Bobbie Ruth Verner Dees

Mrs. Bobbie Ruth Verner Dees, of Bella Vista, Ark., passed away Aug. 22, 2017 at the Willard Walker Hospice House in Fayetteville, Ark. The cause of death was a stroke 10 days prior. Bobbie was born Nov. 4, 1928, in Grand Prairie, Texas to Hugh Ethel and Clemmie Lou (Goff) Verner, the youngest of six children. Her father, Hugh died when Bobbie was two years old, and her mother raised the family in Dallas, Texas. Bobbie attend Crozier Technical High School in Dallas, where her lifelong passion and talent for art emerged. She attended East Texas Baptist College in Marshall, Texas, and there met and married her husband of nearly 70 years, Frank Lamar Dees. Frank and Bobbie had five children, interrupting Bobbie's education but not discouraging her dreams of a college degree. In the 70s, Bobbie obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Education from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, followed by a Master's Degree in Special Education from the same university. She had a long and distinguished teaching career, beginning at Eastside Elementary School in Rogers, Ark., and ending at the Mary Greet School in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she lovingly nurtured children with severe developmental disabilities. Bobbie's many talents were shared wherever she went. She sang, played the piano, and dulcimer, painted, danced, wrote and illustrated children's books, and in her retirement years, became a computer graphic artist. In her last years she was never far from her laptop. Bobbie was a prolific reader with deep interest in the history and culture of the western states, where she and Frank traveled extensively. Her Christian faith was always at the center of her life and commitment to a local church community was a constant. Bobbie is survived by her husband, Frank Dees, five children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. The five surviving children are Marilyn (Dees) and John Schuster of Summit, N.J., Steven Dees of Kent, Wash., Richard and Katherine (Krumwiede) Dees of Bella Vista, Ark., Andy and Yvonne (Snow) Dees of Idaho Springs, Colo., and Los Angeles, Calif., and Robbie Sue Dees of Springdale, Ark. A celebration of Life will be held at the Lakepoint Restaurant on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 from 2-4 p.m. Friends and family are invited to attend. Arrangements by Benton County Memorial Park Funeral Home, Rogers, Ark.