With her devoted family by her side, Lela Frances Kolb, 92, passed peacefully on Saturday, January 10, 2026, leaving this world to rejoice in eternal life with her Heavenly Father. She was born on March 13, 1933, in Centerville, Arkansas, to James Harrison and Era (Grizzle) Clark. She was a homemaker and a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church for over 45 years, where she was lovingly known as “Mama Frances.”
Frances is survived by two sons, Donald Kolb of Fort Smith and Michael Kolb and his wife, Tina, of Greenwood; three daughters, Paula Trotter of Hackett, Cindy Waggoner and her husband, Glen, of Van Buren, and Lisa Hoffsommer of Nicut, Oklahoma; one brother, Robert Clark and his wife, Tisha, of Owasso, Oklahoma; nine grandchildren; twenty-two great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Jesse Louis Kolb; her son-in-law, Stanley Trotter; and three brothers and two sisters.
She had many loves throughout her life, including her family; attending Sunday school; traveling with the Lavaca Senior Citizen Group; feeding her birds and squirrels; watching her flowers bloom; playing solitaire; working puzzles; cross-stitch embroidery; and socializing and doing crafts at Methodist Village Assisted Living. She was a lifelong Arkansas Razorbacks fan and, more recently, an Oklahoma City Thunder fan.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 15, at Mount Zion Baptist Church, with private family burial at Fort Smith National Cemetery under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood. Viewing will be Wednesday from 1:00–7:00 p.m. at the funeral home, where the family will visit with friends from 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Pallbearers will be Josh Waggoner, Jared Kolb, D.J. Kolb, Austin Coe, Ray Spruell, and James Lisenby.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Methodist Village Senior Living Foundation, 7811 Euper Lane, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Methodist Village Assisted Living and the caregivers at Mercy Hospital 3400 for their wonderful care.
To share a memory or leave a message for the family, please visit www.mcconnellfh.com.
