COLUMBIA, SC–JUNE HUDSON AKIN, age 83, a long term resident of Crossett, AR, died Friday, December 3, 2004, in Providence Hospital in Columbia, SC. Mrs. Akin was born on January 27, 1921, in Strong, AR, a cherished daughter of Thomas Walker and Rosalie Murphy Bailey Hudson. She was blessed with wonderful memories from her childhood in Strong where she found joy in her vibrant family, travel, basketball, and her many friends. She graduated from Strong High School as the Salutatorian. She studied Home Economics, Chemistry, and Math at Louisiana Tech University and was an active member of Sigma Kappa Sorority. After graduating college in 1943 and living briefly in Cuba, she accepted employment with The Crossett Company in the Research Laboratory. In 1946, she married William Dewitt Akin of Drew County, AR. She chose motherhood as her primary role in life after the birth of her first child and became a Substitute Teacher in the Crossett Public School System. Mrs. Akin was a member of the First Baptist Church of Crossett and the Lydia Sunday School Class. A devoted mother, Mrs. Akin assisted in various school and civic activities with her children. Her youthful spirit and the warmth of her laughter will resonate and enrich our lives forever. Her gracious character was exemplary.
Mrs. Akin was preceded in death by her husband in 1998. Her survivors include: Her two sons and their families, William Dewitt Akin Jr. and his wife, Deborah, of St. Augustine, FL, and their children, Mrs. Carter Bostwick (Allison) of Jacksonville, FL, and William Dustin Akin of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; Thomas Walker Hudson Akin and his wife, Karen, and their children, Erin Elizabeth and Thomas Walker Hudson Akin, Jr., all of Columbia, SC; her daughter and her family, Susan Rose Akin Pye and her husband, Darrell, Susan's children, Carrie Burt Taylor, Mrs. Kevin Floyd (Rebekah), Mary Kathryn Burt and Laura Leigh Burt, all of Macon, GA; five great-grandchildren, Amanda, Lauren and Grace Bostwick of Jacksonville, FL, Madison Akin of Florence, South Carolina, and Emily Burt of Macon, GA.
Her sister, Marjorie Hudson Fitzhugh, and her two half sisters, Elizabeth Bailey Mollerberg and Rosalie Bailey preceded Mrs. Akin in death.
The family will receive visitors on Thursday, December 9, from 6-8 p.m. at Jones Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 10, 2004, at 1:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Crossett with the Reverend Stuart Toms and Reverend Larry White officiating. Interment will follow in the Strong Cemetery under the direction of Jones Funeral Home of Crossett, AR.   --State, The (Columbia, SC) - December 7, 2004


BRANDON RYAN ASHCROFT, infant son of Rev. David and Terry Anthony Ashcroft of Grady, died Monday, February 7, 2000, at the Drew Memorial Hospital in Monticello.
Survivors in addition to his parents are three brothers, Dylan, Matthew and Christian Lukas Ashcroft; his maternal grandparents, Sonny and Sue Anthony of Crossett; his paternal grandparents, Herman and Willie Ashcroft of Hot Springs; and several uncles, aunts and cousins.
Grave-side services were at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 12, at the Zion Cemetery with Revs. F. Gladwin Connell and Pat Wilkerson officiating. Arrangements were by Jones Funeral Home of Hamburg.  --Ashley County Ledger, Hamburg, AR, contributed by Kim Torp.


CAMDEN, AR--THELMA ATKINSON, 77, of Camden died Wednesday, March 1, 2000, at the Ouachita County Medical Center. She was retired from Hurley Press and was a member of the Hillside Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, U. L. "Shorty" Atkinson.
Survivors are two daughters, Betty Carter of Crossett and Linda Meeks of Camden; two sisters, Edna Mae Barrett of Vandervoort and Lucille Duncan of Cove; a brother, Jackie Smedley of Hatfield; four grandchildren, Angela Terrell of Pine Bluff, Brent Stafford of Camden, Shannon Hawkins of Woodstock, VA, and Daniel Lyons of Garland, TX; and three great-grandchildren, Kohly and Keesa Hawkins of Woodstock, VA, and Gage Terrell of Pine Bluff.
Funeral services were at 10 a.m. Friday, March 3, in the Hillside Baptist church with burial following 3 p.m. services at the Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Cove. Arrangements were by Proctor Funeral Home of Camden.   --Ashley County Ledger, Hamburg, AR, contributed by Kim Torp.