Neighbors honor veteran who died

SPRINGDALE — Cindy Weber recalled a neighbor knocked on her door when she moved to the 1700 block of Springdale’s Willard Street in 2002.

“He said, ‘Welcome to the Norman Rockwell neighborhood of Northwest Arkansas,’” Weber remembered.

The neighborhood got that nickname for several reasons, Weber said. Years ago, they were known for lining their sidewalks with white Christmas lights for the holidays. They regularly have neighborhood-wide celebrations such as Christmas coffees and ice cream socials.

“Our ice cream social was a few weeks ago, out in the driveway,” Weber said. “A couple of people are more elderly, and they came in walkers and wheelchairs. It was from 6 until 8, and we had the

best time. At 8, someone said, ‘Who wants to go home?’ and everybody said, ‘Nobody!’ It really is sweet.”

More recently, as members of the neighborhood — some of them going back to its construction — have aged, their group efforts have turned to a more somber subject: They’ve started memorializing those who have passed away.

“One of our neighbors [died] several years ago, and we rallied around and raised money to give to a donation to a charitable organization in her name,” said Weber. “Another neighbor had passed away around seven years ago, and he was a golfer. We put golf clubs out, and the kids wrote notes on a tree in his front yard.”

So when military veteran and longtime resident Harold Bohannan died Sept. 23, neighbors wanted to find a way to show his family how much they would miss him.

“We loved him,” said Weber. “He lived on the corner, and he would always wave at you as you went past. He always pulled my garbage cans in and did the same for a single lady that lived next door. If it snowed, he would take care of our driveways. Another mom said, ‘He taught my son not to litter, but he was really gentle about it.’ He was a great man who everybody loved.”

Bohannan’s obituary reads, in part, “Harold has gone to where he can hunt every day and has great hopes of getting that 10 to 12-point buck he has been after.”

An email that went out to the neighbors mentioned Bohannan would be missed, for, among other things, “his kind heart, his quick wit, his service to our country ... his love for his bride, Vivian ... his part in Fayetteville High School’s first undefeated season and ultimate state championship.”

“I thought that it wouldn’t betoohardforallofustofly a flag or put a small one out on the driveway,” said Weber of the neighborhood’s decision to memorialize Bohannan with flags in honor of his service.

Neighbor Tammy Gamble put a bucket of small flags on her porch and invited neighbors to take a few for their own yards.

“And as I walked out yesterday, I noticed that almost every single house had a flag flying or out by their mailbox,” Weber said.

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