Alice Wagner Witherspoon
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Aug 15th, 2018
- Death Date: Aug 15, 2018
- Save: Print this Obituary
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Biography: Alice Wagner Witherspoon, 79, died August 15, 2018, with her family by her side in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was born on May 29, 1939, in Burlington, Iowa and was raised in Iowa until the age of 15, when the family moved to the tiny town of Highfill, Arkansas. She was the daughter of Ivan and Lillian (Bohlen) Wagner. Alice grew up on several family farms and she was the oldest of seven children. Even as a young girl, she usually had a younger sibling on her hip. So began her life-long love of caring for children. She graduated from Gentry High School in 1957 as Valedictorian of her class. She then attended nurse?s training at Arkansas Baptist School of Nursing and graduated with honors. She went on to achieve a B. A. in nursing, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She was a Registered Nurse for 49 years, retiring in 1994 after working at Arkansas Children?s Hospital for 24 years. Alice was passionate about nursing and about caring for kids and helping her young patients return to healthy, happy lives. She had a uniquely kind and generous heart to friends and strangers alike. She truly enjoyed giving of herself by helping others in any way she could. She was a life-long Southern Baptist and for many years was an active member of Markham Street Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir. Over the years, she served as music librarian, manned the prayer room, crocheted prayer shawls for those in need, worked in the church?s nursery, maintained the Baptistry and served God in countless other ways. Alice adored spending time with her family. She patiently and lovingly raised her children, and her home was constantly filled with her children?s friends because she was the ?cool mom?. She was an expert in virtually all crafting activities, including embroidery, crocheting, cross stitching, quilting, hand-crafting embossed, stamped stationary, and sewing, to name just a few. When her daughter Kimberly was young, Alice sewed all her clothes, making sure her babydoll always had identical outfits to match. Ms. Witherspoon is survived by her daughter, Kimberly Witherspoon, son, Kevin Witherspoon, and her two beloved grandchildren, Jace and Sofia Witherspoon, all of Little Rock. She is also survived by sisters Eunice Hester (Jim) of Clarksville, TN, Lola Malone (David) and Miriam Ketron (Steve), both of Rogers AR, and her brothers, Hugh Wagner (Nancy) of Camdenton, MO and Brice Wagner (Vicki) of Rogers, AR, plus many nieces and nephews. She also leaves behind dozens of first cousins. Alice was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Lee Wagner. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 22 at 11:00 a.m. at Ruebel Funeral Home in Little Rock. In lieu of flowers, Alice requested donations to Arkansas Children?s Hospital.
We are so very sorry for your loss. Alice was a beautiful person and we loved having her as a neighbor. We will miss her.
My Condolences and Prayers for the Family.
Fast forward to 1987, I'm working at ACH and see Alice working on the blue (rainbow unit) cardiac/surgical floor. I recognized her instantly.
I loved that connection. Her nursing picture is how I will always remember her. The first thing she did when I would see her was pull pictures of her kiddos out of her locker.
She was a conscientious nurse with a huge heart. Prayers to her family as they grieve her loss.
"Missy" Porter
I am so sorry for your loss.