Oliva Lenore Eubanks' Obituary
Oliva Lenore Eubanks, age 94, of Fayetteville passed away at Willard Walker Hospice on May 31, 2020. She was born November 3, 1925 in Ozark Arkansas to Lula Smith Davis and Thomas M. Davis. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Thomas (Buster) Davis, sister, Bettye Weare, and brother Harold Davis, husbands Stephen Houser, and second husband Robert Vaughan.
Oliva had many talents. She was extremely artistic; she lovedto sing, among other things. She and her two sisters Mary Jo and Bettye June sang together as The Davis Sisters, and were often on the radio. They were very popular around Arkansas. On at least one occasion they were singing on Channel 13 in Fayetteville in a local closed-circuit television broadcast. Her voice, along with that of her mother and some of her sisters and others, can still be heard in the archives of a couple of universities today as well as on the Max Hunter folksongs website.
Oliva also loved to draw, paint, and write. She blessed many people with her artwork, and she had several local news articles in print, and she won an award for one of her short stories.
Oliva was very spiritual and a devout Christian. She was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ. Her last home church was Cornerstone Church at Baldwin, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Arkansas at the age of 68 in 1994. She volunteered at tutoring and worked at Brough Common for some time after that. She overcame many hardships throughout her life, having lived through the Great Depression and WW II. She never let life make her unhappy but remained joyful until her last days on earth. She spent the last four years of her life at Providence Assisted Living where she made many friends and continued to enjoy singing and painting.
She is survived by her sister Mary-Jo (Paul) Henderson of Howe Texas, children: Andre Houser and wife, Cathy of Conroe Texas, Sandra Harrington of Elkins, and Annie Quinn of Fayetteville; 8 grandchildren: Stephen Reyes (Kaitlyn), Travis Houser (Karen), Alexander Reyes (Carolina), William Reyes, Shawn Davis, Austin Houser (Lauren), Lyndon Houser( Mary), and Allyson Gagliano (Sam), 8 great grand children, and several nieces and nephews and cousins.
A private service will be held at Cornerstone Church of Christ in Fayetteville, Arkansas. There will be a graveside service 11:30 am Friday June 12, 2020 for anyone who wants to attend at Habberton Cemetery, 450 Habberton Road, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703 under the direction of Moore’s Chapel.
Flowers can be sent to: Moore’s chapel, or if people desire, Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice in her name.
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