Fowler Funeral Home

Willard Douglas “Doug” Hunt of Brinkley, Arkansas, 91, passed away peacefully at his home on April 20, 2024.  Doug was born on December 10, 1932, in Heber Springs, Arkansas, to Walter Hunt and Alma Naomi Everett Hunt.  He was the fifth of seven children.  After their mother passed away, Doug and his two younger siblings lived alone in a home where Doug became the head of the household and the family’s sole provider at the age of 15.  He worked multiple jobs to provide for them, most notably as the school bus driver beginning when he was in the ninth grade.  Doug married his high school sweetheart, Darlene Johnson, on April 19, 1953, while the other seniors were off on their senior trip.  After service in the Army and graduation from Arkansas State Teacher’s College (now the University of Central Arkansas), Doug and Darlene settled in Brinkley in 1959.  Doug taught math at Brinkley High School for one year before becoming the finance officer for the city of Brinkley.  He then became the first Executive Director of the Brinkley Housing Authority on October 1, 1963, and served in that capacity for 53 years before his retirement in 2016 at the age of 83. Never one to shy away from work, while serving as director of the Housing Authority, Doug also was a Public Accountant doing accounting and tax work over the years, managed rental properties, co-owned a trucking business, and served on the boards of the Bank of Brinkley and Folsom Memorial Library.  He was also a member of the Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce including serving as Chamber president.  He was named Brinkley Citizen of the Year in 1998. Doug was an active member of the Brinkley First United Methodist Church for 64 years where he served on a variety of committees and as a Sunday School teacher and volunteer with the youth ministry.  Doug loved his church, and he fully embodied the United Methodist concept of Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors. Doug and Darlene had four children, Steve, Mary K, Barbara, and David, who all graduated from Brinkley public schools.  Doug and Darlene were avid supporters of the public school system and of the Brinkley Tigers, rarely missing a football or basketball game whether home or away.  In recognition of their many years of unwavering support, they were given lifetime passes for Brinkley sporting events.  Through the years, they provided numerous scholarships to graduates of Brinkley High School through their Hunt Family Scholarship program. When he was not working, Doug enjoyed a variety of activities over the years such as traveling the country by RV, square dancing, camping at Greers Ferry Lake, playing a mean game of dominoes, anything having to do with business, and spending time with his beloved family.  He loved black coffee and met his friends every day at the coffee shop for decades.  He would strike up a conversation with any stranger to learn more about them.  Doug was an exceptionally good father and grandfather and made it a point to gather his family together each year at Thanksgiving to tell them to work hard, to be thankful for what they had, and to go out and seek ways to do good in the world and help other people.  Doug lived his life by those principles as demonstrated each year when he provided Thanksgiving dinners to the residents in public housing.  He was known for his kindness and generosity, and he was loved by all who knew him. Doug is survived by his wife of 71 years, Darlene, their two sons, Steve Hunt (Susan) of Brinkley, and David Hunt (Rhonda) of Cabot, their two daughters, Mary K Meacham (Steve) of Brinkley, and Barbara Miller (Clint) of Lonoke, his sister, Kathaleene Bailey Lafferty, of Prim, Arkansas, nine grandchildren, and fourteen great grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his parents, five brothers, and one grandson, Kyle Meacham. Visitation will be held at Brinkley First United Methodist Church on Tuesday, April 30, at 1:00.  The funeral service will follow at 2:30.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Brinkley First United Methodist Church, the Monroe County Community Foundation, or the Hunt Family Scholarship Fund c/o Brinkley High School Counselor’s Office.  **TRIBUTE VIDEO PENDING**

Martha “Janie” Norwood, 79, passed away in Clarendon, Arkansas, on March 7th, 2024. She was born on January 9th, 1945, in Osceola Arkansas to the late Joe Norwood and Ida Mae Sotomayor. She was an icon in Clarendon, and everyone knew she loved to ride around in the hoover-round with her dogs, Gizmo and Six-Pack.  Janie enjoyed crossword puzzles, Bible reading, and was an avid fan of Westerns, but above all, Gunsmoke and Marshal Dillon.  Janie would often write letters to anyone for whom she could get an address, from presidents, and governors, to attorney generals. She even once damned Ellen DeGeneres to hell via the United States Postal Service. Janie is preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Ida Mae; seven brothers, Wiley Norwood, Winburn Norwood, Melvin Norwood, Jody Norwood, Albert Norwood, Delbert Norwood, and RG Norwood; three late sisters, Gladys Evans, Alice Norwood, and Classbernice Norwood. Those remaining to cherish her memory are two daughters, Tami Brown, and Janice Lane; two sons, Rick Apadaca, and Gary Apadaca; brother, Robert (late Rita) Norwood; three sisters, Mary Frances, Betty (late Frankie) Edwards, and Christina Norwood; grandchildren Alan Brown Jr., Elizabeth Brown, and Scarlett Lane. Janie’s funeral service will be held at the Assembly of God in Clarendon on Friday March 15th at noon. Burial to follow at Shiloh Cemetery, Holly Grove.

John Edward Lackey Jr., 66, passed away on February 28th, 2024, in Bartlett Tennessee. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee on April 27,1957 to the late John Edward Lackey Sr. and Pauline Wilson Lackey. During his life, he accomplished many things. At the age of 10 years old, he started his first job ‘throwing the newspaper’ in the morning and afternoon. At age 14, he bought his first dirt-bike with his hard-earned savings. His love for dirt-bikes and motorcycles continued to grow. At the age of 17, he worked on a dredge on the Mississippi river. While working on the dredge, he also attended State Tech to fulfill his dream of becoming a Boiler Operation Engineer. He worked for Shelby County Government for over 30 years. He also worked as a Reserve Officer Deputy for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office in the fugitive division for over 20 years. For 25 years, he worked in Security. After working for Methodist Hospital for 10 years, he fully retired February 3,2024. Of all the things he accomplished, his favorite job and title was being a father. In his free time, if he wasn’t spending time with his children and grandchildren, he enjoyed the outdoors which included hunting and fishing. John is proceeded in death by his parents, John and Pauline; and one sister Barbara Kay. Those remaining to cherish his memory are his wife, Cathy. His surviving children include four daughters: Amanda Dryja, Jacquelyn Lackey, Winter Lackey and Charlotte Rose Lackey. One son; Noah (Brenda Gallardo) Lackey. Six grandchildren: Coby, Will, Autumn, Jax, Colin and Olivia. One great grandchild, Easton; one niece, Serena; one great nephew, Dakota; a grand-puppy Addie and a special friend/co-parent Cybil Tice. As well as a host of other family and many dear friends.  John’s funeral service will be held at Fowler Funeral Home on Sunday March 10th, 2024, at 2:00pm with visitation one hour prior. Burial to follow at Oaklawn Cemetery, Brinkley. 

Mararet Boals Brooks, age 86, took her last breath on earth and opened her eyes to the glory and splendor of Heaven on February 10, 2024, at her home in Ronkonkoma, NY. Not only is she now fully in the presence of the Lord, but she is also in the arms of her beloved husband, Billy Forrest, who was called to his eternal home on December 8, 2019. Margaret accepted her Lord and Savior in her teens and was a faithful devoted servant, teaching many Bible studies and Sunday School lessons. Her passion and specialty were the book of Revelation. She also loved to sing praises to the Lord in various church choirs as well as singing in a trio called the Joyful Sounds. For several years she played the piano for First Southern Baptist Church of Holly Grove. While living in Holly Grove, AR, Margaret opened the Holly Tree Boutique. She enjoyed going to the fashion markets in Dallas and Chicago looking for the latest fashions to sell in her store. She also served on the City Council and helped plan the town’s 100 th anniversary. Margaret held many passions in life. One was painting and was just a few hours short of achieving her bachelor’s degree in art history at the University of Memphis. Another passion of Margaret’s was ancestry. She would spend hours researching hers and Bill’s family tree. She and Bill would incorporate their love of travel by visiting various places their ancestors once lived. But herlargest passion, save Jesus, was her family. She worked alongside Bill as his pharmacy tech, devoted herself to her children and adored her grandchildren. Margaret proved herself to truly be a Proverbs 31 woman. She was the only daughter of the late Carl McKinney Boals and the late Nannie Earnese Richardson Boals. Wife to the late Billy Forest Brooks and loving mother to Richard Dean Brooks, of Carrollton, TX, Brian Scott Brooks (Tina) of Haslet, TX and Leigh-ellen Brooks Ross (Erick) of Ronkonkoma, NY, grandmother to Jonathan Bill Brooks (Jessica) of Rockwall, TX, Jessica Leigh Brooks Ford (Trent) of Grapevine, TX, Scott Andrew Brooks (Megan) of McKinney, TX, Jacob Brenan and Luke Thomas Ross of Ronkonkoma, NY, surrogate grandmother to Jagger Grimes o Conway, AR and great-grandmother to Lillian Kate Brooks of  Rockwall, TX and Caleb Lynn Ford of Grapevine, TX. Brooks of Rockwall, TX and Caleb Lynn Ford of Grapevine. There will be a visitation hour at Brown Funeral Home, Clarendon on Saturday February 24th starting at noon. A private burial at Macedonia Cemetery, Holly Grove will follow.  Memorial donations can be made to the New York Cancer Foundations via https://nycancerfoundation.org/donate