Bobby Hudgens Passes Away

Bobby Lloyd Hudgens, 74 of Benton, passed away on March 21 after battling Parkinson’s Disease for six years and Lewy Body Dementia for three years. He was a member of Park Place Baptist Church in Bryant.

Bobby was born in Waldo and was the youngest of three children. He met his wife, Donna Ferguson, in January of 1972 during his last semester of his senior year at Southern State College in Magnolia, where they were both very active in the Association of Baptist Students. They celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary on July 1, 2023.

His career started as a K-12 music teacher in Waldo and Taylor Public Schools. He served as a part-time music/youth director for Garrett Memorial Baptist Church in Hope and First Baptist Church in Taylor during college. He also served in full-time ministry as music/education director at Trinity Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. While at Temple Baptist Church in Little Rock (now South City Church), he served for 27 years through music, education and business administration.

He was involved in the International Student Ministry at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, was instrumental in the development and organization of the El Samaritano Medical Clinic that provided free medical/dental care for the growing Hispanic community in Little Rock and also served as a trustee and board chairman of the BMA Moral Action committee from 2005-2010.

After leaving Temple, he served at the Baptist Publishing House (DiscipleGuide) as the Director of Research and Development from 2004-2013, where God used him in updating and improving BMA literature. After his retirement from the BMA Publications Dept., he served as a part-time music director for the Mandeville First Baptist Church until moving back to Benton in 2013.

Survivors include: his wife, Donna Ferguson Hudgens; three children, John (Kristy) Hudgens, Emily (Travis) Price and Rebekah (Nathan) Brown; a sister, Linda (Bill) Simpson; a brother, Terry (Retha) Hudgens; and six grandchildren.

Visitation and services were held at Smith-Benton Funeral Home (SmithFamilyCares.com) in Benton on March 29.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Missions Department of the Baptist Missionary Association, P.O. Box 878, Conway, Ark. 72033.