Maylene Vester

Maylene Louise Augusta Anna Wilks Vester was born to Fred and Clara Wilks on Sept. 18, 1918, and passed away Wednesday, April 18, 2012. She married Eugene Vester and had six children: Dixie Beale of Memphis, Tenn.; Charles (Wanda) Vester of Stuttgart, Ark.; David Vester (Anna) of Gulf Breeze, Fla.; Bill Vester (Lori) of Atlanta, Ga.; Carol Mahon (Bill) of Rogers, Ark.; and Janie Senko of Stuttgart. Maylene worked at Farmers and Merchants Bank for many years. After she retired she volunteered at Stuttgart Memorial Hospital and St. John's Lutheran School Library. While a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, she taught preschool Sunday school for years. In recent years she attended St. Luke's Lutheran Church in DeWitt and St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Stuttgart. She was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene Vester; her brother, Bill Wilks; a sister, Bernice Ragland; and a son-in-law, Robert Beale. She is survived by her sister Imogene (Otto) Teague, and many nieces and nephews. Maylene's beloved grandchildren include: Jeanette and Brian Beale; Brad (Lindsay), Eric (Anna), John (Grace), David, Samantha, Kate, and Amy Vester; Erin (Jared) Vester Buckley, Sara (Marcus) Vester Owen; Meg, Elizabeth, and Katie Mahon; and Fred (Catherine) and Lydia Senko. Great-grandchildren include: Grace and Jacob Owen and Alex Vester. Maylene will be remembered as a strong, loving, faithful, compassionate, hard-working, feisty woman, who believed "Where there's a will, there's a way." Working in her yard was one of her greatest joys. She will be greatly missed by her children, who were honored to take care of her, but she is at home with her Lord. Funeral services, officiated by Rev. Chad Phillip, are 2 p.m., Saturday at Turpin Funeral Home chapel with burial following in Lone Tree Cemetery. Visitation is 5-7 p.m., Friday at Turpin Funeral Home. The family would like to thank Dr. Chris Morgan and the staff of Baptist Health-Stuttgart, and her caregivers, Blanche Bryant, Pearl Rogers and Debra Amos, for their compassionate care of our Mama over the years. Please go to www.turpin-co.com to sign the online guestbook.