Helping Families and Friends Honor Their Loved One

Martha Dugas, age 82

Martha Dugas, beloved mother, grandmother, and educator, passed away on January 25, 2025, in Little Rock, Arkansas.  She was born on June 4, 1942, to JW and Mildred Cole Meacham.

Martha is survived by her loving daughter, Dianna Dugas; cherished grandchildren, Trey Spann, and Tristan Smith Mundy.

Martha attended Lonoke High School, where she graduated in 1959.  She continued her education at Arkansas State Teachers College, graduating in 1963 with a Bachelor of Education degree.  She returned to school several years later to earn her master’s degree.  She went on to have a successful career as a Special Education Teacher in the North Little Rock School District, finally retiring in 2006.

 

Becky Heathcock, Martha’s best friend and “Ride or Die” for nearly 50 years wrote the following as a tribute.

Martha was my dear friend and coworker. It is hard to express in words my feelings, especially since I know how overused words was one of her pet peeves. How many times did she say “yeah, words, everybody’s got them!” I just wish everyone knew her like I knew her. The depth of her sense of people’s sincerity, and her ability to size up a situation was uncanny. Very little got by her that mattered, but so much got by that really didn’t. She was a powerhouse if she was confined to a small space, but a wrecking ball if turned loose in a large one. Yes, we all know, she spilled more than she drank, dropped more than she carried and lost more than she found. She might’ve shown up with makeup on just one eye and shoes that weren’t a matching pair, but she showed up. How did she show up? She showed up in this world to be an amazing teacher. No child in Ms. Dugas’s resource room was EVER a non-reader. Her room was messy (a principal’s nightmare). There were laundry baskets full of books that she bought to give to kids to take home. The room was bustling with different activities and materials everywhere. Word bingo, flashcards, dry-erase boards, word searches, counting sticks, blocks, rulers and a little bit of everything. Former students greeted her all over town with big smiles and hugs and a lot of thank yous for teaching them to read. She was an advocate for teachers and was very active with the North Little Rock Classroom Teachers Association and Arkansas Education Association and was a member of Arkansas Retired Teachers Association. She was a generous giver. She bought clothes and food for families in need, many were her students and some she didn’t know. She donated to every charity that came her way. She never passed a bucket that she didn’t drop in money or a hand that was begging that she didn’t fill. She bought gifts and gadgets just to make someone’s day. She paid people’s way when they couldn’t afford a special event or a dinner out. She filled tanks with gas. She helped pay for many funerals. She loaned money to a multitude of people. She gave some a place to stay when they were displaced. If you were hurting, she cried with you, sat with you or listened to you. She was a computer geek. She had a computer before most people knew what they looked like. She was known to meet people in the computer aisle and help them pick out what they needed and then go home with them to install it. She set up more computers and printers than most of the geek squad. She managed online chat rooms, making friends all over the country with an array of interests. Her favorite was the music rooms. She was a loyal fan. She loved her music and owned an extensive collection of records, tapes and CD’s. She loved concerts and traveled to see all the oldie but goodie stars and met many of them. She knew the lyrics and all about the musicians. Her favorite local band was Bill Bohannan and the Stingers She traveled wherever they played. The band loved Miss Martha. Pardon me Martha, while I use some of those overused words to describe you; intelligent, well-read, compassionate, honest, intuitive, generous, funny, witty, loyal and giving. My favorite one-liner of Martha’s that I use all the time is “until it happens to you.” Since Martha loved helping people who were hurting, please go to YouTube and listen to Tim McGraw’s “Hurt People” lyric version. In her memory, please remember to never judge a book by its cover. For those of you that missed the opportunity to really know Martha, I’m sorry. For those that were blessed by her love and generosity, I feel your pain. Rest in peace, my dear friend. I love you.

 

Arrangements by A Natural State Funeral Service 2620 West Main Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas 72076. 501-982-3400. Online guestbook available at www.anaturalstatefuneralservice.com

13 Comments

  • Sara Caroline McAlister Posted January 29, 2025 4:18 PM

    Wherever you are, I hope every night is Thursday and you are going dancing with “the teachers.”

    You are missed, my friend.

  • Sharon Meredith Posted January 29, 2025 4:40 PM

    Martha was a kind and sweet friend. She will be dearly missed.

  • Melissa Douglas Posted January 29, 2025 6:01 PM

    A wonderful woman and teacher. She will be missed.

  • Steve and Martha Harbour Posted January 30, 2025 9:33 AM

    Dianna, I wish I had known your Mom. I was reading her obit and she sound like a great person to know, and a good teacher, the kind that children like. You and your family will be in our prayers.

  • Meigs Brainard Posted January 30, 2025 4:31 PM

    Dear Martha, thank you for being such a genuine sweet caring person. I’m so glad you were our friend while we were playing music. You will be missed by those who knew and loved you. Rest in peace. ❤️

  • Stephany Carmical Posted January 30, 2025 5:35 PM

    I worked with Martha at Park Hill elementary school for many years. She was an exceptional lady that knew how to reach “hard to reach” children and could teach reading to students that others had given up on. She was a jewel of a person and made a difference in the lives of many children in NLRSD.

  • Amy Jones Posted January 31, 2025 4:38 PM

    Martha was a wonderful teacher for our special needs students. I worked with some of her former students and they were some of my best readers! She gave so much of herself to the service of others in need.

  • Bill Bohannan Posted February 4, 2025 11:51 PM

    Martha was one of the sweetest persons I ever knew. She always had a smile when she and her friends came to see us play music. Her kindness was obvious to everyone who met her. I’m blessed to have had her in my life. Rest in paradise my sweet friend.

  • Patty Rabstejnek Posted February 9, 2025 9:43 AM

    I am one of the many lives that Martha (my Aunt Martha) touched during her life. She was there when I needed help. She introduced me to my first concert “The Carpenters” and showed me the joy that music could bring to others. Aunt Martha was a kind and thoughtful soul who will be missed by many. R.I.P.

  • Christine Derouin Posted February 9, 2025 3:57 PM

    I met Ms Martha when she came to NY with my cousin, her best friend Becky Heathcock. Martha was so smart and funny. I felt like I had known her for yrears. I only wish I had. Rest in peace Martha you will be remembered always.

  • Brandi Posted February 9, 2025 6:35 PM

    She was definitely one of a kind. I absolutely adored her! JOB WELL DONE!! She’ll be missed so much. I had the pleasure of knowing her from Park Hill Elementary.

  • Glynna Condray Posted February 9, 2025 8:23 PM

    Prayers and sympathy to her daughter and family. Knew Martha as a teacher friend for many years. She was a wonderful and caring person,

  • Rellia Dillinger Posted February 10, 2025 3:25 PM

    I had the privilege of working with Martha for many years, all over the district. She was one of the sweetest people I ever met and never ever gave up on her students, no matter how difficult. She loved them with all she had. She will be missed.

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