Barbara LaVonne Gaskins Hamrick

Barbara LaVonne Gaskins Hamrick, 92, died on July 9, 2025, at Brooken Hill Health and Rehab in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She was born on July 6, 1933, to Grover and Novie Gaskins, on the Pitts family farm near Cherry Valley, AR. She had a happy childhood in a loving Christian home. She often told stories of Grover’s gospel singing and his serving as the County Tax Assessor, and Novie’s Sunday lunches. She attended Wynne public schools, graduating in 1950 from Wynne High School, as Salutatorian. Barbara’s first job was delivering papers before/after school. She was a long-time member of Wynne Baptist Church, participating in Girls Auxiliary and summer camp. Church was an important part of Barbara’s life. After high school Barbara attended Ouachita Baptist College for two years and dated Kenneth Wilson Hamrick, also of Wynne. On June 7, 1954, Barbara and Kenneth were married at the Wynne Baptist Church. Barbara’s first job after two years at Ouachita was as a teacher in a one-room school house heated by a pot-bellied stove in Vanndale. After marriage, she taught briefly in Beaufort, South Carolina. Barbara was devoted to her family and to her Lord Jessus Christ. She and Kenneth had two children. She loved being a stay-at-home mom, sometimes working as a substitute teacher during the children’s school years. Ken’s work took the family to Texarkana, Magnolia, Greensburg, PA, Linden, NJ, Tulsa, OK, Amarillo, TX, and Little Rock. The family lived the longest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they attended Gracemont Baptist Church. Barbara was very involved in the life of the church, teaching Sunday School, serving as Director of the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU), and working in Bible School. In her home and social life, she enjoyed cooking, sewing, gardening, and church activities. After Kenneth’s death in 1977, Barbara completed a B.S. degree at the University of Arkansas Little Rock in 1980 and a master's degree from Ouachita Baptist University in 1986 in Elementary Education. She taught elementary school in the Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts before retiring after 23 years of teaching. After retirement, Barbara moved to Maumelle, AR, where she was very active at Maumelle Baptist Church helping with Vacation Bible School and serving the homebound. She also enjoyed the activities at the Maumelle Senior Center. She moved to Northwest Arkansas in her later years to be close to family. Barbara was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters, Wilma (Forest) Bynum, Patsy (Tommy) Dobson, and “brother” Hansel Pitts (LenaMay). She is survived by daughter Holly Yeatman (Ross) of Fayetteville, and son Richard Hamrick (Brenda) of Fort Smith; granddaughters Cara Boyd (William Boyd III, dec.) and Rachael Hamrick, both of Fort Smith, and Kate Yeatman of New York City; great grandchildren Isabella, Liam and Emma Kate Boyd; and her sisters Marcella Jackson (Charles, dec.) of Southaven, MS, and Jo Gaskins (Bobby) of Ripley, TN; Barbara’s family is grateful for her love, inspiration, and guidance. They wish to thank the many friends and relatives who have shown their love and support during her last years. The family thanks her many friends at Brookfield Assisted Living and Barbara’s devoted caregivers at Brooken Hill Health and Rebab. Visitation is planned at the Kernodle Funeral Home, Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 10:00 A.M., followed by a memorial service at 10:30 A.M, then internment at Crosslawn Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Kernodle Funeral Home (https://www.kernodlefh.com/). In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Wynne Baptist Church or Gideons International.

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Barbara LaVonne Gaskins Hamrick

July 6, 1933 - July 9, 2025