Zula "Tina" Estlen Witt

Zula Estlen (Tina) Thomason Witt passed from this life on Friday, September 18, at St. Bernard's Hospital in Jonesboro, AR.

Mrs. Witt was the daughter of Samuel Houston Thomason and Burous Clevy Reynolds Thomason of Paragould, AR, entering this life on March 3, l920.

She was a member of Nettleton Church of Christ for many years.

Mrs. Witt was mother to Shirley Diane Smith (deceased), Hubert W. Smith, Jr of Spokane, WA, Toni Lynn Forrest of Columbia, SC, Phillip Kent Smith, of Jonesboro, AR, and Terry Lee Parish, of Jonesboro, AR. Mrs. Witt is also survived by 6 grandchildren & 2 great grandchildren.

She was assisted for many years by her devoted caretaker, Melba Walker.

She was a devoted homemaker, mother and grandmother. Her skills & interests were multifaceted, including gardening, quilting, needlework, & creating the "world's best" Thanksgiving dressing. In later life, she successfully completed training to become a Practical Nurse, which enabled her to help others and make ends meet as a single Mom.

Throughout World War II, she kept the home fires burning & was called upon to help with her own parents. As a service wife, she was called to the challenge of moving her family to various military assignments of her husband, Hubert W. Smith, and make a home for her children.

Tina Witt was a brave woman who loved and lost and bounced back from many challenges that life brought her way. As a young woman, one of her greatest pleasures was racing horses bareback with friends on a dirt road down from the farm where she grew up. That spirit imbued her entire life.

A visitation will be from 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at Emerson Funeral Home.

A funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at Emerson Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow at Center Hill Cemetery in Paragould. Active pallbearers will include: Nelson Forrest, Robert Dewitt, Gary Tucker, Jeremy Williams, and Andy Hatch.

Honorary pallbearers will include: Larry Parish