Passages Fall 2023

Mildred Horne Groover (’50), 94, of Beebe, Arkansas, died Dec, 31, 2022. She taught business and social studies at Harding Academy in Searcy for many years before retiring in 1991. She also worked in the office at Camp Wyldewood. She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Hugh (’50), and a daughter, Dena Leasure (’75). She is survived by her daughter, Penny Petway (’73); four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. 

Howard Glenn Boyd (’52), 92, of Searcy, died Dec. 13, 2022. He received a degree Zertifikat in German Language from the University of Heidelberg, a master’s in missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Missiology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In 1958, he and his wife, Shirley, moved to Karlsruhe, Germany, to become missionaries. In 1966, they moved to Heidelberg where he served as director of the Pepperdine Year in Europe program. He taught German at Pepperdine University and established the Heidelberg Bible School. In 1981, the family moved to Searcy where he served as president of the African Christian Hospital foundation, now International Health Care FDN, until his retirement in 2000. He was a member of College Church of Christ. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 58 years, Shirley Pegan (’52); and seven siblings, Vernon (’41), Eldon, Jess Paul, Joyce, Mary, Anne, and Leah (’52). He is survived by his second wife of 10 years, Betty McDaniel (’59) who died Dec. 25, 2022; his children, Janet Reinhardt, John and Jay (’90); his stepsons, Steve (’76), Larry (’74) and Mike (’90); six grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and five step great-grandchildren. 

William M. Curry Jr. (’53), 94, of Albany, Oregon, died Dec. 16, 2022. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Force having served during World War II. He earned a degree from Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1970. He was a founding board member of Ohio Valley University. He served as a minister and preacher with churches of Christ and was a missionary to Nigeria from 1962-67. He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Mary Lou Johnson (’54). 

Kent William Rollmann (’53), 92, of Searcy, died July 29. He obtained a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. He worked for Phillips Petroleum as a research chemist obtaining seven patents in the area of synthetic rubber and plastics. He loved building and flying model airplanes. He served as a deacon for many years with the Limestone Church of Christ in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He was preceded in death by his son, Timothy. He was survived by his wife of 68 years, Norma Lou Hamilton (’53), who died Aug. 4; a daughter, Kristy Shelton (’80); and two grandchildren. 

Norma Lou Rollmann (’53), 92, of Searcy, died Aug. 4. She worked for Bartlesville (Oklahoma) Public Schools as a substitute teacher and secretary at Ranch Heights Elementary and as the registrar at Madison Junior High and Sooner High School before retiring as the principal’s secretary at Sooner High in 1990. She loved teaching children’s and ladies’ Bible classes and planting seeds in the kingdom for countless generations. She was a member of Associated Women for Harding, now Women for Harding, where she received the Worthy Woman award in 2009. She was a member of West Side Church of Christ. She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Kent (’53); and her son, Timothy. She is survived by her daughter, Kristy Shelton (’80); and two grandchildren. 

Betty Sue McDaniel Davis Boyd (’59), 92, of Searcy, died Dec. 25, 2022. She moved with her first husband, Ken Davis, to Harding College in 1953. The couple toured with Belles and Beaux as part of various USO Tours. After Ken’s retirement in 1988, they spent three years working with churches in Romania. Ken passed away in 2005, and in 2012, Betty married Glenn Boyd. She was a member of College Church of Christ. She was preceded in death by her first husband of 54 years, Ken (’42); her second husband, Glenn (’52); a son, Byron (’81); and a grandson. She is survived by her sons, Steve (’76), Larry (’74) and Mike (’90); stepchildren, Janet Reinhardt, John, and Jay (’90); five grandchildren; six step-grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and seven step great-grandchildren. 

Robert Lee Mills (’60), 90, of Ormond Beach, Florida, died April 17. After high school, he enlisted in the Army’s 82nd Airborne. His unit was scheduled to fight in the Korean Conflict, but when they arrived at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the diplomats were in peace talks. Mills was in the 82nd Airborne Division’s 504 PIR until his honorable discharge in 1956. After graduating from Harding, he moved to Maryland where he worked as a master carpenter constructing custom-built houses with his older brother, Louie. He went on to work as construction superintendent for M. Leo Storch Developer with whom he was employed for 28 years. He then co-owned Glenn Dale Business Park and quietly acquired properties for an industrial park for Cabot, Cabot & Forbes. He also held a real estate license and was half-owner of Forget-Me-Not Florist in Bowie, Maryland. He was an active member of the church of Christ, serving as a deacon, elder and Bible class teacher. He served as a Cub Scout Webelos leader, Cub Master, and Boy Scout merit badge counselor. He was a member of Harding University’s President’s Council, served as chaplain of the Greater Daytona Chapter Inc.’s 82nd Airborne Division Association, and was a member of the Maryland Club in Daytona Beach. He is survived by his wife of 65, Shelby Bryant (’58); sons Lewis (’80), Chip (’81), Mark and Scott (’84); 13 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren. 

Patricia Sutherlin McRee (’60), 85, of Oviedo, Florida, died April 25. After graduating from Harding, she taught home economics at Melbourne (Florida) High School. She was an Army wife, homemaker, nutritionist and volunteer. In 1988, she was honored with the Commander’s Award for Public Service for exceptional community service in the military community. She was preceded in death by her husband, Col. Marshall R. McRee. She is survived by her daughters, Tracy Wellington (’85), and Stephanie Williams; and four grandchildren.

Ervin Odean Parker (’63), 82, of Danville, Arkansas, died Feb. 21. He received a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Arkansas and was girls basketball coach at Hermitage (Arkansas) High School for two years, high school counselor at County Line (Arkansas) High School for two years, and a counselor for Arkansas Rehabilitation Services. He worked at Danville State Bank, now Chambers Bank, from 1971-1996. He was a member of the Danville Church of Christ where he served as elder, treasurer and Bible teacher. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jerrie, and a daughter, Erin. 

Janet Sommer Prior (’65), 80, of Imperial, Nebraska, died July 5. After graduation, she taught school in Onawa, Iowa, and Loveland, Colorado. She taught sewing to 4-H clubs in Chase County, Nebraska, served as parent representative to the Nebraska State 4-H Council, and was a member of the local and regional University of Nebraska Extension Board. She is survived by her husband, Merlin (’66); two children, Rex and Annette French (’95); two siblings, Sandra Sheldon and Richard Sommer; and four grandchildren.

Ruth Ann Selby Farrar (’65), 79, of Clarksville, Arkansas, died July 18, 2022. She taught home economics at three schools including the Arkansas School for the Deaf. She taught Sunday school and was a member of Mount Vernon Church of Christ. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, visiting the forests and mountains of the Ozark Mountains, cheering on the Arkansas Razorbacks and Harding Bisons, and cooking. She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Paul (’63); two daughters, Rebecca Dawdy (’93) and Sylvia Hiatt (’00); and nine grandchildren. 

Boyce Arnett (’66), 78, of Searcy, died Aug. 29. He graduated from the Arkansas School of Pharmacy in 1967 and began a 45-year career at Headlee Drugstore in Newport, Arkansas. In 1974, he purchased Medical Center Pharmacy in Searcy and served the local community until selling the business in 2009. He was a board member for Camp Wyldewood, board chairman for Long-Term Advanced Care Hospital, a sponsor for Kappa Sigma social club and a long time member of the Arkansas Pharmacy Association. He was a member of Downtown Church of Christ for nearly 50 years serving as teacher, deacon and elder. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary Ann Holder (’67); two children, Jan Vance (’95) and Jon (’92); a sister, Brenda Garcia; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. 

James Terry Brumley (’72), 72, of Columbus, Mississippi, died March 28. He was the former operator of Brumley Sporting Goods where he treasured his time working with his father who founded the business in 1975. He also owned two businesses: Columbus Mat Company and Bush’s Service Center, having most recently retired from Trim Joist in 2021. He was a well-known coach at West Point (Mississippi) High School and Tupelo (Mississippi) High School where he also taught history and driver’s education. During his coaching career, he helped design the baseball field where Tupelo High School still plays. He served as assistant scoutmaster of local Troop 3 and was a member of Caledonia Church of Christ. He was preceded in death by his brother, Michael (’85). He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Ellen Potter (’71); children James “Jamey” (’97) and Mary Ellen (’08); a brother, Jo Reed; and three grandchildren.

Stephen Lavelle Kent (’76), 69, of Indianapolis, Indiana, died June 7. While at Harding, he played basketball. He received his master’s degree from Indiana University. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Donna Bates (’75); three sons, David, Aaron and Adam; siblings David, Twyla Lamb, Joy Lucas and Charles; and seven grandchildren.

Roger Dale Thompson (’76), 68, of Paducah, Kentucky, died Dec. 15, 2022. He was a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder and director of The Christian Counseling Center for 35 years. He was a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the American Association of Christian Counselors and was appointed to serve two terms on the Kentucky Licensure Board of Marriage and Family Therapy. He was a member of Lone Oak Church of Christ, served as a deacon and later as an elder, and was involved in mission work in Honduras and the youth retreat. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Laura Lynne Mathis; a daughter, Mallory (’09); two sons, Micah (’07) and Miles (’14); and a sister, Mareica Marshal.

Suzie Morgan Billingsley (’81), 64, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, died Aug. 3 from cancer. She worked for Newman’s Oil Valves and was a preschool teacher at Kids Kare. She was a member of the 29th and Yale Church of Christ. She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Brent (’81); and three daughters, Megan, Brenda and Wendy.

Darwin Isaac Romero Membreno (’05), 40, of San Salvador, El Salvador, died April 14. He studied strategic project management at the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley and was accepted into the Owners and Presidents Management Program at Harvard University Business School in 2019. He began his career with TACA Airlines working for the strategic development group led by Bain & Company Directors. He later served as product manager for Latin America at Dell Inc. in Argentina and Brazil and also worked for UNICOMER Group. He founded Applaudo Studios, a software development company, in 2013; LUUK, a regional e-commerce platform, in 2020; and OnLife, a digital pharmacy, in 2021. He and his business partner, Jose Giammattei, were named Businessmen of the Year in 2022 by Derecho y Negocios Magazine and received the Palma de Oro, the highest honorary recognition given by Camarasal, the chamber of commerce and industry of El Salvador. He was also recognized as one of the Most Admired Businessmen in Central America in 2022 by Estrategia y Negocios Magazine. He was a member of the Vida Nueva Baptist Church where he served as group leader of the marriage ministry and the Institute for Ministerial Development. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Huezo de Romero, and three children, Ariana, Mateo and Isabella. 

Max Aubel (’21), 23, of Addieville, Illinois, died June 6 from cancer. He served as minister at Griffithville (Arkansas) Church of Christ and the Longmont (Colorado) Church of Christ. He is survived by his wife, Hannah Harris; his parents, Bryan and Patty Aubel; a brother, Will; and grandparents David and Jo Ann Aubel, Barb and Larry Weik, and Joe and Cheryl Urban. 

Michelle Len Taylor (’23), 21, of Fort Worth, Texas, died Aug. 9. She graduated from Harding with a degree in social science with teacher licensure and had moved to Alaska to teach middle and high school students. She was preceded in death by grandparents, Eva “DG” Gentry and Bill and Arzelia “Susie” Taylor. She is survived by her parents, Mark and Jan; siblings David, Jonathan and Summer; a grandfather, Joe Gentry; and great-grandmother, Freda Gentry.