Resident News Network

Magazine Rattler Band Earns First Division Honors at State Assessment

Networks

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8:33 pm

Magazine Rattler Band Earns First Division Honors at State Assessment

Note to Our Readers: The following story was sourced directly and in its entirety from Mr. Jonathan Gipson, Director of Media Relations, Magazine School District. Mr. Gipson is a RNN Sports contributor, and we thank him for bringing this story to our readers.

MAGAZINE – At the State Concert Assessment, the fortunate few bands who qualify know that their performances will be held to a much higher standard than ever before. That intense scrutiny from the judges, though, didn’t seem to faze the Magazine Rattler Band.

A little more than a month after earning a First Division Superior rating at the Western Region (Region VIII) Concert Assessment, the Rattler Band added yet another distinction to its legacy on Wednesday afternoon, earning First Division honors in the State Concert Assessment at Cabot High School.

It’s the first time the Rattler Band has achieved that prestigious rating since 2001.

Band members performing at the State Concert Assessment included junior Brock Gentry (trumpet), sophomores Briare Harding (clarinet), Kalynn Downs (tenor saxophone), Trinidy Harding (trombone) and Nat Ervin (percussion), freshmen Allie Istre (clarinet) and Isaiah Ward (clarinet), eighth graders Aiden Schmitt (clarinet) and Kauree Bennett (alto saxophone) and seventh grader Madison Kilgore (tuba).

“I am incredibly proud of this group of students,” Magazine band director Ashley Love said. “They love to perform and have put in countless hours to make their sound and style full of quality found in the best of musicians.”

At the State Concert Assessment, bands are judged on similar criteria to that of the Region Concert Assessment – tone, articulation, rhythm and tempo, precision, technique, style, balance, phrasing, expression and dynamics.

“There is an approved list of (song) titles we must choose from,” Love explained. “And, all bands must perform one march.”

The only other River Valley area bands to earn First Division honors were: the Fort Smith Southside Maverick Philharmonic Orchestra (Class 7A), Russellville and Van Buren (Class 6A), the Dardanelle Wind Ensemble (Class 5A) and Ozark (Class 4A).

PHOTO INFORMATION

The Magazine Rattler Band received First Division honors during Wednesday’s State Concert Assessment at Cabot High School in Cabot. It is the first time the Rattler Band has received the prestigious ranking since 2001. Band members are (left to right) Madison Kilgore, Trinidy Harding, Briare Harding, Brock Gentry, Isaiah Ward, Aidan Schmitt, Allie Istre, Kauree Bennett, Kalynn Downs, Nat Ervin and band director Ashley Love.

Arkansas Hosts the Vols in Weekend SEC Series

Sports

Resident News Network

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6:19 pm

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Arkansas Hosts the Vols in Weekend SEC Series

FAYETTEVILLE – No. 5 Arkansas (26-7, 8-4 SEC) hosts defending SEC champion No. 16 Tennessee (23-10, 5-7 SEC) in a highly anticipated series this weekend at Baum-Walker Stadium.

First pitch in the opener of the three-game set between the Razorbacks and Volunteers is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, April 14, on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Kyle Peterson (analyst) on the call. Games two and three will stream on SEC Network+ with first pitch set for 6 p.m. Saturday, April 15, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 16, respectively.

Arkansas enters this weekend’s series with an 8-4 SEC record. The Razorbacks have started 8-4 or better in SEC play for six consecutive seasons, which marks the best stretch of starting 8-4 or better in SEC play since LSU did it from 1991-98.

Schedule

Friday, April 14

Tennessee vs. #5 Arkansas – 7 p.m. – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats

Saturday, April 15

Tennessee vs. #5 Arkansas – 6 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats

Sunday, April 16

Tennessee vs. #5 Arkansas – 2 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats

On the Mound

Friday, April 14

Tennessee RHP Andrew Lindsey (0-1, 2.01 ERA) vs. Arkansas LHP Hunter Hollan (5-1, 3.00 ERA)

Saturday, April 15

Tennessee TBA vs. Arkansas TBA

Sunday, April 16

Tennessee TBA vs. Arkansas TBA

Tune In
Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Kyle Peterson (analyst) will have the call of Friday’s primetime game on SEC Network. Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) will have the call of Saturday and Sunday’s games on SEC Network+.

The entire series can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield, including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM or through the Razorback app, with Phil Elson (play-by-play) and Bubba Carpenter (analyst) on the call. A full list of radio affiliates is available here.

Series History

Arkansas is 39-28 all-time against Tennessee, including a 19-10 record in games played in Fayetteville. Under head coach Dave Van Horn, the Razorbacks are 27-14 overall against the Volunteers, including a 12-5 mark at home.

The Hogs have not dropped a regular-season weekend series against the Volunteers since 2005, Van Horn’s third season at the helm of the program. Arkansas, which has not lost a series to Tennessee in Fayetteville since 1996, most recently swept the Vols at Baum-Walker Stadium in 2019, the last time the two programs met on the diamond in Fayetteville.

Homerin’ Hogs

Entering Friday’s series opener, Arkansas has homered in an NCAA-leading 29 consecutive games. The Razorbacks, who have homered in all but two of their 33 contests this season, have cranked 50 home runs during their 29-game streak.

The NCAA record for consecutive games with a homer is held by LSU (77 games) and spanned parts of three seasons from June 8, 1996, to Feb. 21, 1998.

For the year, Arkansas has belted 56 home runs in 33 games, led by Jared Wegner’s team-high 12 home runs. Five Hogs have swatted five or more homers: Wegner (12), Kendall Diggs (8), Jace Bohrofen (8), Caleb Cali (5) and Tavian Josenberger (5).

Strong SEC Start

Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Arkansas has started 8-4 or better in SEC play for six consecutive seasons. It marks the best stretch of starting 8-4 or better in SEC play since LSU did it from 1991-98.

2017: 8-4 start / 18-11, 2nd SEC West

2018: 8-4 start / 18-12, T-1st SEC West

2019: 8-4 start / 20-10, T-1st SEC West

2020: N/A

2021: 9-3 start / 22-8, SEC Champions

2022: 8-4 start / 18-12, 2nd SEC West

2023: 8-4 start / TBD

For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).

Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Oliver Grigg.

Wet spring, warm outlook set stage for frog hunting

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

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3:45 pm

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Wet spring, warm outlook set stage for frog hunting

Frog hunting usually requires one person to keep a steady light on the quarry and the other to do the gigging.

Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications

Regular bouts of rain may have kept many gardens on hold during the last few weeks, but they’ve filled most backwaters and ponds just in time for folks who get excited about opening night of frog gigging.

Arkansas’s frog hunting season runs from noon April 15 until midnight Dec. 31 each year. In Arkansas, only bullfrogs may be harvested, and the limit is 18 frogs per day, measured from noon one day until noon the next day.

There are relatively few rules for frog hunting, but you do need a fishing license to be legal. Guns are not allowed to harvest frogs, but most people opt for long multitined spears called gigs to capture their frogs. Nets and arrows also may be used, or if you’re stealthy enough and have a sure grip you may want to give grabbing the frogs bare-handed a shot.

No matter which method you use, frogging requires you to get as close as possible to your target, which means your best bet is to go at night.

Frogging is often a two-person hunt. One will navigate a small flat-bottomed boat or canoe while the other is designated as the grabber or gigger. The boat captain will scan the shoreline with a spotlight watching for the frog’s bright yellow glowing eyes to shine back and give up its location. From there the pair will ease into striking range of the frog while keeping the light on it, which bewilders the quarry long enough to take a shot at gigging it.

Be sure to scan the bushes along the banks before making an approach on any frog. Plenty of spiders set up shop along the shore’s edge to catch their prey, and the webs can be a pain. Snakes also climb into low-hanging branches of brush along the water’s edge. Many tales of men walking on the water during a frog-gigging trip begin with a snake falling into the boat. While most water snakes are not venomous, it doesn’t make it any less frightening when one plops in the boat next to you.

Some froggers work with bows and arrows, usually the bowfishing type with the arrows connected by fishing line to a reel on the bow. A good bow shooter can take frogs from a greater distance than a gigger can, but the target is small, and the lighting can be tricky.

Frogs in Arkansas are plentiful, but finding them is a major part of the game. Oxbows in the Delta are typically the best locations for a frog hunt, but a few lily pad-rich lakes and backwaters also offer plenty of bullfrogs for a good hunt. As with most other types of hunting, scouting good locations and putting in some “leg work” is key to a successful outing.

Cleaning the frogs after a night of gigging is relatively simple. Cut it in half just above the waist, then peel down the skin from the legs with a pair of pliers. Snip off the bottom feet and the legs are ready to be grilled or rolled in your favorite breading and fried.

Bulldogs down Tigers 11-1

Networks

Ross Fujibayashi

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1:14 pm

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In Non-Conference action the Greenwood Bulldogs Baseball team hosted Charleston on Thursday night.

It took five innings of baseball to decide the winner between Charleston and Greenwood. The Bulldogs would take the win 11-1. Greenwood came into the contest 12-5 and 8-0 in conference. Earlier this week the ‘Dogs took care of business against Siloam Springs, beating the Panthers 12-0 in the first game and then 2-0 in the second game.

Starting pitcher on the night was Senior Hunter Houston pitched 4 innings allowing one hit, one run, and one strikeout in his time on the mound. Junior Austin Mitchell saw action in the top of the 5th not giving giving up any hits. His time would be short lived as Greenwood would finish off the game in the bottom of the 5th.

Harrison Adams would get the first of 7 hits for the Bulldogs getting a single. A deep hit to right field from Sophomore Grant Karnes would result in Harrison Adams getting across the plate. The speedy Karnes would get to third on the play. An errant pitch from Charleston and a quick run from Grant Karnes would put the ‘Dogs on top 2-0 before the side retired.

Harrison Adams would get the second hit of the night with another single. Sophomore Scott Holland would make it to home plate to make it 3-0. Senior Dawson Holt would sprint from 3rd to get Greenwood their 4th score. A single that quickly turned into double for the batter, would bring in Adams. Junior Braden Skaggs would hit a double that would bring in Grant Karnes and Brady Pettigrew putting the score 7-0 in the bottom of the 2nd.

Both sides would become relatively quiet after Charleston’s lone run in the top of the 3rd. In the bottom of the 4th the Tigers would get a double-play to retire Greenwood. Top of the 5th saw Austin Mitchell make his way to the mound. To not be out done, a hit to first base is caught by Brady Pettigrew, he tags the base then throws to 2nd Baseman Dawson Holt who gets the Tiger runner out completing their Double-Play. Charleston’s last batter strikes out to send them to the dugout.

Greenwood took over the bottom of the 5th to put the game away. A double from Weston Pschier, brings in Ashsin Vinci and Jaxon Cole to push the Greenwood lead to 9-1. With Harrison Adams at bat, Austin Bercher makes it to Home Plate. Another Adams single brings in Pschier with the score 11-1.

The game would end run ruled.

“First of all we had a really good crowd tonight. We haven’t played at home in awhile so I want to thank everybody for keeping in tune with what we are doing and showing up to watch us play. It’s been a road stretch for three weeks now.” Head Coach Brandon Brewer said.

“We put runs up, we took our bases when we had too, and had some discipline.” Coach Brewer said when talking about 11 runs on 7 hits. “I think we can turn it up a little bit more.”

A noticeable change in the team is the culture that is beginning to show not just with on the field play, but with off field as well. “We speak all the time about them raising their standards, and it is not just the standards of Baseball. We are talking about the standards of life. We start doing things right off the field it translates on the field. We have stressed hard about them going and taking care of their classwork. About working hard in the weight room. About being involved in the community. What happens is these kids grow up and they become citizens of Greenwood, and if we are really good at Baseball then that is the cherry on top.” said Coach Brewer

The Bulldogs will be in action again on Tuesday as they take on Conference foe Mountain Home in a double header. Game Times are 4:30 and 7:00 in Greenwood.

Greenwood Boys and Girls at halfway point of Conference

Networks

Ross Fujibayashi

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1:13 pm

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Greenwood Boys and Girls at halfway point of Conference

Tuesday night the Greenwood Bulldogs took on Harrison in a 5A West Conference match-up.

The Lady Bulldogs were in action first taking on the Lady Goblins. Harrison jumped out to an early lead and never looked back with the halftime score at 5-0. Greenwood would make adjustments at the half and get on the scoreboard with a goal from Madelyn Wilkinson. Harrison would tack on two more scores to end the game 7-1.

The Lady Bulldogs came into the match-up with Harrison after a 2-2 tie against Greenbrier on Thursday. That game saw Freshman Farah Crossno get both goals in the first half with one of the goals coming as time expired. It was setup by a corner kick from Abbigail Gatesman.

Currently the Lady Bulldogs sit 4th in Conference at 3-3-1 but a 6-3-1 record overall. The Lady Bulldogs will travel to Russellville on Friday to kickoff the second half of conference play.

The Varsity Boys took the field shortly after the Girls game ended. It was a defensive game for the first half as both teams took several shots on goal but Goal Keeper Brandon Coston would keep the Harrison Goblins scoreless after 80 minutes of play.

A Harrison penalty inside the Goal Keepers box saw Tucker Wooten attempt the penalty kick in the first half, it would be stopped be the Goal Keeper. Another penalty in the 2nd half would have Senior Steven Duran attempt a 2nd penalty kick and this one would go right past the Goblin defender. Greenwood would put the first points on the board with 29.49 left in the 2nd half. Several more saves by Coston would highlight the 2nd half as well as the defensive play from Hudson Meeker.

Ben Pschier would get a goal in traffic at the 22:10 mark in the 2nd. From there it was all defense as the Bulldogs hung on to win 2-0.

Coming into the game the Bulldogs had dropped a close 2-1 match against a very physical Greenbrier Panther team. Greenwood’s lone goal would come from Body Steinfeldt on a penalty kick that sailed perfectly over the Panther defense.

“I’m super proud we had a clean sheet (no goals allowed) too. We haven’t had many clean sheets lately.” Coach Tyler Woods said after the defensive showcase the Bulldogs displayed. “Kudos to Brandon Coston our Keeper, Carson Hobbs, Body Steinfeldt, Alex Pittman, Hudson Meeker, and Braycen Austin. He even subbed in at midfielder and saved a corner (kick) from going in”

“I’m super proud of them, that was a good win to build on. Hope we can build some momentum going into the 2nd half (of conference)” Coach Woods concluded.

The Bulldogs just as their Lady Bulldogs counterpart will travel to Russellville to take on the Cyclones on Friday. Russellville sits atop the Boys 5A West Conference at 5-0-1, while the Greenwood Bulldogs are 6th heading into Fridays match up with a 2-4-1 Conference record. The Bulldogs are 6-5-2 overall.

Youth turkey hunt tops seven-year slump

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

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2:11 am

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Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications

Excellent weather and receptive birds welcomed Arkansas’s youth hunters and the young guns did not disappoint. According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s online checking system, hunters aged 6-15 harvested 1,068 turkeys during last weekend’s two-day youth hunt, the first time the harvest has exceeded 1,000 since 2016.

The harvest eclipsed the 2022 special youth hunt harvest of 887 by 19 percent. This continues the upward trend from 821 turkeys harvested during the same hunt in 2021.

Jeremy Wood, AGFC turkey program coordinator, said the harvest increase was welcome news and follows the same trend as last year’s turkey brood surveys.

“Even though last year’s reproduction really won’t come into play until next season when those birds are adult gobblers, there was still improved reproduction the year before and light winds gave us a great opening hunt,” Wood said. “You couldn’t have asked for better weather.”

Wood said the online checking system may still record a handful of birds from late checks, but the majority of the checked harvest has been tallied.

“It typically takes two days for the different checking methods to be compiled and loaded into the system, so I’m pretty confident we’re going to be pretty close to the final number for the hunt now,” Wood said.

Youth hunters checked 756 turkeys on Saturday and 312 turkeys on Sunday. Although a few complaints arose about the hunt occurring on Easter weekend, the decline in harvest followed the same pattern as most youth hunts. The drop between the first and second days is common during the hunt for two reasons, Wood said.

“That first morning, hunters have had a couple of days to scout and be prepared to work an unpressured bird, so they’re going to see greater initial success,” Wood said. “Also, because youths are only allowed one turkey during the youth hunt, those who were successful on day one aren’t going for a second bird until the regular season opens next week.”

Although the timing may have been unfortunate for a few hunters, the hunt is based on the biology of the birds. Turkeys do not reach their peak breeding window until mid-April across most of Arkansas, and the regular season needs to occur after that point to allow as many hens to be bred as possible before hunting disturbance begins. Timing the youth hunt nine days before the regular season is needed to allow the birds some rest to again resume normal activities before opening day.

“Ideally, we don’t want any harvest before the peak of breeding and nest initiation, but the youth hunt is very important for recruiting young hunters and allowing them to get some success early in their hunting careers,” Wood said.

If this season follows recent harvest trends, turkey fanatics have a lot to get excited for. According to Wood, the youth hunt typically accounts for 10 percent of the overall season harvest. A good youth hunt may indicate increased harvest throughout the regular season, weather permitting.

Wood said the vast majority of the birds harvested so far have been mature gobblers, which also bodes well for the future.

“About 90 percent of all immature gobblers harvested in a season usually come from the youth hunt because youth hunters are the only ones allowed to take them,” Wood said. “A large portion of last year’s hatch should still be on the ground at the end of this season. Those will be mature gobblers next year and beyond.”

RNN Sports Announces New Expanded Coverage into Northwest Arkansas

Sports

Resident News Network

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5:19 pm

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RNN Sports Announces New Expanded Coverage into Northwest Arkansas

RNN Sports is proud to announce new expanded sports coverage in Northwest Arkansas that includes Razorbacks sports and area high school sports!

RNN Sports has always brought you great sports coverage throughout the River Valley, and most recently, has added Razorbacks sports coverage for our subscribers!

Today, RNN Sports is proud to post the first photos of Northwest Arkansas high school sports that were taken by our NWA contributing photographer, John D. James. You may have seen John’s great work covering Razorbacks sports on Facebook at Hogville.net

We are happy to bring new coverage to you, and we thank John for his tireless work in bringing Hogs and high school sports images to you!

The photos below are from our first game that was played on April 11, 2023 between Fayetteville and Springdale Har-Ber. Har-Ber won the contest, 8-1.

Waldron School Board Meets in Regular Session

News

Tammy Teague

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6:58 pm

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Waldron School Board Meets in Regular Session

The regular monthly meeting of the Waldron School Board was held in the Central Office Building Monday, April 11, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Board members present were Tammye Sherrill, Clay Woodall, Angela Hunsucker, Mac Davis and Konnor McKay. Others present were Superintendent Daniel Fielding, Misty Owens, Kim Solomon, Kristi Sigman, Cheyenne Smith, Zack Taylor, Darla Jeffery, Ryan Walker, Chris Lipham, Toni Dozier, Tonya Cluck, Cathy Almon, Jim Almon and Keith Brigance.

Vice-President Mac Davis called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. and welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Konnor McKay began the meeting with a word of prayer.

Angela Hunsucker led the Pledge of Allegiance.

A motion was made by Tammye Sherrill and seconded by Konnor McKay to add item E) Approve Purchase Orders to ITSavvy. Motion carried 4:0.

A motion was made by Angela Hunsucker and seconded by Tammye Sherrill to add item F) Approve Invoice to Weatherproofing Technologies in the amount of $15,390.49. Motion carried 4:0.

A motion was made by Tammye Sherrill and seconded by Konnor McKay to add item C) Discuss Sawyer Wright Field to New Business. Motion carried 4:0.

A motion was made by Tammye Sherrill and seconded by Angela Hunsucker to approve the Consent Agenda items: A) Approval of the March 6th and March 13th Minutes; B) Approve Financial Reports and Expenditures; C) Approve Building Blocks Pediatric Therapy, PA Contract for 2023-24- SY; D) Approve Purchase Order for IXL Learning E) Approve Purchase Orders for ITSAVVY F) Approve Invoice to Weatherproofing Technologies. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Tammye Sherrill and seconded by Konnor McKay to approve the audit report. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Tammye Sherrill and seconded by Konnor McKay to approve a CSSO program for Waldron School District. Motion carried 5:0.

After discussing the City of Waldron and Scott County Rodeo Club’s plan for the Sawyer Wright Field, the school board deliberated on the subject, reviewed the Deed and decided against the City allowing the Rodeo Club to take over the facility for this use.

The principals reported on what has been happening on their campuses. They each informed the board about testing that will be underway at each building and events such as pep rallies to motivate students to do their best. Mr. Walker also informed the board that there will be a luncheon on May 1st at the City Park for pre-k and parents. Mrs. Jeffery stated that Kindergarten registration was a success and the number of students enrolled has increased from years past. Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Solomon updated the board members on all the different activities that have been competing and all of their accomplishments. CAP Conferences were held at the High School on April 6th. Prom is scheduled for April 22nd with an accident simulation on April 21. Assistance Superintendent Chris Lipham let the board members know that Waldron will be hosting 2 Jr. High District Track Meets and a Sr. High District Track Meet. The 3a-4 district asked to have their district at Waldron’s facility. Also, the Transportation Department is in need of two full time bus drivers.

Superintendent Fielding spoke about the great efforts of our staff and facilities. He also informed the board members about the crisis training that he and SRO Ethan Millard attended last week.

A motion was made by Tammye Sherrill and seconded by Konnor McKay to accept the resignation of Cynthia Banta Corbin as Custodian as of April 5, 2023. Motion carried 5-0.

A motion was made by Konnor McKay and seconded by Tammye Sherrill to accept the resignation of Erica Dozier from Bus Driver as of the end of the 2022/23 SY. Motion carried 5-0.

A motion was made by Mac Davis and seconded by Angela Hunsucker to accept the resignation of Patricia Slade as HS Paraprofessional as of March 31, 2023. Motion carried 5-0.

A motion was made by Angela Hunsucker and seconded by Mac Davis to hire Rena Owens as Elementary School Paraprofessional to begin 2023-24 SY. Motion carried 5-0.

A motion was made by Konnor McKay and seconded by Tammye Sherrill to hire Rylea Weaver, Ariana Gonzalez, and Leanna Harper as Elementary Teachers to begin 2023-24 SY. Motion carried 5-0.

A motion was made by Mac Davis and seconded by Konnor McKay to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0.

Meeting adjourned at 8:01 p.m.

Investing with Your Heart

Featured

Tammy Teague

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2:00 am

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Today I was sitting down to catch up on some of my work, when I was struck by a sad note. The obituary of one of our long-time subscribers, Vida Stearman of Waldron.

One of the things I love most about community journalism is the people. People you know, and those you may not know now, but a phone call later, you feel as though you just made a life-long friend.

Vida was that way. I had the opportunity to visit with her over the phone a few times. She was a staunch RNN supporter and had been with us for many years. She loved getting her newspaper.

She was a happy person, a good soul. This world is a little drearier since she left it–and I felt that sadness when I read of her passing.

It is the price you pay when you are invested with your whole heart. The price is vulnerability to heartbreak. It’s a price I am willing to pay.

To the Stearman family, please accept the condolences of the Resident News family. We will be holding you close in our thoughts and prayers in the difficult days ahead.

Obituary – Vida Viola (Yandell) Stearman (1934-2023)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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12:58 am

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Obituary – Vida Viola (Yandell) Stearman (1934-2023)

Vida Viola (Yandell) Stearman, 88, of Waldron, Arkansas went to be with her Lord and Savior, Monday, April 10, 2023 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Vida was born September 10, 1934 to William and Augusta (Brothers) Yandell in Waldron, Arkansas. She was of the Baptist faith.

Vida was married to the love of her life Charles Leeverne Stearman for 58 marvelous years; before Charles went on to Heaven to wait for her. Together they raised four amazing children and played a huge role in the lives of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Vida loved watching hummingbirds and was always feeding them. She enjoyed nature and being outdoors working her cattle. Some would say that she loved her dogs most of all. Vida was a sweet, kind and caring person. She enjoyed spending time with her family. The memories made with her loved ones and life long friends will forever be treasured.

Vida leaves behind to cherish her memory her four children: Denver ‘Joe’ Leeverne Stearman of Waldron, Arkansas; Joyce Ann Pearcy and husband Marvin of Booneville, Arkansas; William Stearman and wife Sheila of Waldron, Arkansas; Jerry Dean Stearman and wife Lori of Poteau, Oklahoma. Grandma Vida will forever remain in the hearts of her 12 granchildren: Jason Stearman, Tobie Stearman, Billy Allen, Crystal Newman, Brittnee Stearman, Lynsi Whetstone, Bethany Hicks and step-grandchildren: Sherry Adams, Sharon Adams, Allen Adams, Paige Caughren and Payton Macon; Twenty great-grandchildren and one great great-grandson: Kyson Stearman. Vida will be missed by all that knew her and the many whose lives she impacted including many nieces, nephews and a host of life long friends.

Vida was preceded in death by her loving and devoted husband Charles Stearman; her infant son, Harold Lee Stearman; infant great granddaughter Hannah Newman; her parents, William and Augusta Yandell; and her seven siblings: Bertha Lunsford, Lester Yandell, Ervin Yandell, Chester Yandell, Grady Yandell, Molly Frazier and Claude Ray Yandell.

Vida’s life celebration will be at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, April 13, 2023 at Sehorn Cemetery in Winfield, Arkansas with Rev. Ken Overturf officiating. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Vida’s pallbearers will be Jamie Newman, Lane Newman, Steven Newman, Jason Stearman, Caleb Redmon and Marvin Pearcy.

Vida’s visitation will be Wednesday, April 12, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home.

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