Patty Lou Martin Dillaha

PATTY LOU MARTIN DILLAHA, of Little Rock, died Aug. 1, 2013, after a lengthy illness. She was born in El Dorado, Ark., on Dec. 23, 1929, to the late Helen Thisted Martin and Trueman (Ted) Million Martin Sr. She was raised in El Dorado, where she attended Hugh Goodwin Grammar School and graduated from El Dorado High School. She attended Chevy Chase Junior College near Washington, DC and graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. with a degree in elementary education. She taught first grade at Hugh Goodwin School in El Dorado for one year before marrying Dr. Calvin Jackson Dillaha in 1952. Following her husband's death in 1969, she served as a classroom teacher for hospitalized children at UAMS for many years. Mrs. Dillaha was actively involved in her community. She was a board member of the Little Rock Land Company, which built the Doctors' Building and Doctors' Hospital, and served on the Board of Directors of LeTourneau College in Longview, Texas, where her son graduated. She was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Junior League of Little Rock. She was also a member of the Women's Emergency Committee that worked to reopen Little Rock public schools following desegregation in 1957. She was involved in many of the political and religious issues of her day. Mrs. Dillaha made serving the Lord by helping others a high priority in her life. She was an active member of the Bible Church of Little Rock. She served as a Bible Study Fellowship discussion leader. She was instrumental in starting the Literacy Council in Pulaski County and served for a time as its president. She also mentored students through STEP Ministries, a mentoring program in Central Arkansas that links volunteers with inner-city children. Her volunteer activities also included work as a friendship partner with International Students, Inc., which helps international students learn English. Patty Dillaha made personal visiting and kindness to others a fine art and was said to hardly ever have visited someone without bringing a small gift. In that way she touched the lives of countless people, many of whom we will never know, because she went about her work quietly. She valued the outdoors and volunteered at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, where she served on the board of the Nature Center and helped organize used book sales for fundraising. She participated in Master Gardeners and helped restore the landscaping around the Old Mill in North Little Rock and Fair Park and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Mrs. Dillaha is survived by her four children, Marcia Godbee (Dr. Dan) of Zachary, La., Melissa Nichols (Dwight) of San Bernardino, Calif., and Dr. Jennifer Dillaha (Tom Lewis) and Martin Dillaha, both of Little Rock. She also had seven grandchildren, Walter Godbee and Amelia Godbee, Jim Nichols (Stacy) and Alexander Nichols, Kerry Lewis, Jackson Lewis and Thomas Lewis, and three great-grandchildren, Anthony Moses Nichols (Elyse), Savannah Nichols, and Zackery Nichols. She is also survived by two sisters, Shirley Garison of El Dorado and Marilyn Stutts of Dallas and one brother, Ted Martin Jr. (Gwen) of Fountain Hills, Ariz., as well as many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the Bible Church of Little Rock; UAMS clinical staff, particularly Dr. Issam Makhoul and Dr. Suzanne Klimberg; Arkansas Hospice, especially Paula Keith, Rose Mack, Ty Caton, Deborah Halter, Jeannette Driscoll, and Dr. Kristin Jarrard; and Bill Bloodworth at Park West Pharmacy, for all their kindness in caring for Patty Lou. Visitation will be on Wednesday, August 7, from 6-8 p.m. at Griffin Leggett Healey and Roth Funeral Home, 5800 W. 12th Street, Little Rock. Funeral will be on Thursday, August 8, at 10 a.m. at the Bible Church of Little Rock, 19111 Cantrell Road, followed by burial at Pinecrest Memorial Park, 7401 Highway 5 North, Alexander, Ark. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Institute for Creation Research, 1806 Royal Lane, Dallas, Texas 75229 or STEP Ministries, P.O. Box 122, North Little Rock, Ark. 72115. Online guestbook is available at www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com.