Vera LaRoe

Vera Mae LaRoe was never meant to be here this long – at least, that's what doctors told her family when she was born. They said she might not live past two years old. Vera proved them wrong for 69 beautiful years.

Vera Mae LaRoe of Russellville, Arkansas, formerly of Ola, passed away Friday, February 6, 2026, at Russellville Nursing & Rehab.

She was born April 28, 1956, in Corning, Arkansas, to Caril and Beaulah M. Forbes LaRoe.

Vera lived a quiet but extraordinary life with her family, whose greatest accomplishment was simply being Vera – a woman whose joy, resilience, and gentle spirit touched everyone she met. In 2025, she was proudly crowned Valentine Queen at Russellville Nursing, a title that perfectly reflected the love she carried and shared so freely.

She was a faithful member of Gateway Pentecostal Church of God and found great happiness in attending church, coloring, collecting jewelry, loving on babies, and bringing smiles to faces wherever she went. Vera had a gift for joy. You didn't leave her presence without feeling lighter.

She was preceded in death by her parents; five brothers, Robert, Victor, Vester, Troy, and Ronnie LaRoe; and two sisters, Chris LaRoe and Edith LaRoe.

She is lovingly survived by three sisters: Zetty Wilkerson of Wheatley, Arkansas; Rosie Bishop (Jack) of Russellville; and Girty Brown (Jerry) of East Carondelet, Illinois; two brothers: Ed LaRoe (Cheryl) of Dardanelle and Vernon LaRoe of Halfway, Missouri; and numerous nieces and nephews who will carry her memory in their hearts.

A funeral service was held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at Humphrey Chapel with Rev. Jerry Vinson and Sis. Teresa Miller Vinson officiating. Burial followed at Richwoods Cemetery in Corning, Arkansas, under the direction of Humphrey Funeral Service.

Visitation was Monday at the funeral home.

Vera's life was a reminder that the measure of a person is not counted in years expected, but in love given – and Vera gave a lifetime of it.