Obituaries

Alfreda Nadine Spence

Photo of Alfreda Nadine Spence
Alfreda Nadine Lockwood Spence, 84, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, passed away July 11, 2017. She was born September 2, 1932 in rural Greene County, Arkansas. Mrs. Spence loved to learn. She kept at it when she could make time outside of her family responsibilities and finally completed her degree in Administrative Management at Arkansas State University as an honor graduate at the age of 57. She loved flowers and to garden. She was a fan of the Washington Redskins, the Boston Celtics, and the Razorbacks. Mrs. Spence was a lifelong Methodist, who played the piano and organ for her church as a girl and remained a committed and faithful Christian throughout her life. After raising her children, Mrs. Spence worked as a secretary in Fort Smith and Jonesboro. She was a dedicated employee well thought of by her colleagues. Through the years, Mrs. Spence also worked in a variety of charitable roles. She was presented the Molly Pitcher award by the commanding General at Fort Sill, Oklahoma for her service to the post through the officers' wives club. Her last charitable organization role was service on the Board and as President of what was then known as the Sebastian County Association of Retarded Citizens. While associated with the Retarded Citizens Association, Mrs. Spence began to write letters to children placed with the Booneville Human Development Center. Though the recipients usually could not read and had to have the letters read to them, she wrote the letters to them on a regular basis simply to provide them contact to the outside world. She initially wrote to children of people she knew through her work with the Association. Later, when the staff at Booneville let her know that many of the residents had no family to write to them, Mrs. Spence began to write letters to those residents on a monthly basis, often providing little gifts of food, or a stuffed animal or toy for a birthday or holiday. She continued this practice for more than twenty years, writing more than 4,000 letters, stopping only in the last few months when she could no longer continue due to declining health. Mrs. Spence was preceded in death by two daughters, Virginia Lorene Spence, who died as an infant, and her downs syndrome daughter, Patricia Darlene Spence, who lived with Mrs. Spence and her husband all her life and who they cared for in their home through a ten year period of progressive dementia before her death in 2011. She is also preceded in death by her parents, George and Mira Lockwood, formerly of Paragould, Arkansas. Mrs. Spence is survived by her husband, Ray Spence, of Fort Smith. They were married over 65 years having been married December 28, 1951. Being just two months apart in age and both living in small Paragould, the Spences could not remember a time they did not know each other and specifically remembered being in Sunday school together from the age of four. Family lore is that at the age of seven, after they had attended confirmation classes together, on the morning the invitation was made, Alfreda stopped at the pew where her future husband was sitting with his family. After she told him, "Loren, it's time to go up and join the church," they joined hands and proceeded to walk up together to do so. Mrs. Spence is also survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Pamela and Richard Cowan, and her grandchildren, Jennifer Cowan and Jeffery Cowan, all of Fort Smith, her son and daughter-in-law, George and Linda Spence, of Bentonville, Arkansas, and a sister and brother-in-law, Virginia and Rev. Charles Holt, of Kansas City, Missouri. In the last few years, particularly in the last eighteen months, Mrs. Spence was provided medical care at Mercy Hospital, at Cooper Clinic, at other clinics around Fort Smith, at Ashley Rehab & Nursing, at HealthSouth Rehab, at The Brookfield Assisted Living, at Covington Rehab & Nursing, and finally at Mercy Hospice. The family wishes to recognize and thank the nurses, technicians, doctors, and other staff of these facilities for their ministrations to Mrs. Spence and their patience with and kindness to the family members who have been with her. Your professionalism reflects well on you and this community. Visitation will be at Edwards Funeral Home, Tuesday, July 18, 2017, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Funeral will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 19, 2017, in Edwards Funeral Home Chapel followed by interment at the Fort Smith National Cemetery. Mrs. Spence loved flowers and it would be a fitting tribute to her for anyone reading this to give flowers to a friend or family member in her honor and memory. Those who feel a memorial to be appropriate can make them to Abilities Unlimited, 815 North N Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 72901 or Faith United Methodist Church, 2901 Massard Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 72903. Online condolences may be sent to www.edwardsfuneralhome.com.

Published July 14, 2017

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