Joyce Baldwin "Mimi" Cronkhite

JOYCE BALDWIN "MIMI" CRONKHITE, 85, passed away peacefully on Aug. 14, 2012, leaving to join her husband, COL (RET) Willis Dodge "Bud" Cronkhite Jr.; two sisters, Jean Ruth Baldwin Peddicord and Betty Baldwin Champion; and her parents, Elmer and Ann Baldwin. She leaves to cherish her memory her two sons, Willis Dodge "Tripper" Cronkhite III (Lixian) of Little Rock, Ark. and COL (RET) Don Baldwin Cronkhite (Rhonda) of Sherwood, Ark.; grandchildren, Cristy Cronkhite Smith (Tim) of Fayetteville, Ark., Benjamin DesLauriers Cronkhite (Jacqueline) of Fort Smith, Ark., Drew Arthur Cronkhite (Amber) of Anchorage, Alaska, Catherine Killeen DesLauriers Cronkhite of Fayetteville, Ark., Richard Dodge Cronkhite of Sherwood, Ark.; her beloved niece, Elizabeth Ann McCord Weinstein (Rob) and great-niece, Sarah Beth Weinstein, Little Rock, Ark.; nephew, Timothy John McCord, Little Rock and second cousin, William "Bill" Westberg of Lancaster, Pa. She leaves behind five very special great-grandchildren, Emma Catherine Smith, Warren Tyler Smith, Lily Mae Cronkhite, Jackson Dodge Cronkhite, and Cooper Daniel Cronkhite. Born in Trenton, N.J., on Oct. 20, 1926, Joyce majored in journalism and was a Kappa Kappa Gamma at Penn State when she met and married her soul mate, Lieutenant "Bud" Cronkhite of the United States Military Academy at West Point, on their second date. Joyce was a true soldier's wife, protecting and caring for their sons during Bud's overseas combat deployments. Their travels led them all over the world, finally settling down in Little Rock, Ark. After their retirement, Bud and Joyce enjoyed their work as docents at the Arkansas Arts Center. For many years, the "Kavanaugh Cronkhite" house was a place of warmth and security to all who knew her. Mimi was the family matriarch, known for her generosity, graciousness, hospitality, fine cooking, and love of a good martini. She will always be remembered as a wonderful person and the center of our family's continued strength, closeness, and personality, and we will cherish her legacy. The Cronkhite family would like to thank Dr. James B. Hazelwood of the Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic and his staff for their loving care and friendship of many years; and the staff of the Baptist Hospice program for helping fulfill Mimi's final wishes to die in her own bed in her family home. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012, at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery Beautification Foundation, PO Box 6648, Sherwood, Ark. 72114. Online guest book: www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.