Ramona Bolding Akin died on February 25 at Clarity Pointe Assisted Living in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with her daughters by her side. She was 80 years old.
Ramona was born in Saltillo, Arkansas, on April 19, 1938, to Thelma and Earl Bolding. They later moved to Conway where she grew up. She laughed thinking about a family dog that would wander downtown to a department store and chase the cash carriers from one floor to the other. Someone from the store would call her parents, and her father would pay a taxi to bring the dog home.
Her best friends in high school were Charlotte Smith and Sylvia Sanders. They traveled by bus to Fayetteville together to visit Ramona’s mother while she worked on her master’s degree during the summers. When they were about to board to return to Conway, Ramona saw a donut shop and had to have a bag. They missed their bus, boarded one heading to Little Rock intending to get off in Conway, but it didn’t stop, which they realized as they crossed the Arkansas River. When they got to Little Rock a bus driver helped them out by having a Fayetteville-bound bus take them to Conway. They laughed and laughed about that, and the story remains one of Charlotte and Sylvia’s favorites.
In 1957 she married her children’s father, Bill Ward, and had her first daughter, Dana, in May of 1959 and her second, Lauren, in March of 1962. They lived in Newport until Dana was 2 and then moved to Arkadelphia where Bill was principal of the junior high school. Lauren was born there the next year. Ramona went on to get her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Henderson State University and then a doctorate from the University of Arkansas in 1975.
In 1986 she married Bill Akin. They met in Arkadelphia at Henderson where they both worked. They lived in Arkadelphia after they married until they moved to Hot Springs in 2005. They were happily married until his death in October of 2014.
Ramona loved her children and grandchildren. She took her daughters fishing, attended their concerts, ball games, and school events, and did her best to be sure they had opportunities for their success and happiness in school and in life. She played video games with her grandchildren, had birthday parties at the lake, and baked chocolate chip scones for them to eat at her house and more to take home. She loved her family very much. She gave her son-in-law, Dave, a big smile a few days before she died.
She retired as a full professor from Henderson State University in 1998. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia and of Hot Springs. She was well-respected by faculty at Henderson and had long-time friends in Arkadelphia and Hot Springs who loved and supported her. They describe her as a good bridge player, someone who made them feel special and that they could tell secrets to, that she was smart, had a good sense of humor, and was beautiful.
Ramona was preceded in death by her parents, Walter Earl and Thelma Jones Bolding, her brother Royce Bolding, and her husband William Akin. She is survived by her daughters, Dana Ward and Lauren Lea, son-in-law, Dave Hoecherl, daughter-in-law, Colleen Jenkins, grandchildren, Seth Francis, Jake Collins, and Corey Collins, all of Fayetteville, nephew, Michael Bolding of Waco, Texas, and stepchildren, Donna Lackey and Don Akin, both of Alabama.
Ramona was born in Saltillo, Arkansas, on April 19, 1938, to Thelma and Earl Bolding. They later moved to Conway where she grew up. She laughed thinking about a family dog that would wander downtown to a department store and chase the cash carriers from one floor to the other. Someone from the store would call her parents, and her father would pay a taxi to bring the dog home.
Her best friends in high school were Charlotte Smith and Sylvia Sanders. They traveled by bus to Fayetteville together to visit Ramona’s mother while she worked on her master’s degree during the summers. When they were about to board to return to Conway, Ramona saw a donut shop and had to have a bag. They missed their bus, boarded one heading to Little Rock intending to get off in Conway, but it didn’t stop, which they realized as they crossed the Arkansas River. When they got to Little Rock a bus driver helped them out by having a Fayetteville-bound bus take them to Conway. They laughed and laughed about that, and the story remains one of Charlotte and Sylvia’s favorites.
In 1957 she married her children’s father, Bill Ward, and had her first daughter, Dana, in May of 1959 and her second, Lauren, in March of 1962. They lived in Newport until Dana was 2 and then moved to Arkadelphia where Bill was principal of the junior high school. Lauren was born there the next year. Ramona went on to get her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Henderson State University and then a doctorate from the University of Arkansas in 1975.
In 1986 she married Bill Akin. They met in Arkadelphia at Henderson where they both worked. They lived in Arkadelphia after they married until they moved to Hot Springs in 2005. They were happily married until his death in October of 2014.
Ramona loved her children and grandchildren. She took her daughters fishing, attended their concerts, ball games, and school events, and did her best to be sure they had opportunities for their success and happiness in school and in life. She played video games with her grandchildren, had birthday parties at the lake, and baked chocolate chip scones for them to eat at her house and more to take home. She loved her family very much. She gave her son-in-law, Dave, a big smile a few days before she died.
She retired as a full professor from Henderson State University in 1998. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia and of Hot Springs. She was well-respected by faculty at Henderson and had long-time friends in Arkadelphia and Hot Springs who loved and supported her. They describe her as a good bridge player, someone who made them feel special and that they could tell secrets to, that she was smart, had a good sense of humor, and was beautiful.
Ramona was preceded in death by her parents, Walter Earl and Thelma Jones Bolding, her brother Royce Bolding, and her husband William Akin. She is survived by her daughters, Dana Ward and Lauren Lea, son-in-law, Dave Hoecherl, daughter-in-law, Colleen Jenkins, grandchildren, Seth Francis, Jake Collins, and Corey Collins, all of Fayetteville, nephew, Michael Bolding of Waco, Texas, and stepchildren, Donna Lackey and Don Akin, both of Alabama.
Ramona Bolding Akin died on February 25 at Clarity Pointe Assisted Living in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with her daughters by her side. She was 80 years old.
Ramona was born in Saltillo, Arkansas, on April 19, 1938, to Thelma and Earl Bolding. They later moved to Conway where she grew up. She laughed thinking about a family dog that would wander downtown to a department store and chase the cash carriers from one floor to the other. Someone from the store would call her parents, and her father would pay a taxi to bring the dog home.
Her best friends in high school were Charlotte Smith and Sylvia Sanders. They traveled by bus to Fayetteville together to visit Ramona’s mother while she worked on her master’s degree during the summers. When they were about to board to return to Conway, Ramona saw a donut shop and had to have a bag. They missed their bus, boarded one heading to Little Rock intending to get off in Conway, but it didn’t stop, which they realized as they crossed the Arkansas River. When they got to Little Rock a bus driver helped them out by having a Fayetteville-bound bus take them to Conway. They laughed and laughed about that, and the story remains one of Charlotte and Sylvia’s favorites.
In 1957 she married her children’s father, Bill Ward, and had her first daughter, Dana, in May of 1959 and her second, Lauren, in March of 1962. They lived in Newport until Dana was 2 and then moved to Arkadelphia where Bill was principal of the junior high school. Lauren was born there the next year. Ramona went on to get her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Henderson State University and then a doctorate from the University of Arkansas in 1975.
In 1986 she married Bill Akin. They met in Arkadelphia at Henderson where they both worked. They lived in Arkadelphia after they married until they moved to Hot Springs in 2005. They were happily married until his death in October of 2014.
Ramona loved her children and grandchildren. She took her daughters fishing, attended their concerts, ball games, and school events, and did her best to be sure they had opportunities for their success and happiness in school and in life. She played video games with her grandchildren, had birthday parties at the lake, and baked chocolate chip scones for them to eat at her house and more to take home. She loved her family very much. She gave her son-in-law, Dave, a big smile a few days before she died.
She retired as a full professor from Henderson State University in 1998. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia and of Hot Springs. She was well-respected by faculty at Henderson and had long-time friends in Arkadelphia and Hot Springs who loved and supported her. They describe her as a good bridge player, someone who made them feel special and that they could tell secrets to, that she was smart, had a good sense of humor, and was beautiful.
Ramona was preceded in death by her parents, Walter Earl and Thelma Jones Bolding, her brother Royce Bolding, and her husband William Akin. She is survived by her daughters, Dana Ward and Lauren Lea, son-in-law, Dave Hoecherl, daughter-in-law, Colleen Jenkins, grandchildren, Seth Francis, Jake Collins, and Corey Collins, all of Fayetteville, nephew, Michael Bolding of Waco, Texas, and stepchildren, Donna Lackey and Don Akin, both of Alabama.
Ramona was born in Saltillo, Arkansas, on April 19, 1938, to Thelma and Earl Bolding. They later moved to Conway where she grew up. She laughed thinking about a family dog that would wander downtown to a department store and chase the cash carriers from one floor to the other. Someone from the store would call her parents, and her father would pay a taxi to bring the dog home.
Her best friends in high school were Charlotte Smith and Sylvia Sanders. They traveled by bus to Fayetteville together to visit Ramona’s mother while she worked on her master’s degree during the summers. When they were about to board to return to Conway, Ramona saw a donut shop and had to have a bag. They missed their bus, boarded one heading to Little Rock intending to get off in Conway, but it didn’t stop, which they realized as they crossed the Arkansas River. When they got to Little Rock a bus driver helped them out by having a Fayetteville-bound bus take them to Conway. They laughed and laughed about that, and the story remains one of Charlotte and Sylvia’s favorites.
In 1957 she married her children’s father, Bill Ward, and had her first daughter, Dana, in May of 1959 and her second, Lauren, in March of 1962. They lived in Newport until Dana was 2 and then moved to Arkadelphia where Bill was principal of the junior high school. Lauren was born there the next year. Ramona went on to get her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Henderson State University and then a doctorate from the University of Arkansas in 1975.
In 1986 she married Bill Akin. They met in Arkadelphia at Henderson where they both worked. They lived in Arkadelphia after they married until they moved to Hot Springs in 2005. They were happily married until his death in October of 2014.
Ramona loved her children and grandchildren. She took her daughters fishing, attended their concerts, ball games, and school events, and did her best to be sure they had opportunities for their success and happiness in school and in life. She played video games with her grandchildren, had birthday parties at the lake, and baked chocolate chip scones for them to eat at her house and more to take home. She loved her family very much. She gave her son-in-law, Dave, a big smile a few days before she died.
She retired as a full professor from Henderson State University in 1998. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia and of Hot Springs. She was well-respected by faculty at Henderson and had long-time friends in Arkadelphia and Hot Springs who loved and supported her. They describe her as a good bridge player, someone who made them feel special and that they could tell secrets to, that she was smart, had a good sense of humor, and was beautiful.
Ramona was preceded in death by her parents, Walter Earl and Thelma Jones Bolding, her brother Royce Bolding, and her husband William Akin. She is survived by her daughters, Dana Ward and Lauren Lea, son-in-law, Dave Hoecherl, daughter-in-law, Colleen Jenkins, grandchildren, Seth Francis, Jake Collins, and Corey Collins, all of Fayetteville, nephew, Michael Bolding of Waco, Texas, and stepchildren, Donna Lackey and Don Akin, both of Alabama.
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