Passages: Spring 2017

Harry Robert Fox Jr. (’44), 95, of Orem, Utah, died Jan. 1, 2017. As the son of missionaries, he lived in rural Japan until he was 14. After college, he and his wife, Jeri, served as missionaries in Japan for 10 years where he was co-founder of Ibaraki Christian University. When they returned to the U.S., Harry taught in the Bible department at Pepperdine University for two and a half years. He then served two years as a preacher for Northside Church of Christ and then as a social worker for Los Angeles County for 20 years until his retirement in 1983. He and Jeri continued to serve many congregations in various ways in California, Oregon and Utah until her death in 2015. He is survived by four sons, Ken, John, Larry and Jerry; four brothers, Logan, Sterling, Clinton and Arnold; 20 grandchildren; and 26 great-grandchildren.

Leo Brant Campbell (’49), 88, of Bartlett, Tennessee, died Dec. 7, 2016. His greatest passion in life was Ford/Lincoln Motor Co. He was active in his church family, serving as a deacon and an elder at different congregations. He enjoyed fishing and traveling with his wife. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Gwen Futrell (’50). He is survived by two daughters, Claudia Curtis (’75) and Carol Parker (’76); four grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

James Monroe Elliott (’49), 90, of Memphis, Tennessee, died Jan. 24, 2017. He ministered as a preacher, leader and elder in Florence, Alabama; Monmouth County, New Jersey; and Memphis, Tennessee. He was a professional educator who earned his Doctor of Education at Rutgers University. He taught all levels of students throughout his career and served as the chair of the business department at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey. He is survived by his wife, Gloria Brannam; two children, Debra Baird (’79) and Don (’80); six grandchildren; and two great-grandsons.

Eddie Ray Campbell (’53), 85, of Searcy, died Dec. 15, 2016. His decades-long career and life of service began and culminated at Harding where he served more than four decades in the counseling department and as dean of men. He also served as a minister in Florida, Georgia and Texas and at Downtown Church of Christ in Searcy where he was as an elder for 32 years. He was preceded in death by his wife, Kathryn Roberts (’54), and a daughter, Linda Kay Garvey (’77). He is survived by four children, David (’75), Danny (’83), Julienne Young (’88) and Mindy Sue (’07); and 14 grandchildren.

Ann Petree Ergle (’56), 82, of Holladay, Utah, died Nov. 10, 2016, from leukemia. She worked as a laboratory tech at Cottonwood Hospital after her children were older, sang and recorded with the Jay Welsh Chorale, and at age 47 climbed to the top of Mount Olympus with her daughter. She housed strangers who needed room and board, served at the homeless shelter kitchen, rescued abused children, donated to charitable organizations, made dolls for orphans, and blessed her family by sewing professional-grade clothing. She was preceded in death by her husband, John “Jack,” and five of her siblings including her twin brother, John (’56). She is survived by a sister, Harriet Garner; two children, Evie Wilson and John; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

James “Jim” Carroll Christian (’57), 83, of Searcy, died Feb. 20, 2017. Jim coached and taught for more than 30 years in Marked Tree, Griffithville and Searcy, Arkansas. He was a member of the Arkansas High School Coaches Association for 30 years. He also was a member of the Arkansas Officials Association and spent 42 years officiating high school football. He was president of the Tri County Senior Golf Association for 14 years and was an active member of the White County Razorback Club and Razorback Alumni Association. He was a deacon and elder at First Presbyterian Church in Searcy. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jamie; four daughters, Neaville Ann Herndon, Mary Margaret Painter, Caroline Gairhan and Catherine Williams; a brother, Don; and eight grandchildren.

Gary D. Blake (’59), 79, of Overland Park, Kansas, died Sept. 10, 2016. He started the first camp for the deaf at Camp Wyldewood and taught at School for the Deaf and Shattuck Military Academy in Faribault, Minnesota, from 1960-62. He and his wife, Mary Matthews (’57), were missionaries in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, and helped begin the first School for the Deaf there in 1962. They returned to the U.S. in 1963 where he worked at the Rehabilitation Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas, as a counselor for the deaf. After receiving his doctorate in special education, he began teaching deaf education at University of Arkansas where he taught 12 years. Moving to Overland Park, Kansas, in 1982, he was minister of the deaf and a counselor at Overland Park Church of Christ. In 1993, he began his private family and marriage counseling practice. In 2000, he added the position of minister of First Church of Peculiar (Missouri). In addition to his wife, Mary, he is survived by five children, Matthew (’82), Elizabeth Straughn (’83), Lisa, Joseph and Jennifer Hardesty; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Edwin Hightower Sr. (’60), 78, of San Antonio, Texas, died Nov. 18, 2016. He earned a master’s in political science from University of Texas at Austin and worked in their international office. He began his actuarial science career in Dallas in 1966 and joined Government Personnel Mutual Life Insurance Co. in San Antonio in 1969 where he worked until his retirement as senior vice president. He obtained designation as a fellow of the Society of Actuaries, served as president of the Actuaries Club of the Southwest, and was a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He served as a deacon and elder at Sunset Ridge Church of Christ in San Antonio and was a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary International. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Shirley Richardson (’61); four children, Sean Carlin, Shelley McDonald, Susan and Edwin Jr.; and five grandchildren.

Jewel Goodman Warfield (’63), 76, of Lancaster, California, died Dec. 21, 2016. Two of her greatest joys were reading and teaching. The daughter of a sharecropper who struggled to read, she was inspired to learn to read and teach others as an elementary school teacher for more than 30 years. She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Edward Lee; three sons, James Lee, John Mark and Paul David; a brother, Jack Goodman; and six grandchildren.

Thomas Reppart (’65), 73, of York, Nebraska, died Dec. 4, 2016. He was director of theatre in Arkansas and Missouri and spent 10 years teaching in Cameroon, West Africa, and another 10 years at universities in Kenya, East Africa. He spent 12 years as spiritual life coordinator at Epworth Village in York. He also preached for the Nelson (Nebraska) Church of Christ. After retirement, he enjoyed volunteering as reader/listener/comforter and worship leader at two nursing homes in York. He is survived by his four siblings, Kenneth, Lynda Capps, James and Vivian Hameister.

Ken Tillman (’68), 70, of Searcy, died Oct. 27, 2016. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1968-71 and retired from Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation after 35 years. He is survived by his wife, Karen Wylie (’70); two children, Jared (’03) and Allison (’06); and a sister, Laura McNair (’77).

Bonnie Lewers Lee (’69), 69, of Keller, Texas, died Dec. 15, 2016, from a heart attack. Her passion for teaching and children was evident throughout her years of teaching. She retired in Mississippi in 2005 and moved to Texas to be closer to her children and grandchildren where she continued her teaching career at Keller Central and Timber Creek High Schools. She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Drake (’70); two daughters, Lana Moore (’97) and Tammy Hunt; and four grandchildren.

Michael Robert Cox (’97), 41, of Vienna, West Virginia, died Jan. 28, 2017, from pancreatic cancer. He attended the West Virginia University School of Dentistry and practiced the profession for 15 years in Parkersburg, West Virginia. He was a deacon for Grand Central Church of Christ in Vienna for several years. He is survived by his wife, Nellie; three children, Jacob, Madeline and Claire; and his parents, Dennis (’70) and Era Jo Cronin (’71).

Annemarie Doyle Lloyd (’16), 23, of Andalusia, Illinois, died March 20, 2017, after an 11-month battle with brain cancer. Graduating with degrees in both interior design and psychology, she used her interior design capstone project to reflect her intense desire to help mentally ill prisoners. She combined architectural and interior design with psychological elements to achieve rehabilitation in repurposed mental health facilities. She was a member of Iota Chi and Belle Canto and also was a black belt in taekwondo. She is survived by her husband, Brandon; parents, Dr. Randy and Gabi Doyle; two brothers, Hardy and Nathanael; and grandmother, Connie Doyle.

Arnold Pylkas , 90, of Searcy, died Dec. 15, 2016. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving during World War II. A professional educator, he served as teacher, school administrator and professor over the course of his career. At Harding, he was both a professor and swimming coach and had a passion for swimming and teaching the sport. He and his wife served as missionaries in Finland for several years. He was a member of College Church of Christ in Searcy. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Wanda Hutchison; three children, Stephen (’80), Matthew and Lauri Bracken (’83); six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Brady Veldon Hoggard , 82, of Searcy, died Feb. 13, 2017. He grew up in a migrant farming family in Northeast Arkansas where he gained his lifelong work ethic. He worked in the grocery business and bought his own grocery store in Lonoke, Arkansas, which he owned for 16 years. He worked at Harding from 1998-2001, serving as a custodian at the Academy and a painter at the University. He is preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Marvene Hutchison, and a grandson, Jay Hoggard. He is survived by three children, Phil (’78), Kim Himstedt (’83) and Brad; four siblings, Wayne, Dale, Dora Mae Redding and Euna Fay Parsons; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.