Jeannette Leonard Tibbels

Jeannette Leonard Tibbels, 99, of Russellville, passed peacefully at her home on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. The daughter of John White and Jessie Paul Leonard, she was born Feb. 5, 1918, in Russellville. She was the Salutatorian of the Russellville High School class of 1936 and a 1938 graduate of Arkansas Polytechnic College, now Arkansas Tech University, and graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1940, where she was a member of Pi-Beta-Phi Sorority and later received the "Golden Arrow". She and William O. Tibbels were married on Oct. 20, 1940, in Russellville, where they made their home and were co-owners of Leonard's Hardware Store when it was located at North Commerce Avenue. Her greatest accomplishment was being a devoted wife and caring mother to her three daughters and being a loving grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend to many. She was an avid fan of the Russellville Cyclone Football and Baseball Team, the Arkansas Razorbacks, and was a founding member of the Old Town Historic Neighborhood Association. She was a Past President and member for over 50 years of the Russellville Culture Club and a member of the Russellville Country Club. Jeannette was a long time member of the First United Methodist Church, and received the lifetime membership award of the United Methodist Women, charter of member of Circle One and attended the Lucy-Clark Sunday School Class. She was preceded in death by parents; husband, William O. Tibbels; sister, Marguerite Leonard Gibson; and brother, John Paul Leonard. She is survived by three daughters, Mary Jess Tibbels, Jeannie Tibbels Smith, and Paula Tibbels Parker (Jim), all of Russellville; three grandchildren, Jami Smith Mullen (Jim), Russellville, Jim Smith & fiancee Rebecca Hurst, Fayetteville, Jodi Parker Strasner (Scott) Conway; five great-grandchildren, Mitchell and Michael Mullen, Russellville, Griffin and Jackson Smith, and their mother, Courtney Meisner Smith of Fayetteville, and Sophie Strasner, Conway. Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, at First United Methodist Chapel. Rev. Gail Brooks and Jim Smith will officiate. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the church. Interment will be private at Oakland Cemetery in Russellville, under the direction of Humphrey Funeral Service. Memorials may be made to Manna House, c/o First United Methodist Church, 304 South Commerce, Russellville, Ark., 72801, or Age to Age, c/o The Wesley Foundation, 1111 N. El Paso Ave, Russellville, Ark., 72801. The family wishes to express special appreciation for Jeannette's caregivers, Wanda, Tammy, Barbara, Penny, Ladelle and Delores. Internet obituary and on-line guest book are available at www.humphreyfuneral.com.