Barbara Hancock Thurmond

BARBARA HANCOCK THURMOND, 76, died peacefully on April 4, 2016 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Barbara Ann was born on April 29, 1939, the fourth child of Frank and Doris Hancock of Crossett (where she grew up on the farm her father built following his Army service in World War I). She graduated from Crossett High School with honors in 1957 and studied English at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and at LSU, eventually earning a Master's degree in English Literature. She then got her teaching certificate from Arkansas State University and taught high school in Paragould, where she lived with her first husband Robert Mitchell (deceased) whom she had met at college in Fayetteville. After their separation she moved to Little Rock, where she taught composition at UALR until her retirement. Shortly after moving to Little Rock, she met and later married Russell Thurmond, who survives her along with their three children Frank, Kate, and Will and her granddaughter Hayley (along with numerous beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins around the country). Barbara was an avid reader with a great love for the arts and gave generous support throughout her life to charitable and cultural organizations, including the Arkansas Repertory Theater, The Weekend Theater, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Arts Center, and Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts. (As a passionate Razorback fan, she could still be heard ‘calling the Hogs' to the very last.) She also had a lifelong dedication to her church, Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock. She was loved and cherished by all who knew her for her kind and loving nature and true zest for life. She instilled in her children her own love of reading and music, and she supported and encouraged them in every endeavor. A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Crossett on Sat., April 23 (4 p.m.). Donations may be made in Barbara's honor to any of the aforementioned institutions she supported, including her church. Arrangements under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home. www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.