Joan Lynn Culpepper, 75, of Greenwood, Arkansas passed away Friday, February 28, 2025 in a Fort Smith hospital. She was born June 8, 1949 in the Valley Forge Military Hospital of Pennsylvania to Harvey and Joe Ann (Wanstreet) Carter. Joan was an encourager to family, friends, and every person she met. This love for cheering others on was evident in her cheerleading at Northside High School, all while aiding her siblings at home in their endeavors. Once her siblings were grown, she poured not only that care into her daughter Jennifer, but also into her nieces and nephews. As a people person, she was a natural fit in the dental office assisting patients and coordinating care. Accordingly, her passion for showing care in the real world prompted her to create many wreaths and floral arrangements for those near and far who had a sickness or celebration. This zeal led her into working as a specialty designer in floral shops as it was not just a job to her but a ministry of passion and compassion. Speaking of compassion, Joan and her daughter often went with her dad, through Project Compassion, to sing and listen to the residents in nursing homes. After her father, Harvey, passed, her mother, “Jody,” wanted to carry on that tradition and transferred from poet to co-singer with her daughter.
Joan’s smile walked in a room before she did, and it was contagious. This joy inside led Joan to sing for decades in the Bluff Ave Baptist Church Choir. The highlight of that time was when her son-in-law, David Furlow, was the music minister and her husband, Rick, the sound man as she sang with her daughter, Jennifer, and mother-in-law, Jimmie Culpepper, while her father-in-law J.T. “Pepper” Culpepper supported them from the pew. The second round of joy in her life was her grandchildren, David Lee & Makenzie. She made many precious moments singing to them and interacting with the heart of a child.
She is survived by her husband, Ricky Culpepper; one daughter, Jennifer Furlow and husband, David of Greenwood; two brothers, Brooks Carter and wife, Pat of Moab, UT and Dale Carter and wife, Annie Shaw of Fort Smith; one sister, Daisy Eubanks and husband, David of Fort Collins, CO and two grandchildren, David Lee Furlow and Makenzie Furlow. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Mary Baggett.
Funeral service will be 2 p.m., Thursday, March 6 at McConnell Funeral Home Chapel in Greenwood with burial at Dawson Cemetery in Milltown. Viewing will be Wednesday from 1 – 7 p.m. at the funeral home, where the family will visit with friends from 5 – 7 p.m.
Memorial contributions can be made in Joan’s name to Haven Heights Baptist Church, 7701 Hwy. 271 So., Fort Smith, AR 72908 or online at www.havenheights.com.
To share a memory or leave a message for the family, please visit www.mcconnell.com.
