Mona Lou Rothwell

Mona Lou Rogers Rothwell, 84, passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at CHI-St. Vincent-Hot Springs. She was the youngest child of Roy Lee and Monnie Pratt Rogers, Sr. of Pine Bluff.

Mona grew up in Pine Bluff with many friends and always loved sharing old stories. One of her favorite stories of Pine Bluff was telling how she would watch a rising new singer named Elvis Presley as he performed at small venues in the 1950s. It wasn’t until the last several years that she told her sons that she would dance with this Elvis, until her boyfriend at the time had enough and would make them leave.

Mona graduated from Pine Bluff High School and Henderson State Teachers College, where she met her future husband, William Dulin (Bill) Rothwell. Bill learned to fly in his teenage years in Hope, AR. He worked as a crop duster around southwest Arkansas to pay his way through college and law school. On their second date he took her flying, pointed down to a bridge over the Red River and asked “Do you remember driving over that bridge earlier?” She nodded yes, as he descended and flew UNDER the bridge.

They eloped while still at Henderson and soon moved to Fayetteville where Bill went to law school. While there, Mona began her career of teaching junior and senior high school English and Oral Communications in Springdale. They raised their young family in Crossett, where Bill was an attorney for Georgia-Pacific. While in Crossett in the early 1970s, Bill died unexpectedly in 1973, leaving her to raise and support two young sons. She continued teaching throughout her life in Warren, Crossett, and Pine Bluff before retiring from the Lake Hamilton School District. One of her most meaningful experiences teaching was “moonlighting” teaching prisoners in the prison system in the Pine Bluff area.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister, Janice Ray and her brother, Lee Rogers, Jr. Mona is survived by her sons, David Rothwell of Dallas, TX and John Rothwell of Kansas City, MO, four grandchildren, Natalie Rothwell Battles (Jake) of Chattanooga, TN, Bill Rothwell of Salt Lake City, UT, Grace Ann Rothwell of Lexington, KY, Joseph Rothwell of Columbia, MO and her “sister nieces” Joyce Burkhead and Pam Lohnes, who provided special care for their Aunt Lou Lou during the last years of her life.

The family will have a small gathering in September to celebrate her life.

Arrangements are under the direction of Davis-Smith Funeral Home, Hot Springs.

Guest registry is at www.davis-smith.com.