Della Lu Tyson, 96, died on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
A graveside memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, at Mt. Holly Cemetery in Little Rock, AR. Griffin Leggett Healey and Roth Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Mrs. Tyson was born on Oct. 2, 1926, in Litchfield, to George and Rosa Funk Hall. She grew up in Litchfield with her sisters, Rosemary and Georgia. Mrs. Tyson graduated from Litchfield High School, then attended the University of Wisconsin where she graduated with a degree in history.
Mrs. Tyson had a love of life and a sense of adventure and it took her on a trip that finally landed her in the state of Arkansas, which she called home for the past 70 years. Mrs. Tyson had a varied career, she was a dance instructor, she was in the chicken and egg business, she worked in Arkansas government, and was a noted court reporter for 35 years.
For 12 years she was the confidential secretary of former Governor Orval Faubus where she witnessed a great deal of Arkansas history in the making. Later, she was the first director of the Arkansas Student Loan Foundation and ended her government service serving in the Secretary of State’s office for her old friend George Jernigan.
Mrs. Tyson then started Del Tyson’s Reporting Service where for 35 years she worked for many of Little Rock’s top attorneys doing written and video depositions. One of her favorite clients was the McMath Law Firm where she was privileged to work with former Governor Sid McMath and his sons, Sandy, Phillip and Bruce who were also her dear friends.
Mrs. Tyson had many interests in life, she was a voracious reader, at one time she was a dedicated health enthusiast and bicycle rider, she knitted, was an inveterate letter writer, loved to do crossword puzzles, as well as create them, and most of all had a very keen interest in politics on the local, state and national levels. She was in many ways a political activist who wrote numerous letters, some articles and did not shy away from debating those things that meant a lot to her. Mrs. Tyson was first and foremost a patriot of the first order.
Mrs. Tyson is survived by her sister, Georgia Hall Price, of Cumming, GA; four nephews, Tom, Danny, John and Larry Price; several cousins; two step-children, Harriet Tyson Clayton and Larry Tyson; and close friend and caregiver, Stephen McIntyre.
Condolences may be left online at www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com.
