Stella Lorena Spoon

Stella Spoon passed peacefully on Friday, February 12. She was born October 3, 1926 in Hot Springs, Arkansas to the late William Jefferson Spoon and Mittie Lorena Russell. Stella’s mother died when she was three days old and her loving father relied on the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, St. Micheals in Hot Springs for the day to day care of young Stella. He never missed a visiting day or any school program his little Stella was in. In her second year of high school, Stella left to care for her father who was ill. She worked as a receptionist for Dr. Francis J. Scully and attended a School of Business for secretaries and receptionists in Hot Springs all while taking correspondence courses to finish high school. Her father, though he only had a third grade education, insisted on reading and checking all of her school work before she could submit it. She believed this was why she had such love for education and wanted very much to become a teacher. She then went to work for the Water and Sewer Company of Hot Springs for over 17 years before attaining her BSBA from Henderson State University and later her MBA from North Texas University. She was 39 when she began her college career and passed the CPA exam in 1970. She was a very active and proud member of the Arkansas Society of CPAs. She returned to Henderson this time as a professor and taught there for 22 years until her retirement in 1991. Professor Spoon made a difference in the lives in many students and their families. Professor Spoon was a member of the Catholic Church and an active community volunteer. She volunteered at her church, did audits for non profits, and was prominent in establishing the HSU Credit Union acting as both as the treasurer and later, the Chair of the Supervisory Committee. She also took up many other volunteer opportunities in the community such as working at the Light House and being one of the most faithful and loyal supporters for more than four decades to the Democratic Party. She was this year’s Bob Riley Democrat of the Year Recipient. Stella loved to travel. She visited every state in the Union, China, Russia, and almost every country in Europe. During her travels, she tried to visit every nearby church. She loved the arts, music, history and especially the beauty of God’s creation. Stella leaves no immediate family, but numerous cousins she dearly loved and her beloved adopted family, the Biondos of Hot Springs, who loved her all their lives, as she did them. A Rite of Christian Burial Mass and Rosary will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 249 N. 14th Street, Arkadelphia, on Tuesday February 16. The Rosary will begin at 9:45 am with the mass immediately following at 10 am.