Mildred Lou Hubbard Hoke

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Mildred Lou Hubbard Hoke, 93, died Friday, July 5, 2013, in Jonesboro. She was born Sept. 3, 1919, in Blytheville, the daughter of George Gaines Hubbard and Leah Mary Grindell Hubbard. The Grindell family was one of Blytheville's earliest families. On June 29, 1945, she was married to Wallace Stuart Hoke of Raton, N.M., who preceded her in death in 1998.

Mildred Lou attended college at Southwestern at Memphis (Rhodes College) where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. She was an active member of Calvary Episcopal Church in Osceola and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Blytheville, serving faithfully on the Altar Guild at both churches. As a member of St. Stephen's, she was the first woman elected to serve as a Vestry member in the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas and represented St. Stephen's for several years as a delegate to the Diocesan Convention. She was a founding member and president of the Junior Auxiliary chapter in Osceola and a longtime member and president of Chapter N, PEO. She was vice president of Hubbard and Hoke Furniture, which was founded by her father in 1916. For a number of years, she managed The Cupboard, a division of Hubbard and Hoke Furniture.

Mildred Lou was preceded in death in 1985 by her brother, George Grindell Hubbard of Blytheville.

She is survived by all five of her children, Stuart Hubbard Hoke of Fearrington Village, N.C., Carole Nixon Hoke Johns of Columbia, Mo., Sara Lou Hoke (and Clark) Long of Blytheville, Marion Leah Hoke (and Steve) Rainey of Stow, Ohio, and Wallace Scott (and Mary Beth) Hoke of Jonesboro;

Eleven grandchildren, Ramsay Stuart Hoke, Bennett Winters Hoke, Molly Virginia Johns Tennyson, Arlis Clark Long Jr., Nathaniel Wallace Long, Leah Mary Johns, Anna Kathleen Long, Sara Jane Hoke De Stefano, Joseph Christopher Hoke, Scott Stephen Rainey and Lyndon Wallace Rainey; and

Eight great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by her sister-in-law and longtime friend, Jane Sheddan Hubbard of Jonesboro, and nephews, George Hubbard III, Bill Hubbard and Ben Hubbard.

The Burial Liturgy will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Blytheville, with the Rev. Scott Trotter presiding. The interment will follow immediately at Elmwood Cemetery, with the Rev. Dr. Stuart Hoke officiating.

The pallbearers will be Ramsay Hoke, Ben Hoke, Clark Long, Nathan Long, Joseph Hoke, Scott Rainey and Lyndon Rainey.

Carney Funeral Home of Blytheville is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Memorial Fund, 1512 Willow St., Blytheville, AR 72315. The family wishes to thank the entire staff of Craighead Nursing Center in Jonesboro for their devoted care and service.

The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the home of Scott and Mary Beth Hoke, 2505 Wood St. in Jonesboro.