2024: Notable Deaths in NWA, Fort Smith metro

Significant contributors to the Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith metro business and civic communities died in 2024.

February
Glenn Atkins, 60, Feb. 24 — Atkins earned a finance degree — and later a master’s degree in business administration — from the University of Arkansas in 1987. After completing an internship on Wall Street, he joined Monarch Capital Corp., a Fortune 500 insurance company, where he focused on researching and managing fixed-income assets. He returned to Northwest Arkansas and in 1994, became the director of research and fixed-income portfolio manager at Llama Asset Management, which later became Garrison Financial Corp. in Fayetteville. He and two other employees bought the business in 2017.

March
Bill Sage, 79, March 26 — Sage started Rogers-based Assembled Products Corp. in 1983 in the garage of his Bentonville home, building a prototype for the electric shopping cart, Mart Cart. Forty-one years later, the company has 140 employees and still manufactures mobility products like the Mart Cart, which is used at a number of Fortune 500 retail stores. Its brands also include Jotto Desk, solutions for public safety vehicles and Spray Master Technologies, high-pressure cleaning equipment.

Daniel Hentschel, 72, March 30 — Hentschel was a staple of Northwest Arkansas radio for 50 years. From 1973 to 1991, he worked for various radio stations as a disc jockey and program director. In 1991, he took on the persona of “Big Dan Hentschel” and became the program director and morning show jockey for Power 105.7 in Northwest Arkansas. After a brief stint in Texarkana, Hentschel moved back to Springdale in 2002 to become a program director for multiple country and news-talk stations for Cumulus Media Group.

April
Jake Lambert, 49, April 5 — Lambert and business partner Rustin Chrisco founded real estate development business Main Street Builders in 2000. For over two decades they remodeled and rented old houses in downtown Bentonville. Lambert was a longtime volunteer and board president of Habitat for Humanity of Benton County.

John Holland, 98, April 6 — Holland, a graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law, built a distinguished legal career in his hometown of Fort Smith. It included serving as assistant city attorney for four years, followed by 17 years as a U.S. magistrate and seven years as a referee for Worker’s Compensation. In 1974, he earned the trust of the voters who elected him Circuit Judge for Sebastian and Crawford counties. Throughout his 24-year tenure, he never faced an opponent in any election year until his retirement in December 1998.

Don Choffel, 90, April 7 — In 1978, Choffel co-founded the nationally recognized Dickson Street Bookshop — now with more than 100,000 used books — with Charles O’Donnell in downtown Fayetteville.

May
Don Gibson, 76, May 4 — Born and raised in Springdale, Gibson was the founding CEO of Legacy National Bank in Springdale when it opened its doors in 2005. Previously, he spent 23 years working for Bank of America and before that was vice president of human resources refrigerated trucking pioneer Willis Shaw Express in Elm Springs.

Melba Shewmaker, 85, May 25 — Shewmaker was the matriarch of a family known for its philanthropy throughout the region. Her late husband, Jack Shewmaker, worked at Walmart from 1970 until his retirement in 1988 and sat on the company’s board of directors from 1977 to 2008.

June
Curt Hedberg, 62, June 3 — Hedberg began his medical career in internal medicine in Northwest Arkansas, where he co-founded Springdale Diagnostic Clinic. In 2001, Hedberg completed a fellowship in allergy, asthma and immunology at LSU Shreveport and returned to Northwest Arkansas and established Hedberg Allergy & Asthma Center.

July
Frank Kelly, 78, July 18 — Kelly started his career at a family-owned business, Fulbright Wood Products. He later joined the Coca-Cola Bottling Co., another family-owned business, where he rose to the position of general manager. When his father-in-law retired, Kelly became CEO of Fulbright Enterprises, parent company of several area businesses, including the Coke plant, Fayetteville Ice Co. and Northwest Arkansas Vending Co. After retiring from Fulbright Enterprises, Kelly and John Lewis partnered to become the founding members of The Bank of Fayetteville. He also started the Kelly Cattle Co. and served as a Washington County Justice of the Peace.

Ed Nicholson, 71, July 26 — Nicholson spent 21 years at Tyson Foods, including nearly a decade as a media spokesman. Nicholson was also a guitarist and musician, playing for multiple bands, including the Groanups, Outside the Lines, and Big ‘Uns.

Jim Rowland, 83, July 24 – Rowland was the longtime and revered coach and athletic director with the Fort Smith Public School District who helped guide the district though an emotional and divisive mascot change. Rowland was employed by the school district for 53 years, and was the district’s athletic director between 1991 and 2016. He was widely hailed as a coach who was just as interested in personal development as player development, and praised for being an ardent advocate of equitable support for Northside High School and Southside High School athletics – the two high schools in the district with historically different demographic realities. The Southside High School football field is named the Jim Rowland Stadium.

August
Duane Neal, 91, Aug. 6 — An Air Force veteran, Neal of Bentonville was an industrial engineer who spent 22 years with Emerson Electric and eventually became the plant manager at the Rogers plant, overseeing 1,600 employees. He completed the last 19 years of his career with FM Corp. in Rogers, serving as president and chief operations officer before retiring in 1997. Neal spent four terms on the Benton County Quorum Court and was Benton County treasurer.

September
Dr. Morriss Henry, 92, Sept. 8 — Henry was a pioneer in eye care, former state legislator and longtime community servant. After graduating from medical school, Henry moved to Fayetteville to open a family eye clinic. He was an early pioneer in laser eye surgery in Arkansas and helped establish the Jones Eye Institute. He was instrumental in bringing a medical school to Northwest Arkansas through his work on the UAMS Northwest advisory committee. Henry served as Washington County coroner, state representative and state senator. He was also a founding board member of the Arkansas Nature Conservancy.

Frank E. Anderson, 86, Sept. 12 — Anderson, a 28-year U.S. Air Force member, was the first mayor of Bella Vista, a position he held for eight years. He served four years as a council member.

Hannah Lee, 75, Sept. 13 — Lee was the first woman president of Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes Board and served as president of P.E.O. Chapter K and Cooperative Emergency Outreach Board. In 2008, she and her husband were named Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year by the Northwest Arkansas Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Tommy Van Zandt, 65, Sept. 16 — Van Zandt co-founded Sage Partners, a company that’s grown into a leading commercial real estate brokerage in Northwest Arkansas and joined the Cushman & Wakefield alliance in 2018. Van Zandt was paralyzed from the neck down after falling from a ladder in 2009.

Gary Jech, 73, Sept. 30 — Jech founded J&J Farms with his father, Otto. He also owned Beacon Realty and later acquired Farris Insurance. Jech of Springdale served on the boards of Legacy National Bank and Springdale Chamber of Commerce.

October
Gary Jackson, 83, Oct. 30 — Jackson was a founding partner of Rogers architecture and engineering firm Hight Jackson Associates, which he opened in 1974. Jackson served as CEO for more than 35 years, transitioning to director in 2011 and retired in 2017. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Jackson served on the Rogers Planning Commission, Rogers Airport Commission and Arkansas State Aeronautics Commission.

November
Brenda Anderson, 65, Nov. 20 — Anderson was chief strategy officer at Bentonville-based Runway Group. She previously was director of real estate development for Blue Crane, Runway Group’s real estate acquisition and development arm. Blue Crane is led by Steuart Walton and Tom Walton, CEO of Runway Group. Notable projects include 8th Street Market, Skylight Cinema, The Record and Blake St. House.

Charolette Tidwell, 78, Nov. 28 – Tidwell was a retired nurse, longtime community engager, and founder of Antioch for Youth and Family. Part of a statement from Antioch noted that Tidwell was a “leader of unmatched strength, a mentor to countless souls, a selfless humanitarian, and a devoted wife, mother, and friend.” After retiring from a career in nursing with Sparks Hospital and Beverly Enterprises, Tidwell expanded the work begun by her late husband, Lawrence, who was a sergeant with the Fort Smith Police Department. She founded Antioch in 2000, which is a volunteer-driven food pantry that works with numerous companies and U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.

Don Walker, 73, Nov. 22 — Walker was first hired into banking by Sam Walton and spent 42 years at Arvest Bank. Walker helped to form the Arvest name and create its mission statement. He also was president and CEO for its Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Tulsa, Okla., markets. During Walker’s tenure, Arvest grew from 100 employees and eight Arkansas branches to about 6,400 employees and 280 offices in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. He served many civic organizations, including Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, John Brown University board of directors and Northwest Arkansas Land Trust.