Marie Dunn Obituary

Marie May Evans Dunn, 94, passed away Friday, May 5, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas surrounded by her family. She was born June 22, 1928 in Lost Cane, Arkansas, a small farming community, to the late Bill and Mary May. In addition to her parents, Marie was welcomed into Heaven by her husband, John Dunn; and daughter, Paula Marie Evans Baldwin. Growing up, Marie was very close with her younger brother, Willie, and the cousins that lived nearby. Looking for work, the family moved from Arkansas to California when she was about nine years old. With a few mishaps along the way, and an extended stay in Arizona in the middle, they finally arrived in Lodi, California. She would graduate high school from Lodi in 1947. With the start of the war in 1941, Marie went to work in packing sheds, canning fruits like grapes and cherries. She also worked in a department store, a drugstore, a cafe and a movie theater and had interesting stories from her time in those different jobs. During the war, she would write letters to her friends that had gone to war, one of those being Howard Evans. Once he returned home from the Navy, he arrived in California to ask her to marry him. She said yes and off they went to Arkansas, where he was from. They got married in 1948 and children soon followed. Her children, Lynn, Keith, Paula and Scott were her most precious gifts and she was quick to tell you how proud she was of them. Marie and Howard lived in Little Rock for a number of years before moving the family to Cabot and then later to Springfield, Missouri. While in Springfield, she would start flying lessons and soon get her pilot's license. At one point, she and all of her children would have their pilots' licenses, which was a source of great pride for her. They moved back to Cabot from Springfield where she and Howard divorced in 1981. Marie later worked at White Bag Company, where she would meet John Dunn. They started as friends and late one night at work, she heard God tell her "this is the man for her". She thought God was crazy because she wasn't looking to get remarried. But, as we know, they did get married in 1987. She joined Bayou Meto Baptist Church with John where they would go on to create wonderful friendships that have lasted through the years, with many nights around the table playing dominoes, spades or on the bowling league. They had several wonderful years together before taking on the responsibility of moving her parents to Arkansas from California. Her father passed away shortly after moving him to Arkansas. John also passed away, leaving Marie and her mother, Mary, living together. Now, most of you know that Mary was an ornery, almost always stubborn lady who kept Marie on her toes. But, Marie was also a strong stubborn lady who would win the battle of wills more often than not. Marie came out of retirement to help her daughter, Paula, open a business in 1997. Marie was the bookkeeper. They had a great partnership for many years until Paula's battle with early on-set Alzheimer's, where she needed care during the day with Marie taking on that role until Paula's passing in 2011. In 2015, Marie moved to Elkins, Arkansas to be closer to her oldest son, Lynn, and his wife, Teresa. Marie enjoyed her time in Elkins, spending time with family, making new friendships, being adopted into Teresa's family and joining a local church. In the last several years, Marie had her own struggles with dementia and congestive heart failure. She lost her battle with those, because she would tell you that she was a fighter, when she suffered two strokes within recent weeks. She was surrounded by family in the final moments and even then was fighting for more time. Marie was one of a kind. If you had the chance to meet her through the years, then you left feeling loved and with a smile. Growing up through the Great Depression and World War II left her with a few hoarding tendencies, maybe more than a few. But, it also left her with a resourcefulness for "repurposing" things around the house, like old dryer drums for planters, butter tubs for leftovers and quite the collection of grocery bags for whatever use you might need them for. But, she also had an appreciation for life, for family, and for friends. She was quick to tell you about her family, her love for Jesus and she just knew that Jesus was coming back before it was her time (that memo must have been lost between Heaven and Earth on Friday, May 5 2023). Those left to cherish the beautiful memories of Marie include her children, Howard "Lynn" (Teresa) Evans Jr. , Dean "Keith" (Paula) Evans, Scott (Jackie) Evans; son-in-law, Sam Baldwin; and grandchildren, Courtney (Danny), Chris, Craig (Stacy), Brooklyn, Piper, and Parker; as well as extended family. Graveside services will be 11:00 a. m. , Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at Chapel Hill Memorial Park. Marie's immediate family would like to thank everyone for loving our mother and grandmother so well throughout the years. We thank you for the stories you have shared with us and the love you have poured out.