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Submitted: 9/2/20 • Approved: 9/3/20 • Last Updated: 9/5/20 • R1337202-G1210104-S3
May 30, 1918 - August 8, 2017
Erlene Black Howser Ward was born to Walter Darcy and Annie Laurie Seward Black on May 30, 1918 in McNeil.
She passed away at the age of 99 on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at the Summit Health and Rehabilitation Center in Taylor.
After graduating from McNeil High School she attended Magnolia A&M. She transferred to Henderson State College, graduating with a degree in education. She later received a degree in English from Tulane University in New Orleans, a master of education in English from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She also studied at Stratford-upon-Avon in England at a Shakespeare seminar. While in England she visited the home of Alfred Lord Tennyson who wrote “Crossing the Bar.”
Erlene taught in Bellville, Sandyland, Smackover and McNeil. Later she taught at an Indian Reservation in Montana. She finished her teaching career in Covington, LA where she taught senior English.
She later moved back to Magnolia to care for her parents. After their deaths, she worked as a Pink Lady at the Magnolia Hospital until her health failed at the age of 91.
Erlene was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Magnolia.
She is predeceased by her parents; a brother, Carl Black; and husbands, C.L. Howser and John Ward. She is survived by numerous family and friends.
Honoring Erlene as pallbearers will be Les Black, David Powell, Wayne Timmons, Todd Smith, Paul Hayden and Paul Pittman.
Special thanks to the staff at Summit Health and Rehabilitation Center and Encompass Hospice for their loving care.
Visitation with the family will be held from 1-2 p.m. Sunday, August 13 at Lewis Funeral Home, Inc., in Magnolia with funeral service to follow at 2 p.m. with Rev. Mike Morgan officiating. Burial will be at the Shiloh Cemetery in Waldo.
The family requests memorial contributions are made to the First Presbyterian Church, 1417 North Jackson St., Magnolia, AR 71753.
Contributed on 9/2/20 by debbraszymanski
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Record #: 1337202