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Betty Sue Daniels
Betty Sue Daniels age 78 of Benton, passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2026. She was born May 7, 1948 in Benton. Betty retired from the Alexander Children’s Colony in Alexander and was a member of the Glazier Peau Missionary Baptist Church at Fountain Lake.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Harrison Keene and Delilah Wilson Keene.
Survivors, son, David McElmurry, daughter, Lee Ann Ault, brothers David Keene and Charley Keene, sisters, Jeanette Moore and Rose Pettit, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Cremation services are by Ashby Funeral Home.
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Mary Louise Chittenden
Mary Louise Chittenden, of Benton, AR, passed away peacefully at the age of 99 on May 20, 2026. Mary Louise was born in Little Rock, AR on February 2, 1927 to Martha Maggard and Harry Trager. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Robert Melvin (Bob) Chittenden, and her sister, Agnes Christine (Chris) Humphrey.
Mary Louise was a spunky soul, lifelong learner, lover of technology, and expert genealogist. After graduating from Little Rock High School in Arkansas (now Central High School) in 1944, she went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts from Bethany-Peniel College in Oklahoma (now Southern Nazarene University). That wasn’t enough, so she continued on with her education and gained not one but two Master’s degrees: the first a Master’s of Religious Education from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas (now Central Seminary) and the second a Master’s of Science in Counseling from the University of Oklahoma. She wanted to pursue a PhD as well, but since women weren’t permitted in the program, it’s rumored she had to settle for sitting in on some classes instead.
Never one to shirk a challenge, over the years she taught and was involved in education at all levels. Her first job out of college was teaching fifth grade in Minneola, KS, and not long after she moved to Pasadena, CA to become an instructor in the religious education department at the Nazarene Pasadena College. She also served as an educational director and an editor of Sunday School curricula for the Nazarene denomination, spending time in California, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas.
In 1967 Mary Louise married the love of her life, Bob Chittenden, at the First Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, CA. When he proposed, it took her two weeks to say yes because there were still “serious conversations” that needed to take place, but after they got those sorted it was wedded bliss.
It was through Bob’s parents that she found her passion for genealogy. His family had been tracing their family history for 50 years, and she found the thrill of hunting for clues irresistible as she began to help them track down more details from the family’s past. Mary Louise was quoted as saying, “Genealogy is just like a disease – once you catch it, you can’t get rid of it,” (News-Chronicle, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1974).
Her passion for teaching and genealogy united, and she began to teach genealogy at Simi Valley Adult School in California. She also became part of numerous genealogical societies, serving in roles such as founder, president, board member, and teacher.
In the early 1990s, Bob and Mary Louise retired and moved to Green Forest, AR, where she quickly became an integral part of the Carroll County Historical and Genealogical Society and wrote for their quarterly. They spent two decades together there, making the most of retired life, spending time with family and friends, and getting involved in the local Nazarene church.
Not long after Bob passed in 2010, she moved to Benton, AR where she spent the rest of her days. She carried on with her passions by teaching a weekly genealogy class at the Benton Senior Activity Center until she was 99, even navigating the temporary move to a virtual format during the Covid pandemic.
Mary Louise had a unique sense of time and an ability to weave a story with multiple rabbit trails that ended up where she intended all along. But she was modest when talking about her knowledge and research, excitedly sharing new tidbits she came across. She was an accumulator of sewing machines, ideas, and knowledge, among other things. She was a trailblazer in so many ways, and her enthusiasm for technology and genealogy will carry on in generations to come.
She desperately wanted to make it to her 100th birthday for a grand celebration, but while her body wasn’t able to hang on that long, we know she’s celebrating in heaven at being reunited with Bob, Chris, her parents, and all of those she spent so many years researching.
Mary Louise is survived by her sister Vinita Wood of Benton; five nephews: Steve Wood (Mary), Dale Humphrey (Gina), Kenny Wood, Darrell Wood (Nicole), and David Humphrey (Laura); five grandnieces and grandnephews: Rachel Frey (Matthew), Rebecca Wood, Sarah Olson (Dustin), Ben Wood (Kaitlin), and Caleb Wood; five great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews: Eleanor Olson, Oliver Frey, Bennett Wood, Myla Wood, and Trager Wood; bonus family: Redmond Kelley (Lyndsey) and children Aden, Ethan, London, Merrin, and Preston, and Oakley Kelley (Cliff Crull) and child Quinn; and many friends who will miss her dearly.
Visitation will be on Friday, 5/29, at 9:30am at the Smith Benton Funeral Home (322 North Market Street, Benton, AR) with the funeral service to immediately follow at 10:30am.
Interment will follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park (7401 Highway 5 North, Alexander, AR).
The family asks in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer’s Arkansas.
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