Donna Jo Blackwood's Obituary
Donna Jo Blackwood, 74, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, passed away May 9, 2026 in Springdale, AR. She was born on August 9, 1951, in Poteau, Oklahoma, to James and Reba Gene (Burrow) Connelly.
Donna was a member of Cross Church in Springdale and was also a founding member of Woodland Heights Baptist Church in Conway, Arkansas. She graduated from Hope High School and attended both State College of Arkansas and Ouachita Baptist University. While at Ouachita, she was involved with the Ouachi-Tones and was a proud member of the EEE Social Club.
Donna deeply cared for helping others and always kept her faith at the center of her life. She was kind hearted, and people were naturally drawn to her gentle spirit. Music was one of Donna’s greatest passions and led to her being crowned Miss Arkansas in 1970–71, and earning a Top 10 finish at the Miss America Pageant. She later traveled to Vietnam on the Miss America USO Tour, where she used her gift of music to encourage and entertain the troops.
Her hobbies included family camping trips, traveling, fly fishing, hiking, and gardening. She especially loved spending time outdoors and making memories with her family. They shared many adventures together, especially with her grandson, Colt, who brought her tremendous joy.
She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Mel Blackwood; son, Clint Blackwood of Fayetteville; daughter, Mandy (Kirk) Starr of Bentonville; sisters, Debbie Allison of Conway; and Kim (Mike) North of Searcy; brother, Ed (Cissy) Connelly of Beaufort, SC; grandchildren, Nicholas, Matthew, Jacob, and Colt Starr; nieces, Kalyn (Tim) Bumbaugh and Kara (Rob) Bell; and nephews, Jim (Amanda) Connelly, Christian (Brooke) Connelly, Ayden North, and Landon North.
She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Reba Connelly; brother-in-law, Walter Allison; and nephew, Kyle Allison.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Cross Church in Fayetteville, with a Celebration of Life beginning at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor Jonathan Beasley officiating. Burial will follow at Fairview Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the The Broyles Foundation for Alzheimer’s Caregivers, 213 W. Monroe Ave., Suite O, Lowell, AR 72745, or online at https://broylesfoundation.org.
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