Archive - 2013
May 6th
An alzheimer's family training workshop will be held at First United Methodist Church in Benton on Tuesday, June 4 at 1 p.m. The workshop is free and formatted to provide information and materials about the illness. The workshop will cover the physiology of the disease, what to expect as the disease progresses, and how to handle the behaviors associated with the illness. For more information or to reserve a spot, call 501-778-3093.
William Murl Tate, of Benton, passed away Saturday, May 4, 2013. He was 86 years old.
Murl was born at home in the Ten Mile Community (Lonsdale) on Oct. 10, 1926, the son of Thomas Jefferson Tate and Flora Mae (Craft) Tate.
 After school and working on the family farm, he went to work for Kaiser in the shipyard of Vancouver, Wash., during World War II. When he returned to Arkansas, he worked for Little Rock Piano Co. and in the 1950s began a wholesale piano company in Benton with Ernest Pelton.Â
Bertha Louanna Ray, age 76, of Alexander passed away Friday, May 3, 2013.
She was born Aug. 19, 1932 in Scott.Â
Mrs. Ray was a school bus driver for the Bryant School District and a member of Pleasant Hills Missionary Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Johnny and Adda Osburn; her husband, Boyce Ray; a daughter, Dianna Goss; and a son, Terry Ray.
Barbara Ann Atkinson, 65, of Haskell passed away Thursday, May 2, 2013. She was born Feb. 8, 1948, in Benton. Mrs. Atkinson was a licensed practical nurse and a member of the Family Church in Bryant.Â
She was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Mattie Whitley, and four sisters, Lillian Whitley, Ada Rogers, Lucille Cole and Joyce Parnell.
Frank Paul Kret Jr., 66, of Benton passed away Thursday, May 2, 2013. He was born Sept. 14, 1946, in Nashville, Tenn. Mr. Kret was a Vietnam Army veteran and worked as a machinist. He was a member of Sharon Missionary Baptist Church.Â
Mr. Kret was preceded in death by his wife of 41 years, Ruby Kret; parents Frank Paul Kret Sr. and Mattie Wilson Kret; mother- and father-in-law Mavis and J.C. Lawson; sister Frances Mack; and a brother, Charles Kret.
May 3rd
The Downtown Benton Farmer's Market will open this Saturday. It is each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning in front of Saline County Courthouse.
The Bryant Farmer's Market will begin next week at the pavilion on Commonwealth Drive in the area of the city known as Midtown.
The Keep Bryant Beautiful campaign will host City Wide Cleanup and Dumpster Days on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
The KBB will be at the Bryant exits from the interstate during the cleanup.
Dumpsters will be placed at First Southern Baptist Church on Reynolds Road; First Pentecostal Church on Arkansas 5; First United Methodist Church on Reynolds Road; and Central Arkansas Church of Christ on Arkansas 5.
The first Bryant Flash Trail will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be hosted by Hill Farm Elementary School.
Diana Lynn “DeeDee” Schalk, 49, of Benton passed away with her family by her side on May 2, 2013. DeeDee was born in St. Louis on June 28, 1963, to Ira and Margaret Leake. She grew up in Franklin County, Miussouri; graduated from R-16 Strain-Japan; Sullivan High School; and East Central College, Union, Missouri. DeeDee was united in marriage to Marty Schalk on October 11, 1986 at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Gerald, Missouri. She, Marty and Caleb moved to Benton in 1992.
Woodrow W. Harrell, 78, passed away on Wednesday May 1, 2013. He was born June 6, 1934 in Cato. Woodrow was a retired Truck Driver and a member of Sardis United Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Gerald and Alice Hackler Harrell, brother, Roland Harrell, two sisters, Vivinell Turner, and Elmus L. Barnard.
John A. Jones,, 90, of Benton, passed away May 1, 2013. He was born September 9, 1922 in Idabel, Oklahoma to the late L.V. and Annie Leamons Jones. John was a member of Highland Heights Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Betty Jones and daughter, Susan Keller.
He is survived by, sons, Richard Jones, Michael Jones and Brad Jones all of Utah, daughters, Judy Greene, Nevada, Shari Cain, Utah, Barbara Aviril, California, brother, Gene Jones, Tenn., and sisters, Stella Moody, Tenn., and Ruby Ellis of Benton, Arkansas.
