Ada Ballard

Ada Elizabeth "Betty" Ballard, age 88, resident of Fayetteville, Arkansas, died December 2, 2010 at Butterfield Trail Village. She was born May 13, 1922 at Peach Grove Community, Kansas, the oldest of 6 children born to Milton, a farmer, and Susan T. Smith Wendland, a homemaker. Betty had very vivid memories of the dust storms that would ravage the area and of her mother having to put wet cloths on the windows to keep the dust out. After graduating valedictorian of her high school class, Betty attended Kansas State University. She had many odd jobs to pay her way through school, including being a human guinea pig for a research project, modeling for hairdressers, and cleaning houses. Betty married her first husband, Orval H. Meinecke, a veterinarian who practiced the majority of his life in Hot Springs, AR. The couple had 5 children together and Betty was very active in PTA and Band Boosters organizations while the children were in public schools as well as helping out at the vet clinic when needed. She was famous for her potato soup, homemade bread, hot chocolate and huge bowls of popcorn she would serve the many groups of kids that would come during winter snows to sled down the steep OHMstead hill, as the Meinecke home was called. She and Orval were also active members of First Lutheran Church in Hot Springs. Orval passed away at the age of forty-five from pancreatic cancer. Betty returned to college in her forties and met the second love of her life, Gene Ballard. They met while taking extension courses through Henderson State University They married in 1965 and moved to Jonesboro, AR, where Gene was part of the faculty at ASU. They were faithful members of Pilgrim Lutheran Church for 37 years while in Jonesboro. Betty was an active member in the Lutheran Women's Missionary League. She was a member of the Faculty Wives Book Club at Arkansas State University and the St. Bernard's Hospital Auxiliary in Jonesboro. Betty and Gene moved to Butterfield Trail Village in May, 2002. Betty and Gene enjoyed 43 years together before his death in 2008. Betty was preceded in death by her first husband, Orval H. Meinecke and her second husband Arlie E. Ballard; one daughter Mary Elizabeth Ubwa, one brother, Clinton Wendland and one sister Anita Wendlandt. Survivors include three sons, Henry M. Meinecke and wife Patricia of Brasstown North Carolina, Richard O. Meinecke of Southern Pines, North Carolina and Robert W. Meinecke and wife Harriet of Galax, Virginia; one daughter Ada Louise Ryan of Bentonville; two brothers, Milton Wendland of Autaugaville, Alabama and Charles Wendland of Mountain City, Tennessee; one sister Jo Anne Goetsch of Brewster, Kansas; eleven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren Memorial services are planned at a later date. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Sisco Funeral Chapel of Springdale. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1812 S. Rains St., Jonesboro, AR 72401, Circle of Life Hospice, 901 Jones Road, Springdale, Arkansas 72762, or Butterfield Trail Village Foundation, 1923 E. Joyce Blvd., Fayetteville, AR 72703.

Ada Ballard

May 13, 1922 - December 2, 2010