Mrs. Marium Frances Oates Obituary (1941 - 2017)

Marium Frances Guppy Oates went to be with the Lord on Thursday, July 6, 2017. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, June 3, 1941, to Albion and Frances Scobey Guppy. She was the beloved granddaughter of William Frederick and Lacy Paisley Scobey of Warren, Arkansas. A Life Celebration Service will be held at 10:00 AM, Wednesday, July 12th 2017 at home church, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Pottsville under the direction of Humphrey Funeral Service. Rev. Howard Wheeler, will officiate. A private family burial will be held at Pisgah Cemetery in Pottsville. Marium was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and was active in all areas of her church life. She served as Adult and Children's Sunday School Teacher, Youth Director, and Leader and teacher in the church's Women's Work. She also served the broader Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church as a Presbyterial Officer where she worked with youth and gave presentations in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Mississippi regarding the work and role of women in the church. Marium participated in and led Bible Study Fellowship groups in the Russellville area for many years. Marium attended Little Rock Public Schools and Arkansas Girls' State in 1958 but was unable to graduate from Little Rock Central High School because of the integration crisis. She completed her High School requirements taking correspondence courses from the University of Arkansas and attending summer school at North Little Rock High School. Following high school, she attended Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina. She graduated from Arkansas Tech with a Bachelor's Degree and received a Master's in Education from University of Central Arkansas. It was in her church that Marium met David Oates, her husband of 56 years. Dr. C. O. Williams of Little Rock officiated the marriage of David and Marium at the Highland Heights Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, August 20, 1960. As a teacher for 20 years in the Russellville Public Schools, she taught Kindergarten and later taught Gifted Education in K-12. As the Coordinator of the Gifted and Talented Program in Russellville Schools she was recognized by the State Department of Education for this work. She served as an adjunct professor at Arkansas Tech University and was recognized as Teacher of The Year in 1997 for excellence in teaching. Marium was the first speaker in the Fall 1992 University of Central Arkansas Exemplary Practices in Education Lecture Series. Prior to teaching in Russellville, she worked as a Consultant for Reading Teachers across the State of Arkansas. She also volunteered many hours as she organized and worked on projects of the Pottsville School Teacher Organization. For many years she served as Local Chairman of Cancer Drives, American Heart Fund Drives and the United Way of Pope County. Marium and David organized the Pottsville 4-H Club which was recognized as Pope County Outstanding Club of the Year many times. They served as 4-H Leaders for 12 years. In addition to her husband, David, Marium is survived by her three children, John David Oates of Kansas City Missouri; Melanie Oates Wheeler and husband, Howard, of Pottsville, and William Leslie Oates and wife, Melissa Findley Oates, of Pottsville; her grandchildren Garrett Findley Oates, Brett Austin Oates, Carson Wade Oates, Marium Isabella, Emma Victoria, Joshua David, Helena Grace, Elijah Henry, Noah Isaac, and Naomi Rose Wheeler; Three brothers, Albion Guppy of Wisconsin, David Robert Guppy, London, AR. William Frederick "Fred" and Gayle Guppy of Jacksonville, one sister and brother-in-law, Nancy Lane Guppy, and John Mark of Jacksonville, and one brother and sister-in-law, William Oliver Oates and Evelyn Sekevec. Marium is preceded in death by her parents, Albion Guppy and Frances Guppy Smith and two sisters-in-law, Lila Jean Viner and Tonya Guppy. As a homemaker, Marium loved to sew, craft, prepare meals for her family, and preserve the harvest of summer. She and David were recognized as Farm Family of the Year in 1972 and were recently selected as an Arkansas Century Farm by the Arkansas Agriculture Department to honor those who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years. Marium made an enormous impact on the life of every person she knew and her passing casts a long shadow into the lives of many. Characteristic of her life, Marium would always set aside her own concerns in order to bear the concerns and cares of others. Even in the midst of her sickness she ministered to everyone who cared for her. No nurse, no aide, no tech, no housekeeper, no doctor, no EMT, no person from the kitchen -- no not one, failed to receive encouragement, appreciation, love, prayer, and a clear testimony of Christ's faithfulness and sufficiency as savior from Marium. Even in the midst of her own pain, she remembered every name and every situation in the life of others that calls for prayer. She fought the good fight, she kept the faith and the finished the race. Marium's family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, techs and aids who cared for her both on the 10th floor at Baptist Hospital, Little Rock, and at the Dardanelle Nursing and Rehabilitation Center who showed such amazing love, tenderness, consideration and care for Marium and her family. Memorials can be made in honor of Marium to the Pottsville Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 156, Pottsville, Arkansas 72858.