Biography: Merlene Cook Ratcliff Stewart October 2, 1929-July 15, 2025.

Remembered as “a lovely and fashionable and sophisticated lady with warmth and grace,” Merlene Cook Ratcliff Stewart died Tuesday, July 15, 2025, two-and-a-half months shy of her 96th birthday. She was born at home on October 2, 1929, in Vilonia, Arkansas, as the seventh and final child to the late Minnie Bell Leach Cook and Fleming Everett Cook. She was known as “the prettiest baby they had ever seen” in Faulkner County, and legend has it that the people in town lined up to come see baby Merlene. Her sisters Lucille, Irene, and Opaline preceded her in death as well as R. L. Cook and the other two siblings who won’t be mentioned. The family moved to Conway soon after Merlene’s birth and then finally to Yell County, where the family owned the bus lines. The six older siblings loved tormenting that cute little girl and taught her inappropriate words to repeat, just to get her in trouble.

Merlene attended Fourche Valley High School in Yell County. Her memories included listening to the radio at night with her family to hear the daily news about the allied forces in World War II. Her walls in her bedroom were lined with movie posters of glamorous actresses smoking cigarettes; Merlene was never considered a smoker but thought the women looked beautiful doing it.

After graduation from high school, she attended the University of Arkansas.

Merlene was fortunate enough to marry two adoring husbands. The first time was in 1955 to Gordon Lee Ratcliff. He tragically lost his life in a boating accident on Lake Maumelle just four years later. She and Gordon had seen the arrival of their one and only child, Mindy, in 1957. She fortunately married another fine man in 1961, Roy Allison Charles Stewart, the former owner of Lakehill Pharmacy in North Little Rock. He died in 1982 at the age of 49 after a long illness.


In a stroke of good luck and fragrance finesse, Merlene and Mindy opened a unique shop in 1983 that had some of the finest perfumes in not only Arkansas but much of the country. Powder & Smoke is still open today along with a fine selection of gifts and jewelry and is now in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center in west Little Rock.  Merlene was always a staple in the store along with any pups they had in their possession. After a fall in 2019, Merlene slowed down her appearances at the store, but there wasn’t a day that people didn't ask about her. Her demeanor was such that people were drawn to her when she was at the store. She was an elegant lady of impeccable taste who enjoyed more than an occasional vodka martini. And her favorite thing, next to her dogs, was her love of going to market sourcing items for the shop.

Merlene clearly had her priorities in a state riddled with tornadoes. When it stormed, she would say, “get your jewelry on and get in the hall.” One customer remembered her and said, “Merlene was a beautiful lady inside and out, so gracious and kind.”

She is survived by her daughter Mindy, and niece Carolyn Cook Rector of Tulsa, Okla., along with pups Andrew, Beau, Madison, and Sasha. Harry Winston, a Shih Tzu, was her beloved pup who passed away first. A special thank you to  Courtney Rivera, her caretaker for nearly five years.

Memorials may be made to the Pulaski County Humane Society or Out of the Woods Rescue.

Merlene was an Epsicopalian and a member of St. Margaret’s Epsicopal Church in Little Rock. Her life will be remembered with a memorial service Tuesday,  July 22, 2025, at 1 p.m.  at Ruebel Funeral Home. Arrangements under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com