Robert (Bob) Bernard Holthouse

Robert (Bob) Bernard Holthouse

Robert (Bob) Bernard Holthouse

Born:        18 December, 1922 Muncie, IN
Died:         28 November, 2005 Osceola, AR

Married:    8 August, 1952 to Myrtle Sexton
                    Born 1 December, 1930 Luxora, AR
                    Died 14 January, 1993 Osceola, AR

                    4 June 1994 to Marie Lindsey
                    Born 10 March 1924 Lawrenceburg, TN

Bob was the son of Bernard Godfrey and Nelle Williams Holthouse.

The picture at the left is from a newspaper clipping his Mother kept.

"Bob Holthouse, a successful young farmer of Manila, was elected president of the Manila Lions Club at a recent meeting of the Club. Mr. Holthouse, a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Agriculture Economics, has lived in Manila for the past six years. He is chairman of the County Farmers Home Administration Committee. A Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, a CatholIc Mens Organization, and Is active In all civic organizations of Manila."

Bob enlisted in the Army Air Force at the start of WWII, but was not accepted for pilot training because of his poor eyesight. He spent the war years first in training in the US and later behind the front in the Pacific Theater, arriving in Japan at wars end.

He returned in 1945 and entered college studying agriculture, first at Perdue, then at Wisconsin, and finally at the University of Tennessee where he graduated with a degree in Agricultural Economics. After graduation, he worked for Purena Feeds as a salesman. In 1950 he purchased a Minneapolis Moline tractor and a Studebaker ton and one half truck and began farming his mother's farm in Manila, AR.

I spent most of my off time from school helping him on the farm. In those days, we were off for cotton picking vacation as well as the normal summer vacation. Bob raised cotton and soy beans on the 220 acre farm. He dabbled in corn, broom corn, watermelons, cattle, horses, and pigs.

When we first went over to the farm, there were four of us, Bob, myself, my brother Jack, and a friend of Bob's whos name escapes me. He was in the Army Reserves and was activated for the Korean War so was not around long.

Before leaving Lawrenceburg, Bob went to the wholesale food distributor to purchase canned goods. They had had a leak and had a number of cases of cans with no labels that they agreed to sell cheap. Bob bought them all and that was our main source of food. We never knew what we'd be eating until we opened the cans.

Click to read Bob and Myrtle's wedding announcement in a new browser window.

Click to view Myrtle's ancesters and descendants.

Click here to see pages from the family bible of Myrtle's parents, Clyde and Helen Sexton.

Bob met his wife, Myrtle Sexton, at a restaurant owned by her uncle in nearby Blytheville. He'd go there for breakfast before attending mass at the local Catholic church. Together, they had five children, two girls and three boys. The picture on the right is of Myrtle and myself with her four sons. The dark haired boy beside Myrtle is an exchange student.

Myrtle was one of seven children of Clyde Sexton and Helen Cole Sexton. Clyde was killed in 1958 at 52 years of age when his son, Sonny, got the tractor stuck out in the field and came and got his dad to get it unstuck. The tractor turned over on him. His last words were "Sonny take Helen and the girls to church every Sunday".

About 1957 Bob made a deal with his Mother to sell the farm and purchase a larger 600 acre farm to the south, just outside of Osceola, AR near where his mother's father was born and grew up. When the new farm was paid off, he would own the farm. He ended up owning several thousand acres by the time he retired.

Myrtle contracted lymphoma and died 15 January, 1993.

On 4 June 1994 Bob married an old high school friend, Marie Kathryn Whitten Lindsey, from Lawrenceburg where he grew up. She was a widower. That's their high school pictures below. They spent their retirement years rotating back in forth between her house outside Lawrenceburg and his house outside Osceola.

Bob contracted pneumonia and died on 28 November 2005.

Bob's family about 1976.

Left to right: Heath, Kim, Shawn with her husband Gerald Chafin Jr and her children Robert and Gerald Chafin III, Myrtle, Bob, Myrtle's Mother Helen Cold Sexton, and Ron, Heath, and Brian in the back row.

Don't know who the girl with the dark hair is.

Myrtle's Obituary

Mrs. Myrtle Sexton Holthouse, 62, of Osceola, died Thursday 14 January 1993 at St. Francis Hospital of Memphis. She was a member of St. Matthews Catholic Church and the owner/ operator of the Geranium Shop. She was the president of the Osceola Progressive Club and past president of St. Matthews Alter Society.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Callie Ellis.

Survivors include her husband Bob Holthouse of Osceola; two daughters, Shawn Chafin of Osceola and Kim Holthouse of Pasadena, Calif.; four sons, Ron Holthouse and Vince Holthouse, both of Osceola; Heath Holthouse of New York, N.Y. and Brian Hv thouse of Denver, Cob.; her mother, Helen Sexton of Osceola; four sister, Madie Brice of Memphis, Jo Wetsein of Alton, Ill., Libby Sexton of Osceola and Brenda Cobb of Tunica, Miss.; one brother, Son Sexton of Osceola; and seven grandchildren.

Funeral services will be Sunday afternoon at 2 at St. Matthews Catholic Church with Rev. Father Joseph Pallo officiating. Burial will follow in Mississippi County Memorial Gardens in Osceola. Roller-Swift Funeral Home of Osceola is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation will be from 7 to 9 Saturday evening at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the familyrequests that lasting memorials be made to St. Matthews Catholic Church of the Osceola Progressive Club.

Bob's Obituary

OSCEOLA -- Robert B. "Bob" Holthouse, 82, of Osceola died Monday, Nov. 28, 2005, at the Great River Medical Center at Blytheville.

Born Friday, Dec. 8, 1922, in Muncie, Ind., to Bernard G. Holthouse and Nelle Williams Holthouse, he was a member of the Osceola St. Matthew's Catholic Church.

Bob's father moved his family to Lawrenceburg, Tenn., in the early 1920s where he opened a factory that made wood handles and ball bats. He graduated from Lawrenceburg High School and entered Purdue University in the fall of 1941. Deciding to take a break from his studies to serve his country during World War II, he enlisted in the Air Force.

Returning to college, he graduated from the University of Tennessee and worked for Purina before moving to Mississippi County in 1950. He began farming in the Manila area, moving his operations to Osceola in 1958.

Bob was well known throughout the county, being active in local politics. He served as Farm Bureau president in 1971, served on the Quorum Court as a justice of the peace and on the Home Oil Company Board of Directors. Church, family, reading and scuba diving are only a few of his many passions.

He is survived by his wife, Marie Whitten Holthouse of Osceola; three sons, Ron Holthouse of Osceola, Brian Holthouse of Havre de Grace, Md. and Vince Holthouse of Raleigh, N.C.; one stepson, Jim Lindsey of Adams, Tenn.; two daughters, Kim Holthouse and Shawn Chafin, both of Osceola; two stepdaughters, Carol Logue of Brentwood, Tenn., and Kathy Hayes of Lawrenceburg, Tenn.

He was also survived by nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Myrtle Sexton Holthouse; one son, Edward Heath Holthouse who died 14 January 1993 ; and three sisters, Margaret, Virginia and Maude.

Rosary will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Roller-Swift Funeral Home in Osceola, with visitation from 6-8 p.m.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the St. Matthew's Catholic Church at Osceola, with Father Joseph Pallo presiding.

Burial will be in the Mississippi County Memorial Gardens with Roller-Swift Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

The family requests that memorials be made to St. Matthew's Catholic Church or to the donor's choice.

The section below covers the known ancestors on Myrtle Sexton Holthouse's Mother's side of the family.

Myrtle's grandmother Callie Jowers Cole is the one with the white hair in the middle with her daughters, their husbands, and some of their grandchildren. Myrtle's Mother, Helen Cole Sexton is the second from the right standing.

Three sisters of Myrtle's grandmother Callie Jowers Cole

Left: Truma Jowers Cunningham

Middle: Opal Jowers Newhouse

Right: Pauline Jowers Swinney

Left: Myrtle's grandmother Callie Jowers Cole

Right: Callie's youngest daughter, Opal Jowers Newhouse

Myrtle's grandfather Hubert Cole, Callie Jower's husband.

Myrtle Sexton's Mother, Helen Cole Sexton, was raised in Tennessee. Helen's parents were Hubert Jackson Cole and Callie Jowers Cole. Her grandparents were Adam Lafonte Jowers and Beulah Tidwell. Following is a listing of her ancestors, beginning with her grandfather.

Descendants of Adam Lafonte Jowers

　

Generation No. 1

1. Adam Lafonte¹ Jowers¹ was born 25 Apr 1861 in Henderson, Tennessee, USA¹, and died 26 Nov 1922 in Lake, Tennessee, USA¹. He married (1) Beulah Tidwell^1,2 25 Aug 1887 in Lake, Tennessee, USA³. She was born Feb 1872 in New Madrid, Missouri, USA³, and died 01 May 1907 in Lake, Tennessee, USA³. He married (2) Gertrude May Eddleman³ 03 Feb 1909. She was born Abt. 1887.

Notes for Adam Lafonte Jowers:

1910 United States Federal Census

about Adam L Jowers

Name: Adam L Jowers

Age in 1910: 48

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1862

Birthplace: Tennessee

Relation to Head of House: Head

Father's Birth Place: North Carolina

Mother's Birth Place: South Carolina

Spouse's Name: Gertie May

Home in 1910: Civil District 4, Lake, Tennessee

Marital Status: Married

Race: White

Gender: Male

Name Age

Adam L Jowers 48

Gertie May Jowers 25

Addis Jowers 16

Pearl Jowers 14

Pauline Jowers 14

Stonnie Jowers 8

Opal Jowers 5

Herbert H Edmonds 6

Clyde Edmonds 5

Luther Jowers 10

George Riddle 17

Bob Jowers, nephew of Callie Jowers Cole, advised on 26 Mar 2009 that Keefe, TN is a farming community east of Wynnburg, NT. As he understands, the Jowers family grew up in this area. Adam Jowers, after not being successful in farming began a grocery or general store in Wynnburg until his death. He does not know when his wife, Beulah Tidwell Jowers died, nor did he have a date of Adam's second marriage. He furnished family records of birth dates of Adam and Beaula's children.

More About Adam Lafonte Jowers:

Residence: Tennessee⁴

Notes for Beulah Tidwell:

1900 United States Federal Census

about Callie Jowers

Name: Callie Jowers

Home in 1900: Civil District 4, Lake, Tennessee

Age: 8

Birth Date: Jan 1892

Birthplace: Tennessee

Race: White

Ethnicity: American

Gender: Female

Relationship to head-of-house: Daughter

Father's Name: Adam

Father's Birthplace: Tennessee

Mother's Name: Buelah

Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee

Marital Status: Single

Residence : Civil Districts 3-4, Lake, Tennessee

Household Members:

Name Age

Adam Jowers 39

Buelah Jowers 28

Clyde Jowers 10

Callie Jowers 8

Ettis Jowers 6

Ceahlin Jowers 4

Pauline Jowers 4

Luther Jowers 5/12

Needlar Phelps 17

Carolin Tidwell 7

Children of Adam Jowers and Beulah Tidwell are:

2 i. Norman Clyde² Jowers, born 22 Mar 1890 in Lake, Tennessee, USA; died 16 Sep 1951 in , , TN.

+ 3 ii. Callie Jowers, born 21 Jan 1892 in Lake, Tennessee, USA; died 22 May 1973.

4 iii. May Eddis Jowers⁵, born 23 Oct 1894 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵; died 22 Feb 1976 in Mississippi, Arkansas, USA⁵.

5 iv. Pauline Jowers⁵, born 10 Dec 1895 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵; died 18 Sep 1968⁵. She married fnu Swinney; born Abt. 1895.

6 v. Pearline Jowers⁵, born 10 Dec 1895 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵; died 23 Dec 1924⁵. She married Thurman Vaughn 11 Feb 1917.

Marriage Notes for Pearline Jowers and Thurman Vaughn:

Married by R. J. Noble

7 vi. Fnu Jowers⁵, born 09 Sep 1898 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵; died 27 Oct 1898 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵.

8 vii. John Luther Jowers⁵, born 26 Dec 1899 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵; died 24 Nov 1979 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵.

9 viii. Truma Jowers⁵, born 06 Mar 1902 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵; died 09 Dec 1997⁵. She married fnu Cunningham; born Abt. 1902.

10 ix. Opal Lee Jowers⁵, born 18 May 1905 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵; died Sep 1993⁵. She married fnu Newhouse; born Abt. 1905.

　

Generation No. 2

3. Callie² Jowers (Adam Lafonte¹) was born 21 Jan 1892 in Lake, Tennessee, USA⁵, and died 22 May 1973⁵. She married Hubert Jackson Cole⁶, son of Denis Cole and Tyrica Key. He was born 13 Sep 1886 in Benton, Tennessee⁶, and died 24 Oct 1959.

More About Callie Jowers:

Residence: 1900, Civil District 4, Lake, Tennessee⁷

Notes for Hubert Jackson Cole:

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=wwiidraft&h=3440714&indiv=try&o_iid=024458&o_lid=024458&offerid=0%3a700%3a0

U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

about Hubert Jackson Cole

Name: Hubert Jackson Cole

Birth Date: 13 Sep 1885

RESIDENCE: Luxora, Mississippi Co., Arkansas

Birth: Benton, Tennessee

Race: White

Roll: WW2_2281088

More About Hubert Jackson Cole:

Residence: Mississippi, Arkansas⁸

Children of Callie Jowers and Hubert Cole are:

+ 11 i. Helen Lee³ Cole, born 13 Jul 1909 in Ridgley, , TN; died 1999 in Blytheville, AR.

12 ii. Hazel Cole, born 18 Feb 1910; died 12 Jul 1912.

13 iii. Viva Cole, born 26 Mar 1912. She married Frank Borrello.

Notes for Viva Cole:

in 1974 formerly of Grand Rapids and living in Osceola

14 iv. Irene Jo Cole, born 26 Mar 1914; died 03 Jan 1947.

+ 15 v. Maudie Pearl Cole, born 14 Jan 1916; died 17 Jun 1917.

+ 16 vi. Rovene Cate Cole, born 04 Mar 1919.

17 vii. Marjori Pearl Cole, born 02 Oct 1921; died 26 Mar 1922.

18 viii. Hubert Jackson Cole, Jr, born 04 Feb 1924; died 28 Mar 1924.

19 ix. William Kenneth Cole, born 24 Mar 1925; died 05 Jun 1929.

20 x. Bonnis Virginia Cole, born 30 May 1924. She married Woody Williford.

Notes for Bonnis Virginia Cole:

Living Somerville, TN in 1974

+ 21 xi. Millie Joan Cole, born 09 Jul 1931.

22 xii. Billy Jo Cole, born 30 Oct 1933; died 09 Aug 1934.

　

Generation No. 3

11. Helen Lee³ Cole (Callie² Jowers, Adam Lafonte¹) was born 13 Jul 1909 in Ridgley, , TN, and died 1999 in Blytheville, AR. She was buried at Sandy Ridge Cemetary, AR State Hwy. 61 abt 5 miles south of Blytheville, AR. She married Clyde Collins Sexton 23 Jul 1929 in Luxora, Mississippi Co., AR, son of Benjamin Sexton and Emily Harold. He was born 25 Jul 1908 in Berry, Tucaloosa County, AL⁹, and died 15 Mar 1958 in Gilmore, Mississippi Co., AR.

Notes for Clyde Collins Sexton:

Sonny got the tractor stuck out in the field and came and got Uncle Clyde to get it unstuck but the tractor turned over on him and killed him. His last words were Sonny take Helen and the girls to church every Sunday.

More About Clyde Collins Sexton:

Burial: 1958, Dogwood Cemetery, Hwy 61, Blythville, AR

Children of Helen Cole and Clyde Sexton are:

+ 23 i. Myrtle Geneva⁴ Sexton, born 01 Dec 1930 in Luxora, Mississippi Co., AR; died 14 Jan 1993 in Osceola, AR.

24 ii. Madie Laverne Sexton, born 24 Jan 1933 in Luxora, Mississippi Co., AR. She married Wendell M. Brice 29 Jul 1951 in Blythville, Mississippi Co., AR.

Notes for Madie Laverne Sexton:

1993 living Memphis

25 iii. Mary Jo Sexton, born 04 Sep 1935 in Luxora, Mississippi Co., AR. She married Edward Wetstein 24 May 1957 in Alton, , IL.

Notes for Mary Jo Sexton:

1993 living Alton, IL

26 iv. Callie Mae Sexton, born 03 Dec 1937 in Luxora, Mississippi Co., AR. She married William J. Warren 08 Apr 1960 in Memphis, Shelby County, TN; born Abt. 1937.

27 v. Clyde Benjamine Sexton, born 09 Aug 1939 in Luxora, Mississippi Co., AR. He married Barbara Prescott 17 Jan 1962 in Marian, , AR; born Abt. 1939.

Notes for Clyde Benjamine Sexton:

1993 living Osceola

28 vi. Elizabeth Rovene Sexton, born 05 Aug 1944 in Luxora, Mississippi Co., AR. She married (1) Don R. Brewington 02 Dec 1956 in Corinth, , MS; born Abt. 1944. She married (2) Wayne Strutu 27 Nov 1970 in Osceola, Missiissippi Co., AR; born Abt. 1944.

Notes for Elizabeth Rovene Sexton:

1993 living Osceola

29 vii. Brenda Kay Sexton, born 17 Jun 1949 in Luxora, Mississippi Co., AR. She married Bradford Cobb II 25 Jul 1970 in Osceola, Missiissippi Co., AR.

Notes for Brenda Kay Sexton:

1993 living Tunica, MS

　

15. Maudie Pearl³ Cole (Callie² Jowers, Adam Lafonte¹) was born 14 Jan 1916, and died 17 Jun 1917. She married Howard McCain.

Notes for Howard McCain:

Living in Luxora in 1974

Children of Maudie Cole and Howard McCain are:

30 i. Royce⁴ McCain.

31 ii. Charles Harold McCain.

　

16. Rovene Cate³ Cole (Callie² Jowers, Adam Lafonte¹) was born 04 Mar 1919. She married Eddie B. Davis.

Children of Rovene Cole and Eddie Davis are:

32 i. Layne⁴ Davis.

33 ii. Kenny Davis.

34 iii. Janet Davis. She married David Smith.

Notes for Janet Davis:

Living in Memphis 1974

　

21. Millie Joan³ Cole (Callie² Jowers, Adam Lafonte¹) was born 09 Jul 1931. She married E. J. Baker, Jr..

Notes for Millie Joan Cole:

Living in Tyronza in 1974

Children of Millie Cole and E. Baker are:

35 i. Candy⁴ Baker.

Notes for Candy Baker:

Living in Memphis in 1974

36 ii. Shelley Baker. She married Harold Livingston.

Notes for Shelley Baker:

Living in Turrell in 1974

37 iii. Paris Baker.

　