Wanda Cunningham Brown Hayes

Wanda Kay Cunningham Brown Hayes, 76, of Little Rock, left this life on September 5, 2021. She was born July 12, 1945 in Monticello, Arkansas to the late Betty Jean Trammel Workman and Raymond Cunningham, the oldest of four children. On December 24, 1964, Wanda married Louis Brown, Jr. Together they had two children, and although the marriage did not last, their friendship endured until Louis’ death in 2012.

Wanda was a very accomplished lady. She started work on her college education in 1965 at Arkansas A&M College (now UAM), and loved to tell the story of Grandpa Brown having words with the public speaking professor to allow her to take the class, which women were not allowed to do at the time without a man’s permission. Education had to be put on hold to raise children and work, but she would go on in her 60s to earn a degree from UALR in Criminal Justice, was a cum laude graduate, and consistently on the Chancellor’s List, all while working as Assistant Director of the Arkansas Sentencing Commission. Wanda also worked in the business office of Burlington in Monticello prior to the family moving to Little Rock, and worked in accounting at Frank Lyon Company in Little Rock for many, many years.

Wanda was an accomplished ballroom dancer. She had numerous awards and trophies from her ballroom dancing days, often taking first place. She was also a talented cake decorator, and used this skill in the late 1970s to pay for her daughter’s cheerleader costumes and supplies. She loved Elvis. She loved to make road trips to Memphis and tour Graceland, and probably owned every album in the Elvis catalog. She was also a dedicated fan of Dancing with the Stars and NCIS, and her family knew do not disturb her when these shows were on. She loved Star Wars, and shared a special bond with her son over his love of Star Wars. Over the past few years, she managed to recruit her oldest granddaughter into the Jedi Order on a limited basis, but nonetheless, she had a new person to discuss all matters Star Wars. She loved to watch Purple Rain with her oldest grandson, and have long conversations about the movie’s deeper meaning. She loved cooking, and teaching children to cook. Many of her nieces have commented how Aunt Wanda taught them how to make a certain dish. She most recently enjoyed buying children’s cooking sets for her youngest grandson and oldest great-grandson, along with children’s cookbooks. Sadly, the pandemic kept her from spending time with her youngest great-grandchildren, but she enjoyed the pictures Samantha would share on Facebook and was looking forward to getting to spend time with them.

In her retirement, Wanda had grown to love her home cooked dinners from her oldest granddaughter, Shawna. She often commented that Shawna must have thought she was going to starve to death, because she brought her dinner several times a week. She also loved fresh vegetables from her daughter’s garden.

Wanda was a loving, generous person. Even in death, she gave of herself. Wanda was an organ and tissue donor, and her donation will allow burn victims and mastectomy patients to have needed skin grafts.

Wanda was preceded in death by her son, Robert Brown; her parents; her sister, Debra Cunningham Vail; and her best friend and ex-husband, Louis Brown, Jr. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Tracey Brown Noel and Lushon Noel; grandson, Justin Noel; granddaughter and great-grandson, Shawna Noel and Bradley Moore; grandson, Gage Brown; granddaughter and fiancé Samantha Brown and Marc Sheeley, and great-grandchildren Jude Hillman, Delia Sheeley and Aerin Sheeley; sister Barbara Parnell; brother and sister-in-law Charles and Shirley Cunningham; and numerous nieces, nephews, and bonus family that she loved dearly.

A viewing and visitation will be held on Thursday, September 9, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m at Smith North Little Rock Funeral Home. The family welcomes all who knew Wanda to come share with us your experiences of her love and kindness. The family asks that all guests please practice Covid precautions.

Arrangements by Smith North Little Rock Funeral Home , 1921 Main St, North Little Rock, AR 72114, 501-758-1170.