Obituaries

Peggye Imogene Winningham

Photo of Peggye Imogene Winningham
Peggye Imogene Tolbert Winningham was born January 15, 1942 at Hoxie, Arkansas, the first child of Clarence and Ruby Tolbert. On June 19, 1945, Peggye's brother, Larry, was born. The family moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas in 1947 when Peggye was five years old. When Peggye was beginning the seventh grade, she was tested and scored so high that she was immediately moved up to grade nine. She graduated from Valley View High School and entered Arkansas College at Batesville at age 16. At Arkansas College, she met Doyce Stanton Winningham who was a junior, and they married August 13, 1960 and moved to Greenbrier, Arkansas where Doyce had been hired as the junior high basketball coach. Peggye completed her bachelor's degree in Conway at what is now the University of Central Arkansas in history and English in 1962 and began her teaching career at Greenbrier. Larry, her brother, is married to Delores and they have a daughter, Tracy. Peggye had found her niche because she absolutely loved teaching English and History, and she loved her students! She has stayed in contact with many of her former students for decades. Peggye went on to earn three Master's degrees in the fields of English, history, and counseling as well as certification in Gifted and Talented Programs. She established the Gifted and Talented programs in the Morrilton school system where she was counselor for six years. Doyce and Peggye retired and bought a large farm west of Center Ridge where they were recognized more than once as "Farm Family of the Year." They had a dairy farm with Holstein cattle as well as three chicken houses where they raised eggs for Tyson. During this decade, they sold the dairy herd and chicken houses and went into the beef cattle business. Doyce and Peggye have two sons, Denny Lee was born September 5, 1966. He married Rebecca Kathryn Ramsay of Benton on March 18, 1989, and they have two sons, Joshua Blake, age 22 and Taylor Grant age 17. Their home is in King George, Virginia. Lee is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. Joe Don Winningham, their second son, was born April 23, 1971. He married Caroline Suzanne Lowry on August 12, 1995 in Arkadelphia. Joe Don and Caroline reside in Conway where he practices law, and they have three children: Joseph Samuel was born in 2000; Ethan James was born in 2003, and Martha Grace was born in 2007. Doyce has one brother, Lowell, retired Assistant Superintendent of Morrilton High School and his wife Rosalie. They have two daughters, Ramona and Tracy. Doyce has one sister, Dr. Etta Lou, retired college professor and her husband, Dr. Jimmy Sellars, is also a retired college professor. They have on daughter, Marla. Peggye was preceded in death by her father Clarence and her mother Ruby. Other family members who have passed on were Jack Tolbert, Virgil, Tolbert, Charles Barnhill, Bill Barnhill, Bill Taylor, Betty Taylor, Mabel Eastman, and Helen Lawson. Loved ones who are still living are Everett Pinkston, Gene Pinkston, Jo Tolbert, Pauline Bristol, and Melvin Eastman. Peggye Tolbert Winningham was a beautiful woman with a beautiful mind. She was truly gifted and talented. She could do anything! She was a voracious reader and thus could converse intelligently on any subject. She could complete any task with efficiency. She was one of the hardest workers that I ever saw. Peggye Winningham passed away on Sunday, April 29, 2012 in the Conway Hospital after battling an aggressive form of stage 4 cancer for more than four months. Peggye, because she was a teacher for so many years, made a difference in hundreds, probably thousands of lives. She will be greatly missed. Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., Thursday, May 3, 2012 in the Roller-McNutt Funeral Home Chapel in Greenbrier (501) 679-2575, with Brother Freddie Mark Wilcox and Brother Kirk Hardy officiating. Visitation will one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow in Union Hill Cemetery in Van Buren County on the land given by Wellington (Weck) Winningham, Doyce's great-grandfather who was a Civil War veteran. Pallbearers will be, Tommy Watson, Joe Graham, Russ Benton, Bruce Vann, Dewight Love and Ronny Rainey. Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com.

Published May 1, 2012

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