Wayne Brown, 71, of Lavaca died Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, in a Fort Smith hospital. He was born April 20, 1935, in Lavaca to Hunter Brown and Beulah Cummings Brown. He was a faithful employee for Rheem Manufacturing Co. in Fort Smith for 37 years, an Army veteran and member of First Baptist Church in Lavaca. Officiating the funeral service will be Bro. Terry Hurt.

Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007, at Lavaca First Baptist Church with burial at Lavaca City Cemetery under the direction of Brotherton Brothers Funeral Home of Charleston.

He is survived by his wife, Betty of the home; two daughters, Debra Helms of Lavaca and Kelly Abernathy of Lavaca; a son, Mark Brown of Lewisville, Texas; four sisters, Joyce Reed of Van Buren, Beverly McFerran of Lavaca, Patsy Smithson of Lavaca and Janice Cline of Tualatin, Ore.; a brother, Wendell "Butch" Brown of Plano, Texas; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Bobby Crabtree, Timmy Crabtree, Clay Hale, Stuart Smithson, Roger Smithson and Buddy Smithson.