Esther Jo Manees

Esther Jo Manees, 100, a long-time resident of Dermott, died on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 at Premier Health Center in North Little Rock. She was born June 14, 1918 in Monticello to the late Clara Sharp Hollinger and Henry Hollinger. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by husband Johnny Manees, grandson Kerry Wingard, four sisters and four brothers. She is survived by daughters Diane Ford (Alvin) of Lake Village and Wanda Manees; son Dennis Manees (Ann) of North Little Rock; grandsons Kevin Ford of Denver, Colo., and Sam Beck (Kim-deceased) of Corryton, Tenn.; granddaughters Dana Brantley (Jeff) of Magnolia, Ark., and Amanda Johnson (Ryan) of Anchorage, Alaska; two great-granddaughters Morgan Watson (Blake) of Magnolia and Rachel Schlech (Austin) of Little Rock; one great-grandson William Beck of Corryton, Tenn.; and six great-great-grandchildren. She attended school at Drew Central until Junior High, at which time the family moved to Dermott, where she graduated from Dermott High School. She Worked at Trigg's Dept. Store until it closed and was then employed at Wells Lamont for over twenty years. Her life's love and interest was working and planting in her yard. To all her neighbors and friends she was known for her impeccable yard and beautiful flowers. And in 1995 she was honored as Woman of the Year in recognition of her planting and care for the "Little Park" at the Dermott City Hall entrance. She was even awarded yard of the month when she was eighty-seven years old. Her family gathered at her house for Mother's Day every year for a backyard barbecue, and she also had long ago started a tradition of cooking the noon meal on Christmas day for all of the family, which she continued until age ninety. She was a lifelong member of the Dermott Baptist Church, where she once taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and served on the Food Committee. Visitation from 1-2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, 2018 at Griffin-Culpepper Chapel in McGehee, Ark. Funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. Burial at the Manees Cemetery in Monticello. Online guest book may be signed at www.griffinculpepper.com.