Sarah Whitford

Sarah Frances Whitford, age 80, of Pottsville, Ark., entered the gates of Heaven on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, at UAMS in Little Rock. She was born May 25, 1936, in Dardanelle, Ark., to the late Christopher Columbus Grace and Cleo Effie Moore. Sarah was the youngest child in the Grace family of 15 children. Sarah is survived by her husband of almost 60 years, Everette Lee Whitford; daughters and sons-in-law Kathy and Lee Cate of Daytona, Fla., Kimma and Mike Harper of Cave Springs, Ark., and Melinda and Todd Ferrand of Conway, Ark.; grandchildren and their spouses Amberlee and Roy Meeker, Trey and Nyki Cate, Alex and Sarah Cate; Kaylee and Logan Bond, Brookelynn, Kirsten, and Benjamin Harper, Chandler and McKenzie Ferrand, and Adrianna Ferrand; great-grandchildren Lincoln and Kherrington Meeker and Haskel Cate; sister Inez Overcash James, age 100, Brinkley, Ark., formerly of Houston, Texas; brother and sister-in-law, Lloyd and Patsy Grace of Van Buren, Ark.; and sisters-in-law Mary Lee Grace of Russellville, Ark., and Levita Whitford, of Russellville, Ark.; numerous nieces and nephews; great-nieces and great-nephews; and a multitude of other family members and precious friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Tom, Ben, Jack, Frank, Glen, John, Bill, Charlie, and infant Russell Grace; sisters, Elizabeth Fink, Anna Lee Richardson, and Mary Roggencamp. Sarah was a dedicated Christian and active member of Calvary Baptist Church in Dardanelle. She taught Sunday School and VBS, sang in the choir, and had attended and taught at Bible Study Fellowship for many years. Sarah was a prayer warrior whose life passion was to bring others into God's Kingdom. She found joy in serving the Lord in whatever capacity needed for people in her church, family, and community. She devoted her life to serving others using her skills as a registered nurse to care for family members, neighbors, and friends in need. A common description of Sarah was that she was a Proverbs 31 woman. Sarah was a loving wife to the only man she had ever dated who provided for the family, allowing her to be a full-time mom to her three daughters. She adored her children, sons-in-laws, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was a faithful fan at their sporting events and activities attending games up until the night before entering the hospital. She lovingly stitched a quilt for every child and married grandchild. She was an encourager who sent notes and cards for every special occasion. In the community, Sarah was a member of the Gum Springs Extension Homemakers Club, won ribbons at the county fair, took meals to the hospice home, and had recently learned to play the ukulele. Before and after she was a stay-at-home mom, she enjoyed working as an RN with Dr. McClain at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock, Ark. She also worked at the V.A. in Little Rock, a hospital in Pa., and with Conway Home Health. Funeral Services will be held at 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 10, 2016 at Cornwell Chapel in Dardanelle. Visitation will be held Sunday, 2-4 p.m., at the Cornwell Funeral Home. Private burial service will follow in New Hope Cemetery.