Martha Louise Roach

Martha Louise (Webber) Roach, 87, of Des Arc, Ark., returned home to her Heavenly Father on May 30, 2019, while surrounded at home by her children and friends. Louise was born at the family farm in the Oak Prairie community of Des Arc on May 4, 1932, to Mark and Bessie Helen (Smith) Webber, Jr., the oldest of six siblings. She worked on the family farm and attended the Des Arc schools until she graduated in 1950. In 1948, she met the love of her life, Roy Edward Roach, at a county fair in Hazen, Ark. After her graduation, they wed on Dec. 7, 1950, and enjoyed 62 years of marriage before Roy died in a car accident in 2013. They lived in Carlisle for a few years and had two children, Jacqueline Ann and Mark (Buddy) Edward. Shortly after Mark was born they moved to Hazen and began farming. In 1959, the family moved to the Nichols farm, five miles east of Des Arc near the Johnson Chapel community. In 1960, Louise began working at the new Van Heusen shirt factory in downtown Des Arc and then at the facility built on the west end of town. The family left farming and moved into Des Arc in 1962. Louise rose within Van Heusen to become a training supervisor but left Van Heusen to become the bookkeeper for Berry Furniture in Des Arc. Several years later she became the bookkeeper for Bunge Corporation at Des Arc where she remained for more than 30 years until retiring in December 2002. Services will be at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 2, 2019 at First Baptist Church of Des Arc. Officiating will be the Reverends Melvin York and Pat Skarda. Visitation will be at Garth Funeral Home in Des Arc on Saturday, June 1, from 2-4 p.m. Pallbearers are nephews Jeffrey Webber, Chris Keathley, Michael Keathley, Bruce Webber, Glenn Blake, and Don Wyatt. Honorary pallbearers are the First Baptist Golden Circle Sunday School Class, and nephews, Tim Thompson, and Mark Webber. She is survived by a daughter, Jacqueline Ann Roach of Little Rock; son, Mark (Buddy) Edward Roach and wife Diana of Oxnard, Calif.; two granddaughters, Corey Marie Roach of Oxnard, Calif., and Tiffany Michelle Krogstad and husband Ryan, of Lancaster, Calif., and one great-grandson, Luke Edward Krogstad. She is survived by her brother, George (Ann) Edward Webber of Paris, Tenn. and sister, Gloria Faye (Webber) Keathley of Des Arc, Ark. and sister-in-laws, Mary (Whiteside) Webber of Dallas, Texas, and Sandra (Pryor) Webber of Des Arc, Ark. and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Franklin Leroy Webber, Marvin Lewis Webber and wife Sue (Stallings), and John Linville Webber and a brother-in-law Lloyd Keathley. In lieu of flowers, Louise had requested memorial donations be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital and First Baptist Church of Des Arc. www.garthfuneralhome.com.