Mauleene Broadwater

Mauleene Presley Broadwater, devoted wife, loving mother and generous friend, died March 4th from complications of ovarian cancer at her home in Little Rock. She had recently turned 80. Born in Vaughan, Miss., on Feb 15, 1933 and raised in rural Mississippi, Mauleene epitomized the term "Southern belle": She was beautiful, gracious, elegant and unabashedly charming. Her signature Southern drawl, always accompanied by a welcoming smile, drew everyone into her world. She was a woman of rare grace with a strong faith and a good heart, who placed family at the center of her life. Mauleene graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., where she met the love of her life, Dr. John Ralph Broadwater Sr., whom she married shortly after college and to whom she remained intensely devoted until the day she died. The couple was based first in St. Louis, where sons Ralph and Keith were born, then in San Antonio, where daughter Lisa was born. John’s stint in the Air Force also took the Broadwaters to the Philippines for several years during the early ’60s. The family eventually settled in Fort Smith, where John joined the staff of Holt-Krock Clinic as one of the first oncologists in Arkansas; Mauleene became an active community volunteer, playing key roles in the Sparks Guild, Fort Smith Arts Center, Girls Scouts and PEO. By the 1980s, John had retired from his oncology practice and was working as a consultant for the UAMS and the Arkansas Cancer Research Center. This affiliation led to several extended trips to Dijon, France –- which led to a deep love of France for both John and Mauleene. After the premature death of her husband in 1989, Mauleene moved to Little Rock, where she found a new focus for her life. She became an active member of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church PHUMC, joined the French Club and even attained a degree in French from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Having traveled throughout Southeast Asia during the ’60s, she resumed her world travels, making multiple trips to France, as well as venturing to China and to Russia. She also relished her role as grandmother to her four grandchildren -- John, Michael, Ann and Sara -- on whom she showered love and attention. In 2001, she faced a diagnosis of ovarian cancer with a quiet strength, gracious dignity and unfailingly positive attitude that has served as an ongoing inspiration to countless others. Never one to complain or focus attention on herself, she tackled the challenges of multiple treatments tirelessly and with unending positivity, relying on her deep faith to serve as her guide. Defying the odds again and again, she spent the rest of her life living by example –- by really living. Over the years, Mauleene served in numerous leadership roles at PHUMC –- including in her Sunday school class, within the Cancer Friends support group, as a member of the Altar Guild and as an ongoing staff volunteer. Two things were a constant in her life: Her family came first, and no matter where she lived, she was surrounded by great friends. Everyone who knew her loved her. Mauleene is survived by her three children: Ralph, Keith and Lisa; their spouses, Anne, Pat and Jack; her brother Marvin, and his wife, Brenda; her grandsons, John and Michael; her grand-daughters, Ann and Sara; and her great-grandchildren, Sawyer and Harlow. A memorial service celebrating Mauleene’s life will be held Friday, 3:00 p.m., March 8th, at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, with a reception immediately afterward. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to UAMS’s Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute or to Cancer Friends of PHUMC.

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