Carolyn Wray Shanks' Obituary
Carolyn Wray Shanks, 91, of Springdale, passed away March 14, 2026. She was born March 1, 1935, in Des Arc, Arkansas, to Buford and Allie Bacon Wray. Carolyn graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she was a proud member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. After earning her degree in 1957, she moved to Pine Bluff to begin her career with Arkansas Power and Light. It was there that she later met and married Frederick Dewey Shanks, Jr., and together they raised three sons.
Carolyn cherished the years spent accompanying her family on outings to their land near Humphrey, where her husband and boys hunted ducks and fished. These excursions became treasured memories woven into the fabric of their family life.
Her husband passed away in 1985 after a long illness, and with quiet strength she guided their three sons through those difficult years. In 1991, Carolyn moved to Northwest Arkansas and subsequently began a new chapter as a sorority house mother at the University of Arkansas, a role she lovingly fulfilled for 21 years. She first returned to her own Zeta Tau Alpha house, serving there for 14 years, and later spent 7 years as the house mother for Kappa Kappa Gamma. She adored her many sorority “girls” and took great joy in guiding and caring for them. A lover of the outdoors and an avid bird watcher, Carolyn always kept a home on the water during these years — a place for summers, holidays, and gatherings with family and friends. Many special memories were created at the river near Pangburn and at the lake in Bella Vista.
Carolyn was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church and devoted many hours to serving both her church and various civic organizations throughout her life.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Billy Wray (who died in childhood) and Donald Edward “Buddy” Wray. She is survived by her sons: Dewey and wife Julie of Searcy, Ark.; Allen and wife Leslie of Springdale, Ark.; and Stephen and wife Counts of Springdale, Ark.; as well as seven grandchildren — Caroline and Meredith Shanks; Fred and Wilson Shanks; and Counts Elizabeth, Allie, and Stephen Jr. Shanks. She is also survived by her sister‑in‑law, Linda Wray of Springdale, Ark., along with many other loving family members and friends.
Her legacy lives on in the family she loved so dearly and in the countless lives she touched with her kindness and grace.
Visitation will be 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Thursday March 26, 2026 at Moore’s Chapel in Fayetteville. There will be a graveside service that is open to the public, 1:00 PM Saturday March 28, 2026 at Memorial Park Cemetery in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Circle of Life Hospice, 901 Jones Road, Springdale, Arkansas 72762.
To place an online tribute, please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com
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