William "Bill" Gerald Bothwell

Sunday, January 25, 2026, William “Bill” Gerald Bothwell was received by God into eternal life. Born April 24,1934 to Mahala Weigold in Pittsburgh, PA, Bill resided in three different orphanages until he was adopted at the age of twelve by Earl and Virginia Dahlman Bothwell. After the death of Earl Bothwell, Virginia married Edgar Lea Paxton, who received Bill as his own son. Bill was given every opportunity to thrive in the Paxton home. He overcame the challenges of his early years, and became an adoring big brother to sisters Lisa and Linda Paxton.

Bill was inducted into the U.S. Army in September 1957 and was stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas. He attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and obtained an MBA from Northeast Louisiana University. GC Murphy Company offered Bill a career in retail, where he met Cheryl Lovine Lackey, marrying on June 19, 1965.

Bill was recruited by Wal-Mart Stores and the family moved from Monroe, Louisiana to Northwest Arkansas. Here, Bill began his work in the real estate department of Wal-Mart’s home office. From 1978 until he retired in 1990, Bill Bothwell collaborated on the acquisition and development of over 600 new site locations for Wal-Mart Stores.

Bill loved stargazing, history, math, and puzzles of all kinds. More than anything, he treasured his faith and family. Bill was a patient man of integrity who led by example, and a devoted husband of 60 years. He managed to make each of his children, Staisey and Nat, feel like they were his favorite. He was best known by his kids as “Fossil”, a nickname he earned for both his youthful appearance and seemingly limitless capacity for obscure trivia. His grandchildren Lucas and Ada brought him great joy, and he experienced childhood (again) through their smiles and laughter.

A devout Christian, Bill was an active member of Peace Lutheran Church in Rogers, Arkansas for 40 years. With the blessing of Bishop Floyd Schoenhals, Bill was instrumental in bringing Via de Cristo to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This spiritual renewal movement blessed hundreds of people throughout Arkansas and Oklahoma. Bill volunteered with Rogers Public Schools, the Rogers Adult Wellness Center, and Friends of the Library Used Book Store. He was a 32nd-degree Mason and Shriner.

Bill is preceded in death by his father, Ed Paxton, mother Virginia Paxton, sister Linda Paxton, and brother-in-law Gary Jay Lackey.

Survivors include: his wife, Cheryl Lackey Bothwell, of Little Rock, daughter Staisey Bothwell Hodge, son-in-law Michael Hodge and grandson Lucas Hodge, of North Little Rock, Nat Bothwell, Minna Quint Bothwell, and Ada Bothwell of Ankeny, Iowa, sister Lisa Paxton Walcott of Chico, California, and sister-in-law Phyllis Lackey Norton of Lubbock, Texas as well as nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at Peace Lutheran Church in Rogers, Arkansas on February 9, 2026 at 2:00PM, with family visitation in the church narthex at 1:00.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice Home Care of Little Rock, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, or Peace Lutheran Church, Rogers.