Stories from Thursday, May 11, 2006

Concerns about the Carver Center Gym led to a discussion about the recreation center after Councilman Cleo Johnson, Jr. asked the council to consider making some changes to improve area's safety Johnson said he felt there should be more supervision at the center and more of a police presence. He also expressed concern about young children playing too close to an area where cars are traveling...

Tribune Sports Staff Marked Tree was just glad to be in the Region 4 Championship game last year. This year, the Indians had a different attitude. They came to win, and win they did. John Ed Turpin(s two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth inning powered the Indians to the tournament championship with a 6-5 extra inning victory over Bay Wednesday afternoon at Monette...

William Worley, age 92, of Marked Tree died Saturday, May 6, at Three Rivers Nursing Center in Marked Tree. He was a longtime employee of Murphy Funeral Home and a member of the Church of God. He was preceded in death by his wife, Alberta Worley. Survivors include a son, Carroll Worley and his wife Rachel of Paragould; a daughter, Sue Payne and her husband Jim of Southaven, Miss.; one brother, Tommy Worley of Gary, Ind.; three sisters, Nell Ross of Tyronza, Ruby Mae Broadway of Bartlett, Tenn., and Julie Spears of Harrisburg; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.. ...

Orville J. Smith, 79, of Dyess died Saturday, May 6 at Great River Medical Center in Blytheville. He was a farmer and a member of the Church of Christ. He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie and Davie Smith, two sisters and one brother. Survivors include his wife, Pauline Smith of Dyess; four sons, Steven Smith, David Williams, Michael Williams and Robert Halford; four daughters, Linda Long, Sonya Huddleston, Cindy Bass and Becky Halford; two brothers, Jack Smith and Delphred Smith; 17 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.. ...

V.L. Pilgrim, 70, of Lepanto died Thursday, May 4, at Crittenden Memorial Hospital in West Memphis. He was preceded in death by his father, Earnest Pilgrim, and a brother, Mack Pilgrim. Survivors include his wife, Mary Wirth Pilgrim; two daughters: Brenda Moore of Lepanto and Becky Pilgrim of Tyronza; four sons: Wayne Pilgrim of Caruthersville, Mo. ...

Russell Loyd, 65, of Rotonda West, Fla., died Sunday, April 30, 2006, at his Charlotte County residence. He was born on Dec. 22, 1940, in Dyess Ark. Mr. Loyd had been a resident of Charlotte County for nine years coming from Oak Harbor OH. He is survived by his wife Anne Loyd of Rotonda West; mother, Edith E. Loyd of Marked Tree, Ark; two daughters, Lynn N. Gollihue and Lee R. Snashall both of Grove City, Ohio; and four grandchildren...

Birde Mae Devers, 82, of Lepanto died April 26, 2006. Born January 15, 1924 in Bay, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Bulah Howard. At age 11, Devers confessed her hope in Christ at the First Baptist Church in Alto. She was secretary of the AME Methodist Church in Lepanto until she moved her membership to the First Baptist Church of Lepanto in 1992. She was a faithful member there until her heart failed her...

Rachel Ellon Ezekiel, 59, of Tyronza died Wednesday, May 3, in St. Bernard's Medical Center. She was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church of Tyronza for more than 45 years. She was preceded in death by her father, J.T. McCorkle. Survivors include her husband, Colin Ezekiel of Tyronza; a son, Jeffrey Ezekiel of Tyronza; her mother, Jo Ellon McCorkle of Tyronza; and two grandchildren...

The Old Greenwood Cemetery, in south Lepanto just off of Highway 135, has some new friends who have determined to put a new face on one of the city's oldest landmarks. Patsy Clanton and Dorothy Castro are helping to head up a group of concerned citizens who are not only trying to renovate the cemetery, but are also trying to locate some of the bodies which no longer have headstones. Helping them to do this is a group of teenagers from the EPC chapter of the Future Farmers of America...

Suzie Garner's first period Art I class at the Marked Tree High School has been busy drawing geometric designs and painting them on one of the art room walls as murals. The students who worked on these designs were Chelsea Tucker, Megan Gibson, Ariel Vance, Christina Seales, Star Gonzalez, J. R. Stone and Matthew Griffis...

Johnny Rye Sr. received the surprise of a lifetime Saturday, as more than a hundred of his friends gathered in Marked Tree to honor him for a lifetime of faithfulness and service to his community. A special tribute for Rye was presented by the Marked Tree Historical Society, during their Spring Heritage Luncheon, held in the First United Methodist Church fellowship hall...

Tribune Sports Staff After holding the Bay Lady Yellowjackets to a 6-5 victory in the district tournament two weeks ago, coach Waylon Dunn had ever expectation that his Lady Indians could rise to the occasion and defeat Bay for the first time on the year to help Marked Tree win its second regional game ever at Rector last Tuesday...