Mabel Armentia "Winningham" Ward

Mabel Armentia (Winningham) Ward age 93, of Formosa Community, Arkansas died Wednesday, January 12, 2011. She was born February 22, 1917 near Formosa, Arkansas the daughter of Lee Wellington Winningham and Ada Louella Stanton Winningham. She was the wife of Floyd Henry Ward, and she was a former teacher in Formosa, Southside and Center Ridge schools from the 1940's until her retirement. She was a proud member of the Formosa Baptist Church. Mabel and Henry were not blessed with children of their own; however, survivors include nephew Lowell Winningham; retired school administrator in the Morrilton schools, and his wife Rosalie of Morrilton and their two daughters Ramona Gayle and her husband Herbie Rooprai of Chicago, Ill. and Tracy and her husband Jamie Bardsley of Perry, Ark. and their children Brandon, Jonathan and Susanne. Another nephew, Doyce Winningham and wife Peggye, retired coach and teacher, live on a farm near Center Ridge, Ark., their son Lieutenant Colonel Lee Winningham and his wife Becca, live in King George, Va. with their two sons Blake and Grant. Joe Don Winningham and his wife, Caroline, reside in Conway, Ark. with their three children Joseph, Ethan, and Martha Grace. Niece Dr. Etta Lou Winningham Sellars and her husband Dr. Jim Sellarsreside in Mountain View, Mo. where they are retired college professors, they have one daughter, Marla Michelle, who is married to Jeffrey Gene Rea and they live in Carmel, Calif. Niece Shirlee Winningham Meyer (retired teacher) and her husband Rich reside in St. Peters, Mo. Shirlee has two children: Lennie Mercer and his wife Suzanne and their two children Jenna and Ella of Chesterfield, Mo. Her daughter Cindy Jones lives in St. Peters, Mo. with her children Kaylen and Cody. Kristen and Kyle are older and away from home. The children of niece Lou Ann Winningham Johnson (deceased teacher) are Mike Johnson and his wife Betty of Quitman, Ark. Mikes children are Jeremy Johnson of Little Rock and daughter Angie Nichols, husband Steve and two sons of Clinton, Ark. Vicky Jones resides in Clinton, Ark. she has two daughters who are both teachers: Alicia and her husband Jacob and baby live in Clinton where Alicia teaches, and her sister, Juile, lives and teaches in Conway. "Miss Ward" as she was called by all her students, was surrounded by a host of church family, friends, neighbors, and hundreds of former students that she taught in the Formosa, Southside, and Center Ridge schools for more than thirty years. She taught freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior English, directed dozens of plays, sponsored Glee Club, was librarian, and was senior sponsor who took class after class on senior class trips. Only recently last Thanksgiving was she hospitalized in Morrilton with an illness that left her unable to walk and was then moved to the Van Buren County Nursing Center in Clinton. Mrs. Ward was preceded in death by two brothers: Opie Wellington Winningham of Formosa in March 1985 and Kelless Wilburn Winningham of Austin in August of 1985. She was also preceded in death by two sisters-in-law: Vergie Kesner Winningham in 1974 and Beva Sarah Barnes in 2003. A niece, Lou Ann Johnson, succumbed to cancer in June 1991. A grandneice, Courtney Huber, passed away January 5, 2010. Pallbearers: Joe Don Winningham, James Bardsley, James Vest, Jeremy Johnson, Lennie Mercer, and Lee Winningham. Honorary Pallbearers: Bill Oliger, Erwin Oliger, Kenneth Hall, Farris Bonds, Wayne Sowells, and Ken Rickard. Family will receive friends at 10 a.m., Friday, January 14, 2011 and Funeral Service will be 11 a.m., Friday, January 14, 2011 at Formosa Baptist Church on Highway 9 West. with Dr. Earl Goatcher, Reverend Billy Don Crow, and Reverend Joel Bunyard, current pastor of the church, officiating. Music will be coordinated by Joann Goatcher. Burial will follow at Union Hill Cemetery on the land given by Mrs. Ward's grandfather, Weck Winningham. A meal will be served to the family in the dining hall following the funeral service. Funeral Arrangements are under the care and direction of Roller-McNutt Funeral Home of Clinton, Arkansas. 1-501-745-2151 Online guest book: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com.