Arthur Paulus

Arthur Allen Paulus, 85, of Bryant passed away April 11, although, given his journalism background, he would have preferred we used AP style, saying he "died." He was born Aug. 23, 1932, in Hammond, Ind., to Henry and Marjorie Paulus. Near the end of World War II, his family, including his older brother, Russell, and younger brother, John, moved to Port Arthur, Texas, then settled in the Prairie Grove, Ark., area where he graduated from high school. Arthur earned his education degree at Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA). Working as the interim editor of the Benton Courier, he turned down the full-time editor job offer and began teaching English and journalism at Bryant High School, a career that spanned more than 40 years. He was the adviser of the yearbook and of the Hornet Buzz, at the time the only weekly high school newspaper in Arkansas. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves, rising to the rank of colonel before retiring after more than 30 years. He learned how to drive a tank, which probably was comparable to the 40-plus years he drove a school bus at Bryant. Toward the end of his teaching career, he met his soulmate in Joan (JaJo) Clark, where they spent 35 years, dancing, riding out hurricanes on vacations near Pensacola Beach, Fla., good beer and jokes. Arthur valued his family above all else. Through his union with Patricia Laster, he had 4 children and 6 grandchildren: daughter Annamarie Parker (Jon, Emma, Billy Joe) of Salem; daughter Jennifer Bridgers (son Jake) of Conway; son Eric Paulus (Lisa, James, Lainee) of Hot Springs; and son Gordon Paulus (Karen, Breezy) of Gulf Breeze, Fla. And Zoey thought he was her grandpa. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Alzheimer's Association to fight the disease that took away his memory and his love of reading the last few years, although his fun nature lasted until the end. Many people assisted Arthur throughout his struggle to remain independent. Some were with him for years, including Deb Reynolds and PT Keelie Norman. Also, a special thank you to Kathleen Steinke, Sherri Wright, Elder Independence and Saline Memorial Hospice. Visitation will be 5:30 to 7:30 on Tuesday, April 17, at Ashby Funeral Home in Benton. Then from 5 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 18, he insisted on having a celebration at U.S. Pizza on Highway 5 and Springhill Road in Bryant where he said, "everyone has a beer, a laugh, keep the tears to a minimum … and use correct grammar." On line guestbook at www.ashbyfuneralhome.com.