of Conway, AR

September 29, 1934 - June 5, 2024

Mamie Helen Walker Staton was born on September 29, 1934 in Los Angeles, California to parents Ralph Dean Walker and Lena Elizabeth Kirkham Walker. She departed this life on June 5, 2024 at the age of 89 years, 8 months and 7 days. She grew up in Los Angeles, California as the oldest of eight children. Mamie taught herself to play piano at a young age. Her sister Evelyn recalls that one Sunday, Mamie, who was about 14 years of age, their Dad and herself went to church. For an unknown reason, their Dad decided to go to a small church instead of their home church. The church did not have a pianist and her Dad volunteered Mamie to play the piano. She did and after the service, the pastor asked the congregation to approve her appointment as pianist. One older lady in the congregation disagreed because ''they didn't know what kind of person she was''. As we all know, she later proved herself over and over again. She graduated at the top of her class from George Washington High School in Los Angeles in 1952.

Mamie met the love of her life, Eugene Douglas Staton, who was from Arkansas while he was stationed at San Diego with the United States Navy. They were married on August 22,1952 at the home of the bride's aunt and uncle in Los Angeles, California. We know that Mamie was probably very nervous as Gene was late for the wedding because the train he was on caught on fire. She also stepped in a hole walking down the aisle and sprained her ankle. Even after the mishaps, the marriage lasted for 71 years and 9 months until Gene's death. Two weeks later Gene was shipped out on the USS Los Angeles to participate in the Korean War. After he was discharged in 1954, they made their home in California and Oregon. On March 23, 1955, they had their first child, Donald Wayne Staton while living in Brookings, Oregon. Donald was 17 minutes older than Mamie's youngest sibling, Stanley. On June 29,1957 he was joined by a brother, Randy Douglas Staton who was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their family was completed on March 21,1959 at Pine Bluff, Arkansas when Karen Lynne ''Kerry'' Staton joined the two boys. Lots of fun times were had through the years as the children were growing up. Swimming and deer hunting were favorite pastimes during these years. Once Mamie was fortunate enough to kill a deer, but Gene did not get one that year. He wasn't very happy about that.

In 1963 Gene and Mamie returned from living in California and Oregon for the last time and never left Arkansas to live again. They lived in such towns as Gillet and Conway, finally settling in Bigelow in 1990 on the banks of the Arkansas River at Toad Suck. This was their dream home that the entire family helped to build. Mamie took great care in designing the draperies and the interior design of this house.

Mamie held many jobs during her lifetime other than her most important job of wife and mother. In her young years, she helped her Dad in the family business, Walker's Tree Service. She also liked to stay home and study instead of helping her Dad cut down trees and that may be the reason for her excellent grades. With her first paycheck she bought a watch. While living in Oregon she worked at a pear packing plant and the family would enjoy pears that weren't quite good enough to sell. She worked with Gene at Staton's Landing on Lake Conway near Mayflower cooking meals for the customers of the boat dock business when the children were young. She at one time worked at Damascus, Arkansas as a secretary for the Titan Missile Complex and was known as an excellent typist. She planted many gardens with Gene and helped raise cows and hogs also. But her greatest accomplishment was Staton's Draperies. This profession came about when a neighbor asked her if she could sew draperies. At that point, she began her lifelong calling. She made drapes, bedspreads, sheets, quilts, pillows, shams, cornice boards and anything you could imagine or that she saw a picture of that she liked. She could operate saws, drills, hammers, any tool that she needed to complete a project. Some of her customers included the Arkansas Governors Mansion (three times while Bill Clinton was governor), the Walton Family and JB Hunt Family in Northwest Arkansas and many, many other customers in Central Arkansas. Her business just kept growing through the years. When she finally retired for good in her early 80's people were still calling her wanting her to make draperies and bedspreads.

Mamie loved to play gospel songs on the piano, sing around the house while working, was an avid reader of romance novels, played tennis when younger, watched Arkansas Razorback basketball on television, shoe shopping and of course, loved to sew for her eight granddaughters and other family. In her spare time she loved playing Canasta, especially with family and going to the casino in Tunica with Gene. In her later years, she loved to work jigsaw puzzles and always had one on the table. Her favorite food was fish which was appropriate as Gene caught thousands of catfish out of the Arkansas River. She also was a fantastic cook and loved to cook for friends and family.

Mamie is survived by one daughter, Kerry and her husband, Alan King of Daphne, Alabama; two sons, Donald and his wife, Donna of Dyer, Arkansas and Randy Staton of Conway, Arkansas. Eight granddaughters, Michelle, Jennifer, Chassidy, Brooke, Corri, Katelyn, Mariah and Hannah and 18 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by four sisters, Evelyn Sterkel, Adria Rapp, Wanda Groen and Juanita Rennegarbe and two brothers, Eddie Walker and Stanley Walker. She was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Cecile Carlson and her husband, Eugene Douglas Staton by 13 days.

Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 2:00 pm at Roller-McNutt Funeral Home in Conway. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at Crestlawn Cemetery in Conway next to her recently departed husband, Gene.

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