of Big Flat, AR

November 30, 1925 - May 2, 2025

Ernestine ''Teen'' Wynn Balentine, age 99 of Springdale, Arkansas, formerly of Big Flat, Arkansas passed away on Friday, May 2nd, 2025 at Circle of Life in Springdale, Arkansas. She was born on November 30th, 1925 to Floyd and Doris Wynn in their home in Sylamore, Arkansas. She lived a full life and seemed to always have a way of seeing the fun in every situation and coming away with an entertaining story.

During WWII, she moved to Long Beach, California to live with her sister and worked for Douglas Aircraft Company. When the love of her life, Cecil Warren Balentine, returned home after earning a purple heart in the Pacific, she was by his side. They married July 7, 1945 in a double ceremony with their closest friends, Gene and Lanel Long.
Teen and Warren moved to Conway, Arkansas, where Warren earned his bachelor's degree at Arkansas Teacher's College. While there, they started a family having three children: Donald Lynn Balentine (Myra), Terry Lee Balentine (Robbie), and Susan Balentine Pitchford (Roger). Teen worked hard, taking college classes, while raising three young children, and running their small farm. After Warren finished his degree, they moved the family to Big Flat, Arkansas where they attended the Big Flat Church of Christ.
She later opened the Green Acres Dairy Diner, a restaurant in Big Flat, drawing customers from surrounding counties because of the delicious food, especially hamburgers and fried catfish. She treated her grandchildren to custom ice cream sundaes and chocolate milkshakes when they came to visit. Her grandkids remember her giving them marked quarters to play the pinball machine and jukebox. One song, ''Hit the Road Jack,'' was played quite a bit as one grandchild thought it referred to a neighbor named Jack who lived down the road.
Teen was loved by everyone who knew her for her quick wit, amazing storytelling ability, and competitive nature. She played a mean game of dominoes and took great pleasure in winning any card game, but especially Pitch. She loved to fish and could often be found on her pond with a string of catfish. She loved to stay physically active with daily walks and even took yoga and dance classes. She loved to write and finished two books for her family to enjoy. She was an accomplished quilter and produced a custom quilt for each of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was also an avid amateur photographer and had dozens of photo books filled with pictures of her family that she loved to share when people came to visit. She raised a huge garden every year and produced some of the best tomatoes and green beans you can imagine. Her pantry was full of beautifully home canned goods. She was a gifted cook, and if you were lucky enough to come to her house for dinner (or an early breakfast before hunting), you were guaranteed to leave well fed. She lived just shy of 100 years, saw so many changes, and handled them all with grace and an infectious sense of humor. She was a bright light in our family and will be truly missed.

Teen was preceded in death by her husband, Warren, and daughter, Susan, and is survived by her sons, Don and Terry, and many grand and great grandchildren.

Graveside services for Teen will be 2:00 PM Friday, May 16th, 2025 at Big Flat Cemetery in Big Flat, Arkansas.

Obituary Provided By:
Roller-Coffman Funeral Home
923 Highway 65 North
Marshall, AR  72650
www.rollerfuneralhomes.com