A small-built country woman with bright, dancing eyes and a personality to match to those who knew her. Mary Lou never married and preferred to keep out of the limelight. She probably wouldn't like this article, but we feel that a person who influenced so many of us country kids and gave selflessly of her time and talents deserves more than just a small obituary. That she was largely unknown in most circles matters little, for her influence can be seen in many of us today.
Mary Lou was one of our late granny's friends, even though she was nearly two decades younger. We can't remember not knowing her, but one of our earliest memories, from about when we were 3 - 4 years old, is of standing in Granny's front yard and referring to her as "Miss White", only to have her request that we call her by her first name "because every time I hear Miss White, I look around for my mother". She was the first adult to give us that privilege.
Born with one leg shorter than the other, Mary Lou was plagued by pain for many years, but did not allow her disability to keep her down, working whatever odd jobs she could and hunting as much as possible during the season to keep her freezer full. Her best friend, Georgia Lou, was always with her as they, along with others explored South Arkansas, taking in the history and the views.
Many of us 4-H kids learned photography, bug collecting, and wild flower identification from Mary Lou, who seemed to know a little bit about everything if it came from the woods. When I wanted to learn how to play guitar as a youngster, she taught my mother to play, jokingly saying she didn't think she had the patience to teach a child.
As a child, it seemed Mary Lou was ageless and knew the answers to any question one could ask. Out in the country, if we needed information, we called her as she had one of the first police scanners we had ever seen nearly 40 years ago. With a twinkle in her eye, she told us one day about hearing that someone "up on the highway" had hit a deer in the middle of the night.
"That was a good deer," she said with a wink. She wasn't one to waste anything.
Never one to back down, we recall years ago when the ditch in front of her house kept flooding. She would dutifully dig it out until she got tired of politely asking the country judge to handle the situation. On that day, she mucked out the ditch, crawled into her old white Dodge truck and drove tot he courthouse and walked into the judges office, dripping mud and water all over everything as she calmly restated her complaint. The ditch was repaired.
Once a year, we'd see Mary Lou Shen she would make her way to the office to pay for her subscription in person. By then she was using a cane and we commented on it. That was our Christmas tree in 1957," she said of the cedar stick in her hand.
Every child needs a Mary Lou in their lives. We know ours, and those of our friends, was richer for having known her.
May, Joe (2020, February 27). Remembering Mary Lou. Southern Standard, pp 1, 6
