of Marshall, AR

June 20, 1943 - September 11, 2025

Mary Jane McEntire, age 82, of Marshall, Arkansas passed from this life on Thursday, September 11th, 2025 at North Arkansas Regional Medical Center in Harrison, Arkansas. She was born in Willow Springs, Missouri on June 20, 1943 to Crockett Dale Beavers and Gertrude Ward Beavers.

Janie attended the First Christian Church as long as her health allowed. She developed dementia and spent her final years in memory care. Unlike her memory, her loving personality, good humor, ever-present smile and sparkling eyes never left her. Janie had a kind and giving soul. Janie was a graduate of the Marshall High School Class of 1961 and enjoyed keeping in touch with classmates as well as attending the annual MHS Alumni Banquet. She forged lifelong friendships while attending Marshall Schools and always enjoyed organizing and attending her class reunions. Janie began working for the Soil Conservation Service in 1976 (later renamed the Natural Resource Conservation Service) and held the position as district secretary until she retired after 35 years. Having grown up in a farm family, she enjoyed working with local farmers throughout the district. She was a founding member of the E.H. '81 Extension Club. She treasured the friendships that developed from working with a great group of ladies to foster leadership within communities through various means, including volunteering and organizing events and projects to benefit their communities. Janie enjoyed baking and sewing immensely. She was always ready to whip up a chocolate pie at a moment's notice. According to her grandson, Will, her brown beans and ham were legendary, with or without the cornbread. Will would say that "nobody makes brown beans like Granny". Her love of sewing was initially born of need, but she gladly passed her knowledge to her daughter at an early age. While she would sew, she would keep a three-year-old Amy busy with a scrap of fabric, large button and blunt needle, then stop to untangle the mess (quite often). Janie had a tireless work ethic, instilling in her children the importance of hard work, a clean house, a nice yard and pulling weeds (even if Madison wouldn't eat the garden vegetables). In the summertime, it was common for Madison and Amy to wake up to a lengthy list of chores that had to be completed before any summer fun could be had. Janie and the kids spent summer days at Papa Dale's farm, helping maintain their large garden. They would shuck corn, shell peas, snap green beans and the least favorite of Amy's, picking up potatoes. Their nickname for her was "Sarge". Janie and Bill attended all their children's school events, whether it be basketball games to watch Madison play or football games to watch Amy march in the band. Beta Club and FFA events, band concerts, they never missed a one. Janie loved to play games and put together jigsaw puzzles. Dominoes and Scrabble were favorites of her and Madison, but she also enjoyed many card games. It was the laughter and togetherness around the table that she cherished. She had a very sharp mind and could work Sudoku puzzles in no time at all. Holidays were always treasured in later years, when everyone was together and the dominoes didn't remain in the box for very long. Janie enjoyed traveling very much. Family trips to Branson, St. Louis, Kansas City, Houston were common and if there was a major league baseball stadium nearby, the family was in attendance at a game. She, like the rest of the family, loved baseball. Later, extended trips to Europe and Hawaii were among her favorites. She enjoyed history, so many family trips when the children were young, were spent as learning adventures. Visits to Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois, George Washington Carver's birthplace, Harry Truman's birthplace and Vicksburg Battlefield were some of the sites the family enjoyed. There was even a trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Fredricksburg, Maryland in later years. Understanding where and how our country evolved was of interest to her. She enjoyed bus trips with friends to numerous locations. One family anecdote that cannot be omitted is how she left Bill in the hospital to battle kidney stones on his own, as she had a plane to catch to Hawaii and he wasn't on the itinerary. Another event of note is that Janie got her first grandchild (Mackenzie) and indoor puppy (Domino) in the same year. She was beyond thrilled with both. Becoming a grandmother caused her to have an ever-present radiant smile and soon Domino was running the house and she happily let him. Domino was her faithful companion for over 15 years. The arrival of grandson, Will a few years later, only made that smile brighter. She deeply loved her grandchildren and often would indulge them as was her job as a grandparent.

Janie is survived by her husband of 60 years, Bill McEntire of Marshall; son, Madison McEntire and his wife, Crissy of Bryant; daughter, Amy McEntire and her husband, Michael Harris of Marshall; granddaughter, Mackenzie Shelton and her husband, Dakota of Benton (Cash & Cayden); grandson, Will McEntire and his fiancé Caitlyn Wyrick of Rogers; sister, Donna Kay McGee and husband, Jerry of Cypress, Texas; nephew, Ward McGee of Cypress; niece, Martha McGee and husband, Kevin Eyre of Cypress; great niece, Jessica Massey of Mountain Home; great niece, Abbie McGee and great nephews, Clay Snyder and Charlie Eyre all of Cypress, Texas.

Janie is preceded in death by her parents, Dale and Gertrude Beavers and sister, Sue Wilburn.

Funeral services for Janie will be 11:00 AM Monday, September 15th, 2025 at Roller-Coffman Chapel in Marshall, Arkansas with Bro. Roy Ragland and Crissy McEntire officiating. Visitation will be 10:00 till 11:00 AM preceding the service. Burial will be in Marshall Memorial Gardens. Bearers will be Brent Clark, Ricky Reed, Corey Jones, John Steen, Rick Horton and Sid Lowrance. Honorary bearers will be Dakota Shelton and Will McEntire.

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