Mary Sue Ward of Cherokee Village, Arkansas, passed away on Monday, May 23rd at the age of 81. Mary was born on June 26th, 1940 in Craighead County, Arkansas to parents L.O. Brickell and Nellie Smith. She graduated from Lepanto High School and attended business college in Memphis, TN, where she met her husband, Jerry. She worked in a number of occupations, from Office Manager to Retail Fashion, Executive Assistant to Business Owner; but she spent much of her time and attention as a homemaker, making sure her family had everything they needed. She was a dedicated caretaker of her husband, children, family members, community, and friends.

Mary was creatively talented and enjoyed crafting for friends and family. She was especially skilled at sewing, painting, and baking. She sewed beautiful clothes for her children and decorated fantastic cakes that made birthdays special. Friends looked forward to her delicious and varied Christmas treats and often put in requests for favorites. Some of her family’s greatest treasures include painted ornaments she made. She was a dedicated community advocate, helping to ensure airport expansion did minimal damage to people and neighborhoods; and she was active in school and extracurricular functions for all her children. She contributed to her Church community by creating a new teaching curriculum for the Sunday School classes for babies and toddlers, whom she loved teaching. She was a fantastic host, making celebrations special with her decorating and catering skills. She made Christmases magical and Halloweens spooky, once even building a haunted house in the garage for trick-or-treaters. Her family and friends remember her as an engaging storyteller and a fierce defender. She cared about those in need, and always made sure family members who were sick were taken care of. In her downtime, some of her favorite pastimes included watching the Memphis Tigers play basketball and reading John Grisham novels. Mary is survived by her husband Jerry Ward; Daughters Kimberly Turner (Scott), and Linda Ward; brother Cecil Brickell sisters Margaret Lee and Myrle Helfer; granddaughter Kristen Ward and grandson Logan Elam. Mary is preceded in death by her parentsher daughter Kelly Millnerbrothers Bill, Leavie, and Larry Brickell; and sister Linda Lloyd. A celebration of life for Mrs. Mary Sue will be held on Saturday, June 11th from 2:00 P.M to 4:00 P.M. at Wortham Funeral Home Oak Hill Chapel in Hardy, Arkansas.