Nola Hardin Anderson

Nola Hardin Anderson, born August 17, 1917, in Faulkner County, Arkansas, died July 16, 2012. She was the oldest child of Marley Alfred Hardin, Sr. and Susan Muriel Raney Hardin. She was predeceased by her husband, Gibson F. "Gib" Anderson, Sr. She is survived by three sons, Gibson F. Anderson Jr. (Mickie) of Saratoga, California, Overton S. Anderson (Kay) of Little Rock and Tom R. Anderson (Carolyn) of Houston, Texas. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Lara Anderson Schock (Ethan) of Little Rock, Edward Everett Anderson of Mountain View, California and Collins Hardin Anderson of San Francisco, California; by three great-grandchildren, Anderson Schock, Henry Schock and Edward Schock; by sisters, Betty Jo Pagan, Juanita Whitaker and Frances Byrd; and by a host of cousins, nieces and nephews. Nola's family of five sisters and two brothers settled on a farm near Redfield, Arkansas in a bend of the Arkansas River. Education was important to the Hardin family and Nola and her siblings were encouraged to further their educations. She graduated from Redfield High School and, in 1939, along with Gib, graduated from The University of Arkansas. Education of others became a goal of her life and she encouraged her sons to obtain college and graduate degrees. In 1943 she and Gib bought a farm south of Pine Bluff in Jefferson County where they lived until Gib's death in 2005. Nola was a teacher in the Pine Bluff School District for a number of years, primarily teaching fourth grade at Lakeside School. She was active in Lakeside Methodist Church where she served on a number of committees. Nola was a principal author of "The Lakeside Story," a history of the church published in 1986. She also contributed significantly to two family histories, "The Raney Story" (1991) and "The Hardin Story" (1996). Always a writer and storyteller, for over 16 years she wrote a column for The Redfield Update, a weekly newspaper. A collection of her columns was published as a book titled, "Have I Told You..." in 2000. Nola was also active in civic and educational organizations including American Association of University Women, Delta Kappa Gamma and Junior Mathontes. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m., Friday, July 20, 2012, at Lakeside United Methodist Church, with Reverend Ed Matthews and Reverend Alicia Frye officiating by Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice or to Lakeside United Methodist Church, 1500 Olive Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71601 or to the Edward Everett Anderson Visiting Professorship in Nephrology at UAMS, 4301 West Markham St. #716, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205.