Dean Langford Walls

Dean Langford Walls, 96, editor/publisher of the White River Journal, Des Arc, passed away Thursday evening, Aug. 16, ending a 72+ year newspaper career. She had suffered an aorta aneurysm at her home on Sunday morning, Aug. 5, and later med-flighted to Little Rock from White County Hospital for a "successful" 3-hour stint insertion that afternoon. Expecting to remain in critical care at St. Vincents, Little Rock for only 2-3 days - became 11 days due to complications with breathing, swallowing, kidneys and blood pressure. But up until her last 3 hours when she was disconnected from everything, she remained alert, determined and communicative (as she could be when receiving oxygen) ... plus noticeably happier when there were visitors talking to her and she was able to respond or ask questions in her own words. She had over 35 visitors (in CVICU) during her 11-day stay, including nine on her last day, Aug. 16. Dean, the youngest of three siblings, was born Sept. 15, 1921 in Beebe, Ark. Her sister Winona Johnson of Sherwood, Ark., died in 2007 and their older brother Lt. Rayburn Langford (Parachute infantry,17th ABN Division), was killed in Germany Mar. 24, 1945. Their parents were Louis Wilbert and Mary Ethel Wesson Langford, who married on Jan. 23, 1910 and died respectively in 1965 and 1929. Her parents, sister and brother originally lived in the Butlerville area, but moved to Beebe where he established a successful restaurant business and Dean was born. "The good days came to an end" though, when their Beebe home was destroyed by fire and their mother developed tuberculosis ... the combination requiring them to move to Booneville in 1925. So, Dean was placed in school there at the age of 4. Upon her mother's release from the hospital in 1928, they relocated to Mena, where her mother died at home the next year but where they lived for six years. Dean attended 5th-8th grades at Cloverleaf, a rural school outside Mena. The family moved back to Beebe in 1934. After her mother's death in 1929, the children were cared for by their grandmother, Sarah "Sally" Winona Rochell Howell Wesson Hayley, until she died in 1937. Dean married Charles J. Walls from Des Arc Dec. 30, 1937, which ultimately brought the family to Des Arc in 1945, and the White River Journal, which had been established by her father-in-law Charles A. Walls Aug. 9, 1907. There she remained for the next 73 years, initially learning to set type by hand (one letter character at a time). She saw and led the paper from that to linotype in 1954, to offset printing in 1972 and to computer pagination in 1998. She officially replaced her husband as editor/publisher in 1980 because of his illness (he died Jan. 1983). In all those years she never had a vacation … or received a salary or wages . . . even after taking over the paper. And then after suspending regular publication because of failing eyesight and lack of help on Aug. 10, 2017, on occasion of Journal's 110th anniversary; she continued working to produce digital issues thru Dec. 24, 2017. During all of 2018, including her last day in office on Aug. 4, the Saturday before her aneurysm occurred; she continued coming to office most afternoons to attempt (with her bad eyes) to work on many different things, including creating full pages of recent obituaries w/photos on the computer . . . the reason why she kept asking herself. She was also encouraged to start her memoirs, which she did but was unable to complete . . . still very much worth reading however. Over those 73 years, even without the paper, she became her own well-known "institution" by deeply involving herself within the community in every way possible. Because she loved music, singing and entertaining in general, she participated early on in performance at the school, sang at weddings, funerals and other events whenever asked, played piano by ear or accompanied others singing, was a member of and often soloist in the First Methodist Church choir. She helped organize Des Arc's annual Steamboat Days festival 30+ years ago and was a popular favorite in its Saturday night Lip-synch finale show. Although she only completed the 10th grade, because of all the family's moving around; she was finally presented a "Diploma" from Des Arc School Schools for her achievements and declared an "honor graduate of DAHS (after many years as only an honorary member of the Des Arc Alumni Association) at a Aug. 21, 1987 reception/program honoring her for "42 years of dedicated service to the community and 80th Anniversary of the White River Journal. Dean is survived by three children, Charles Rayburn of Des Arc, Mary Kay White of St. Louis and Becky Webb of Sherwood; three grandchildren, Patrick White of Ogden, Utah, Chad (Courtney) Bowie of Sherwood, and Andrew (Kelli) White of St Louis; three great grandchildren, Catie and Cortland Bowie and Julian White. Visitation (open casket) is 1:00 pm Tuesday, Aug. 21 at First Methodist Church in Des Arc. Funeral services are at 2:00 pm. Interment will follow at Lakeside Cemetery, Des Arc. Formal dress attire not required – casual preferred. In lieu of flowers, donations or memorials may be made to your favorite Animal Shelter or to First Methodist Church, Des Arc. Arrangements are by Garth Funeral Home, www.garthfuneralhome.com/obits.