December 2024

magazine in Little Rock, then in 1988 he became general manager of Helena Daily World. In 1991, he returned to Louisiana as publisher of the Minden Press Herald. After he left the newspaper business he worked as communications manager for Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, then as manager of Clay County Electric Cooperative before retiring to Mount Ida.

Sidney Craig Woodall, 86, Malvern, May 22. Woodall started as a carrier for the Malvern Daily Record at age 11. At age 15 he worked for Malvern Amusement Company as a projectionist, and later served as assistant manager for the Ritz Theater, the Joy Theater and Malvern Drivein Theater, and the Sunset Drive-in Theater in Hot Springs. Around 1956 he returned to the Malvern Daily Record, working in circulation for a short time, after which he was promoted to advertising manager, a position he held for 23 years. He left the Daily Record to become advertising coordinator for Gibson’s Discount/ Kirchoff Stores, Inc. He then worked as an assistant manager at Davis Lumber Company for 17 years, until his retirement in 2002.

Derwood Brett, 76, Mount Ida, June 16. Brett got his start in the advertising department at the Minden Press Herald while studying journalism at Louisiana Tech University.

Richard Palmer Portis, M.D., 79, Little Rock, March 31. Dr.

Alice Stewart, 58, Alexandria, Virginia., May 18. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Stewart held a degree in broadcast news and political science from the University of Georgia.

Vivian Lee Asbury Heyl, 74, Brookland, April 18. Heyl was born in Peoria, Illinois and graduated from Mammoth Spring High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Arkansas State University.

Linda Dee Rooney Card, 69, Caddo Gap, April 18. A native of Kiefer, Oklahoma, Card was a long-time contributor to the Montgomery County News through her weekly column, “Norman News with Dee Card.” Under the name Dee Rooney she was the author of the 2023 novel, “Annie’s Heart,” and had just published her second novel, “The Devil’s Bathtub,” on March 8. A former Arkansas Tobacco Control Agent, Card, had also served as a member of the Caddo Gap Volunteer Fire Department and was a member of the Diamond Writers Association.