Obituaries

Ara Nora Chavis

Ara Nora Chavis, 89, passed away on January 24, 2018. She was the daughter of Lena Belle Castleberry and Ben F. Sloan. She was predeceased by her husband of 61 years, A. D. Chavis Jr., a daughter DeOnne Chavis Cicero and a son Paul Sloan Chavis. She is survived by a son, Doug, four grand- children, five great grand-children and numerous nieces and nephews. Her life overflowed with love and devotion to her family. She was a gentle friend to all. Her grandson, Arthur had an English class assignment to write about someone he admired and wrote about his grandmother. At his teacher's suggestion, he showed it to her, whereupon she opined that such would suffice for her obituary. Thus: My Memommy (grandma) is the sweetest, strongest, most loyal and faithful woman that I have ever met. This woman has been through too much tribulation for her to still be happy and optimistic. It's amazing what a human being can go through in a lifetime and still come out unscathed. There are many people who deserve praise just as much as my Memommy but this is the person who has most influenced my life. Ara Nora Sloan was born in Warren, Arkansas on the twenty eighth of February, 1928, a child of the depression. She is five feet three inches, one hundred pounds, with bright, curly, red hair. She grew up without a coat in winter, and as a result she doesn't throw anything away now, not empty bags or jars or anything. When she met my Pawpaw they were living in Pine Bluff. He swept her off her feet because he picked her up for a date in an airplane. The pair got married and had three beautiful kids together, my dad, Arthur D. Chavis III, my uncle, Paul Sloan Chavis, and my aunt, now Deonne Chavis Cicero. A few days before Christmas, 1954, the family piled in the car and headed down to Little Rock to look at the Christmas lights, unfortunately the rail road lights weren't working that Christmas. The family is singing Christmas carols and having a merry old time but fail to notice a train coming right at them as they cross the tracks. BAM!! The train hits the side my Memommy is riding on and the car is crushed all around her. (The weight ratio of a train to a car is the same as a car to an aluminum can.) The paramedics reach in to pull her out and feel a bone and figure she has lost her legs, but she hadn't. They were forced to cut her out with a torch. The rest of the family gets out relatively safe, my dad has a broken arm, my uncle, a broken hip, and my aunt and Pawpaw only have a few scratches. My Memommy had internal bleeding and blood clots, broken arms, legs and ribs. The internal problems were so severe the doctor was sure that she wouldn't make it. I can remember my Memommy saying how she could feel so much pain and that she wanted to let go and knew that if she did let go, God would be waiting; but she fought it and prayed to the Lord that if He would let her live and raise her children then she would dedicate her life to Him. The very next day after that prayer the doctors got her internal problems stabilized. The doctor said she would have to stay in bed her whole life, but nooooo my Memommy wasn't having that, she went to physical therapy for six years just so she could walk around with a brace on. The doctors told her not to work, that she couldn't handle it, but Memommy went right back to work as soon as she could so she could send her kids to college. My dad and uncle both went to Hendrix and my aunt went to Ouachita. Not only did my Memommy send her three kids to college but she continued to work 10 or 15 years after they graduated to pay off their student loans for them. To this day my Memommy is the most selfless person. She still give words of wisdom to those in need and adamantly encourages people to stay faithful, everything will turn out all right in the end with a little effort. She is now ready for God to take her but she doesn't wait on it and dwell on it; she is an angel in my eyesight and always will be. A private family service will take place at a later date. Online condolences: www.ralphrobinsonandson.com.

Published February 6, 2018

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