Jim Searcy Childers

Mrs. Jim Searcy Childers, aged 97, died at her home at 4:10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. She was a great mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, mother-in-law, neighbor and friend. Jim was born March 5, 1919, in Rison, Arkansas to J.B. and Velma (Hawk) Searcy. She graduated from Rison High School in 1936, and attended Texarkana Junior College where she worked as an assistant in the physical education department under the NYA Program. Due to the Depression and lack of funds she had to leave school after one term. In the fall of 1937, following a visit from Pinkney Robert Childers, the representative of Draughon's School of Business in Little Rock, she enrolled in the secretarial course at Draughon's. Due to a ruptured appendix she had to leave Draughon's in the spring of 1938 but following successful surgery returned to complete the course. As a student she posted 75 words a minute on the manual typewriter and 120 words per minute in short hand. On March 24, 1940, she married Pinkney Robert "Bob" Childers in Benton, Arkansas. They lived in Little Rock until 1944 when Bob joined the Marines, and following boot camp in San Diego, was deployed to Guam for the invasion of Japan. While he was gone to war, Jim and daughter, Lynda, lived in Rison where Jim worked as a secretary for her cousin, Max Smith, an attorney and State Representative. Max secured a job for Jim working in the stenographers' pool during the 1945 session of the Legislature. With exception of the 1947 session, she worked in the House of Representatives for every session from 1945 until her retirement in 1985. She moved from the stenographers' pool early in the 1949 session to become secretary to Hayes McClerkin, Chief Clerk of the House, and continued through the tenures of Nelson Cox and Hal Moody as they served as Chief Clerks of the House. Following Moody's departure, on January 14, 1969, Jim took the oath of office to become the first woman to be elected Chief Clerk of the Arkansas House of Representatives. In 1956 she began a career at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, first as secretary to the Chief of Law Enforcement and in 1958 she became secretary to the Director of the Game and Fish Commission, taking leave of that position only when the Legislature was in session. Jim was very active in civic affairs and organizations and received many honors. She served as president of the Little Rock Diamond Charter Chapter of the American Business Women's Association and was honored by the national organization as one of the ABWA Top Ten Women of the year, being recognized for that honor at the 1972 annual convention in Miami, Florida. Through the years she served as Regent of Basil Gaither Chapter DAR, transferring later to the Gilbert Marshall Chapter, DAR. She served as president of T.J. Churchill Chapter UDC; a 12 year member of the Hand Bell Choir and the United Sunday School Class of St. Paul's United Methodist Church; a Blood Bank Volunteer for ten years with the American Red Cross; served as secretary of PTA's at Rison Elementary School in Rison, Mitchell Elementary School, Rightsell Elementary School and East Side Junior High School in Little Rock and in her late 80's Jim joined the West Little Rock Lions Club. While living in Rison during WWII she joined the Culpepper chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. Jim was predeceased by her husband, P.R. "Bob" Childers, a baby daughter, a baby son, her parents and her half-sister, Mary Elizabeth Searcy McKenzie. She is survived by one daughter, Lynda Sue Childers Suffridge and her husband, Dr. Buford J. Suffridge Jr. of North Little Rock; three grandsons, Dr. Calvin B. Suffridge, USN, and wife Tara, of Fort Meade, Maryland; Dr. Phillip J. Suffridge and wife Angie of Little Rock; and Dr. Joseph Bradley "J.B." Suffridge and wife, Catherine, of North Little Rock; 10 grandchildren; Taylor Catherine Suffridge of Washington, D.C.; Cole Thomas Suffridge of the University of the Ozarks at Clarksville, Arkansas; Hayden Franklin Suffridge of Ft. Meade, Md.; Andrew Phillip Suffridge of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville; Emily Elizabeth, Ashley Olivia and Anna Catherine "Anna Kate" Suffridge of Little Rock; Mari Corzine "Cora", Amelia Catherine, and Bradley Michelle Suffridge of North Little Rock; a niece, Dr. Beth McKenzie and husband, Parker Cane of New York City; a nephew, Dr. Jim McKenzie and wife, Ann, of Bentonville, Arkansas and two first cousins, Anna Lee Garner, age 101, of Rison and Iris Searcy Owen, age 103, of Malvern survive her. The family would like to thank friends, neighbors, caregivers and Hospice Home Care who made it possible for her to remain in her home until her death, especially neighbors, Lee Ellen and Chuck Carroll and caregivers, Jennifer Gaines, Tameka Williams Martin, Amalia Farcas and Theresa Tugle; her cardiologist, Dr. Jeffery Newhauser, who gave her an additional nearly 14 years of quality life following a massive heart attack in 2003, and her family physician, Dr. Scott Brown. Services will be Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 3 p.m., preceded by visitation beginning at 2 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 2223 Durwood Road, Little Rock with the Rev. Rich Mitchell officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery, Rison, Arkansas. Memorials may be made to the Greenwood Cemetery Association, %Herschel S. Garner, P.O. Box 514 Rison, Ark. 71665, or to St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 2223 Durwood Rd., Little Rock, Ark. 72207. Honorary pallbearers are: grandsons, Dr. Calvin Suffridge, Dr. Phillip Suffridge and Dr. J.B. Suffridge; great-grandsons, Andrew Suffridge and Cole Suffridge; Dr. Jim McKenzie, Dr. Lonnie Warren, Herschel Garner, Craig Douglass, Jimmy Golden, Mort Gitelman, Chuck Carroll, Chad Carroll and Andrew Carroll. Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct., (501) 224-2200. Jim's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.