of Little Rock, AR

February 5, 1948 - October 31, 2025

Tonya Wilhelmina Webb McNair, 77, of Little Rock, passed peacefully in her sleep on October 31, 2025, after courageously battling lung cancer for the past year. Her passing came during All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day, a sacred time in the Catholic Church that honors eternal life and remembrance, fitting for a woman whose spirit and creativity will long outlive her years on earth.

Born February 5, 1948, to Alton William Webb and Virginia Hurley Webb, Tonya was a brilliant and determined woman from the start. She graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a bachelor's degree in business administration and went on to break barriers in the finance world. Tonya completed training in New York to become an Account Executive with Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner and Smith, Inc., becoming the first woman in Arkansas to join what had previously been an all-male profession. Early in her career, she also served as a Financial and Economic Advisor for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, where her intelligence and drive quickly made her stand out.

In the early 1980s, Tonya chose to leave the corporate world to devote herself to raising her two sons. During that season of life, she explored many interests but ultimately discovered her true calling in art. As an abstract artist, Tonya poured her heart and spirit into her work. Her art hangs in homes throughout Arkansas and beyond and has been exhibited in galleries from Little Rock to Chicago. She was a longtime supporter of the Pulaski Heights Elementary School's Annual Picasso Fundraiser, where her creative passion and generous heart inspired others.

Tonya's zest for life was boundless. She traveled to France multiple times to study art and spoke fluent French. In her early forties, she ran in the Pike's Peak Marathon, just one of many examples of her determination and adventurous spirit. Later in life, she delighted in serving as a patient actor for nursing students at UALR, finding joy in helping others learn and grow.

Those who knew Tonya will remember her as a true Renaissance woman: energetic, brilliant, thoughtful, eccentric, spiritual, and endlessly creative. She was known for her quick wit, her love of deep conversation, and her passionate debates, few ever won an argument with her. She found beauty in simple pleasures: a good book, a walk in Allsopp Park, a roaring fire, a piece of dark chocolate, a martini with a whiff of vermouth, a good glass of red wine, or the sound of classical music filling her home. Her Christmas toffee was legendary, her cooking was soulful, and her humor was contagious.

Tonya was preceded in death by her parents, Alton William Webb and Virginia Hurley Webb; and her sisters, Patricia Joan Kirby and Vernue Jerrine Boroughs. She is survived by her sons, Jason Neal Thomann and Jeremy Thomann (wife Ginger), and her cherished granddaughter, Katelyn Elizabeth Thomann.

Family and friends are invited to a drop-in celebration of life Tuesday, November 11, 2025, from 10:30a.m. to 12:30p.m. at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church Parish Hall located at 1003 North Tyler Street, Little Rock, AR 72205.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to It's the Van, Union Rescue Mission Little Rock, or Thea's Art Closet.

Tonya lived as she painted, with intensity, color, and purpose. Her legacy will live on in her art, her family, and all who were fortunate enough to know her.

 

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