Obituaries

Dr. Anita "Sunny" Hinshaw

Photo of Dr. Anita "Sunny" Hinshaw
Sunny Hinshaw, of Tontitown, died Oct. 17, 2014, after suffering a massive stroke while working on the family farm on a beautiful autumn afternoon. She was 64. Sunny was one of the first female veterinarians in Northwest Arkansas, where she lived most of her life. "Dr. Sunny" was an old-fashioned vet who would make house calls. She was a skilled surgeon. She helped establish the Springdale animal shelter and took many injured or unwanted pets into her home. At death, she had an Irish wolfhound, Guinan, and three cats, Freckles, Little Brother and Runner. After a mowing accident injured both wrists, she sold her practice, Southwest Pet Hospital, in Springdale, in 2011. Sunny's next chapter included studying to be a master gardener, playing music and serving as a member of the Tontitown City Council, a job she approached as a civic duty that she enjoyed tremendously. Her name was to be on the November ballot, unopposed for re-election. She played the flugelhorn and trumpet at her church, Grace Methodist Church, in Rogers. She studied for many years under the late Nancy Clark. She was born Anita Louise Hinshaw on Oct. 11, 1950, in Jacksonville, Fla., the first child of Jerry and Betty Hinshaw. She started going by the nickname Sunny as a student at Purdue University and at Oklahoma State University, where she received her DVM degree in 1975. Her father preceded her in death in 2003. She is survived by her mother, to whom she was devoted; her aunt, Suzanne Rauchen, of Prairie Grove; sister, Cathyrn Hinshaw, of Little Rock; brother, Ross Hinshaw, of Springdale; sister, Dawn Hinshaw, and brother-in-law, Michael Latham, of Columbia, S.C.; niece, Carrie Lamb ; nephews, Waylon Hinshaw, Eli Latham and Graham Latham; cousins, Jim Rauchen, Jerry T. Hinshaw and Donna Hinshaw; and friends too numerous to mention, all of whom will desperately miss her generosity, strength of character, optimism and hearty laughter. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at First United Methodist Church of Springdale, 206 W. Johnson Ave., with burial at Bluff Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sunny's memory to: Tontitown Historical Museum, Box 114, Tontitown, Ark., 72770; or to Washington County Master Gardners, 2536 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville, Ark., 72704.

Published October 20, 2014

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