Mrs. Retha Mae Ellis Barker, of Forrest City, died in her home January 8, 2015, at the age of 70. She was born in Round Pond, Arkansas, on April 29, 1944, the daughter of the late Lewin M. Ellis and Maggie Williams Ellis.
She was a National Merit Scholarship Winner and attended UCA at Conway, Arkansas. She married Leland Barker, Jr. in 1963. As an Army wife, she then continued her education in Colorado and Texas.
She received a kidney from her sister in April 1971. Upon her death she was the longest surviving, single kidney transplant recipient.
She retired fro IBM in Dallas, Texas, and the Literacy Council of EACC in Forrest City, Arkansas. She was a member of the Arkansas Master Gardener Program, The Gardening Club and the Lion's Club.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Leland Barker, Jr., in 2012, and her brother, Travis Ellis, in 2010.
She is survived by her daughter, Lee Ann Ruiz; son-in-law Michael Ruiz; and granddaughter Isabella Ruiz, all of Irving, Texas; her sister, Vonnie Ellis Brewer of Forrest City, Arkansas; three brothers, Joe Ellis of Wynne, Arkansas, Lewin "Skip" Ellis of Greenville, Tennessee, and Gary Ellis of Jonesboro, Arkansas.
A memorial service for Mrs. Barker will be held on Monday, January 12, 2015, at 3:00 pm, at Oak Hill Church of God in Forrest City. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that donations be made to the National Kidney Foundation in her memory.