OBITUARIES: January 2nd

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Betty Lou Roberts Rigden

Betty Lou Rigden, 72, of Jay, Okla., died Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012, at Mercy Hospital in Rogers.

Mrs. Rigden was born June 20, 1940, in Maysville, Ark., the daughter of Albert and Pearl Hill. Betty married Mike Rigden May 20, 1993, in Maysville. She was a member of the Maysville Bible Church and worked over 20 years for H & R Block as a tax preparer.

Survivors include her husband Mike of the home; two daughters, Cindy Vetor of Gentry, Ark., and Becky Roberts of Jay, Okla.; three sons, Randy Roberts of Jay, Okla., James Roberts of Fayetteville and Travis Roberts and wife Shawna of Decatur; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and one sister, Alberta Ray and husband Jim of Maysville.

Mrs. Rigden was preceded in death by her parents and her first husband of 26 years, Gerald Roberts.

Funeral services were held Thursday, Dec. 27, at the Maysville Bible Church with Pastor Jim Whisenant and Raymond Scott officiating. Burial was at the Maysville Cemetery under the direction of Backstrom-Pyeatte Funeral Home of Siloam Springs, Ark.

The family asks that memorials be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Ray ‘Bill’ Ward

Ray “Bill” Ward, 86, of Maysville, Ark., died Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, at Quail Ridge Nursing Center in Siloam Springs.

He was born Oct. 26, 1926, at Gentry, Ark., to Guy and Josephine Freeman Ward. He was a lifelong resident of the Maysville area. He worked for Peterson Farms as a forklift operator and was a farmer. He was a member of the Maysville Bible Church and served in the U.S. Navy during World Ward II.

Survivors include five sons, Walter Ward and wife Janas of Fayetteville, Stan Ward and wife LeAnn of Haskell, Okla., Terry Ward and wife Sylvia of Gravette, Bill Ward of Oklahoma City and Andy Ward and wife Kristen of Avoca; 12 grandchildren; nine greatgrandchildren; and three sisters, Maybelle Ward and Loretta Talbott, both of Maysville, and Marcia Pritchard of Gravette.

Funeral services were held Friday, Dec. 28, at the Maysville Bible Church with Pastor Jim Whisenant and Raymond Scott. Burial was in the Maysville Cemetery under the direction of Wasson Funeral Home in Siloam Springs.