Remembering ‘Roz’ O’Neal
Marion, Crittenden County mourn loss of one-of-a-kind local pillar
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
www.theeveningtimes.com
One of Crittenden County’s leading citizens has passed away. Rosalind Lee Reynolds “Roz” O’Neal died peacefully on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
Rosalind was born on Sept. 10, 1943, in Watertown, New York, to Susan Harney Reynolds and William Gordon Reynolds.
Roz graduated from National Cathedral School in Washington, DC. She attended University of Alabama, Tulane University, and Memphis State University. She held an undergraduate degree in Real Estate studies and held Masters degrees in Drafting and City Planning.
Roz married Dutch Hammond O’Neal in the spring of 1964, and lived in New Orleans for several years before moving to Crittenden County.
Roz had a wide range of careers over the years, including construction contractor, Planning Consultant for City of Marion, owner of G& R Interiors, operator of The Cedars, a B& B and event center once featured in “Southern Living” magazine, journalist for both the Evening Times & the Commercial Appeal newspapers, Press Secretary for The Racket Club in Memphis, and a teacher at Holy Cross Episcopal School. She was involved in the development of areas of West Memphis & Germantown. She was most proud
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Rosalind “Roz” O’Neal, with two of her granddaughters, Michael Ann and Kellcy O’Neal. O’Neal passed away last Tuesday at the age of 79.
Submitted photo O’NEAL
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of her part in the design and construction of the Trinity in the Fields church building.
Roz also had many varied personal interests. She read voraciously, both fiction and non-fiction, and kept the local library busy looking for something new. She was involved in local theater and played the lead in many productions, including “Damn Yankees”. She was a supporter of the restoration of natural ecosystems and was active in developing the walking trail by Marion Lake. Among many other activities, she was a member of the Crittenden County Master Gardeners, Marion Rotary Club, Arkansas Historic Preservation Society and served on the Boards of the Woolfolk Public Library, the Crittenden County Museum, and the Parkin Archeological State Park Museum. She traveled extensively during her life and enjoyed taking trips with her friends and with the Fidelity Good Life Club. She and her friend Norman Vickers initiated the first Sultana Disaster Museum, and from that humble beginning, grows the reality of a multimillion-dollar facility.
Roz received many certificates and awards of distinction over the years, including a Capitol Citation from the State of Arkansas, but perhaps her favorite was the Ernest Crawford Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Marion.
Roz was a very passionate person and that passion carried forward in every aspect of her life, both personally and professionally. Roz dearly loved her animals, whether it be an “exotic dog” named Maggie, or any of her many, many other pets and she was a great supporter of the Marion Animal Shelter. Roz loved her friends and she loved Crittenden County and she loved Marion. More than anything else, Roz loved her family, particularly her grand- and great-granddaughters.
Roz respected God and had strong ties with both Holy Cross Episcopal Church and with Trinity in the Fields Anglican Church. She is survived by her brother Jan Reynolds of Birmingham, Alabama; her sisters Melanie Davidson and Stephanie Maag of Cottondale; sons Michael “Kelly” O’Neal (Lisa) of Marion, and Murphy O’Neal of Auckland, New Zealand; Granddaughters Brooke Caldwell of Marion; Meagan Eam (Huot) of Washington, D.C.; Kellcy O’Neal and Michael Anne O’Neal of Marion; and Kate Alise O’Neal of Aukland, New Zealand; and great-granddaughters Katlin Eam and Hannah Eam of Washington, D.C. She is also survived by her best friend of the past 54 years, Jeanie Martz of Marion, and a multitude of friends and business associates.
She is preceded in death by Dutch O’Neal, her parents and her beloved mentor Margaret Woolfolk.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity in the Fields Anglican Church, located 100 Old Military Rd. in Marion, on Thursday, Nov. 10. Visitation will begin at noon, with service following at 1:30 p.m.
The service will be streamed live via Trinity in the Fields Anglican Church’s Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, Rosalind requested donations be made to Marion Animal Shelter or to Trinity in the Fields Anglican Church.
