Marsha G. ADAMS WOOLY

June 13, 1930 - September 2, 2012

Marsha G Woolly, age 62, of Alma, Arkansas died Sunday, September 2, 2012. She was born June 15, 1950, in Eldorado, Illinois, daughter of C G and Helen Adams. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, David; daughter Kris Markes and husband Peter of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; son Jared of Denver, Colorado; grandsons Patrick and Vincent; brother, Dr Ralph Adams of Van Buren, Arkansas; brother John Johnson, of West Frankfort, Illinois; 11 nieces and nephews; and was preceded in death by sister, JoAnn Johnson, of Eldorado, Illinois. Mrs Woolly is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a degree in elementary education, also receiving a Master of Education in Reading and a Master of Educational Leadership including district level certification from the University of Arkansas. She worked her entire 36 year career as an educator in the Alma School District, first as an elementary teacher, then as a reading specialist. She later became Alma Elementary School assistant principal and then principal. In 1986, she was appointed principal of the new Alma Primary School, a facility and program she led from its inception. She remained at this school as principal for 22 years until her retirement in 2008, just prior to the birth of her first grandson. She deeply believed that the key to a person's success in life is learning to read successfully and fluently at an early age, and worked tirelessly to ensure that the thousands of students she encountered in her career did just that. Throughout her career as an educator she was active in numerous education related organizations, including the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, the Arkansas Association of Elementary School Principals-on which she served as Secretary-Treasurer and was honored as the organization's District Principal of the Year in 1993, the Arkansas Reading Council, the Arkansas Title One Advisory Council, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
She frequently served on accreditation teams for schools across Arkansas and was a resource for the Arkansas Department of Education as well as for many principals and schools in Arkansas concerning elementary education. In addition to her career as an educator, Mrs Woolly was also very active in local government, serving on the Alma City Council for over twenty years until her death. In 1993, she was appointed Mayor of Alma, serving in that role for several months in an emergency capacity while continuing her responsibilities as school principal, mother and wife. She was particularly proud of the many advancements in Alma during her tenure on the Council, including the recently constructed tennis complex, the Farmers Market, the development of the Community Center, the enlargement of the Municipal Complex, the expansion of the police force, the dramatic revamping of the fire department facilities and equipment, and numerous improvements in streets, and water and sewer services. In addition, she served two terms on the Crawford County Quorum Court, including one term as budget chair. Beyond her governmental service, Mrs Woolly was an original member of the Alma Advertising and Promotion Commission. She was instrumental in the Commission's successes, including the baseball and softball complex, the continued development of the Alma Spinach Festival and promotion of the Alma Performing Arts Center. She was also a member of the Crawford County Senior Inn Board and was a member of the Alma Friends of the Library on which she served two terms as president. Mrs Woolly embraced the importance of community service throughout her life and career.
Pallbearers were Bert Adams, Shawn Bullard, John Ewing, David Johnson, Jack Johnson, Mark Mason, Eddie Wakefield, Russell White.

Contributed on 5/17/19 by billsully060
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Record #: 1269471

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