Nada Vay Wilburn, born April 23, 1933, in Jackson County, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at the age of 92. Born into a bustling household as one of twelve siblings, Nada developed a true zest for life and was known to all as the ultimate jokester. She lived with a “no worries” attitude and found joy in thrift shopping, dancing, reading romance novels, traveling and going on cruises. She never met a stranger and could talk to anyone as if they were a lifelong friend. Her dining table, always home to a puzzle, became a place for catching up on life.
She leaves behind a family who adored her. She is survived by four sisters, Fran Russom, Laveda Crisher, Lolita Andrews, and Betty Addington; daughter, Valarie Harp and son-in-law Johnny Harp; three granddaughters, Fabrianne Willsey (Shannon), Candice Long (Scott), and Nikki Lenderman (B.J.); five great-grandchildren, Allie Hester (Brady), Cash Lenderman (Kymber), Harper Lenderman, Gus Long, and Reese Long and one great-great-grandbaby expected to arrive in February 2026.
She was preceded in death by her father, John Walter A. Johnson; her mother, Minnie Eva Bible; her beloved husband, Junior Mac Wilburn; her brothers, Aaron, Buster, Larry, Lynn, and Randall Johnson and her sisters, Wilma Green and Margaret Jane Evans.
A celebration of her life will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, August 29 at McConnell Funeral Home Chapel in Greenwood with burial at Huntington Cemetery. Viewing and visitation will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday before the service. Those who knew her are encouraged to remember her the way she lived—ornery, unapologetically, fearless and full of heart. Nada Vay Wilburn was truly one of a kind!
