HIGDEN, Ark. -- Mary Jo Eftink Farrar, 82, of Higden died Tuesday, May 26, 2015, following a brief illness.

She was born and raised in the charming Dutch-Catholic hamlet of Portageville in Southeast Missouri.

She was born hearing, but in the winter of her first-grade year at school, she contracted spinal meningitis, which left her deaf. Afterward, she attended St. Joseph Institute, a Catholic deaf school in St. Louis, where she completed high school.

Mary Jo subsequently worked in a beauty salon in her hometown for several years until she married John S. Farrar in 1956. They moved to Memphis, Tennessee, shortly after the birth of their first daughter. They added two more daughters to their family and remained in Memphis until the mid 1990s, where Mary Jo spent many years working for the U.S. Postal Service.

Upon retirement, John and Mary Jo built and moved to their dream retirement cabin near Greers Ferry Lake in Arkansas. Mary Jo enjoyed sewing, gardening, cooking and bowling with her husband and friends. She was especially famous for her beef stew and cornbread and for her homemade candies, which she sent to family and friends at Christmastime. Most of all, however, Mary Jo loved her children and grandchildren, always marking and celebrating their birthday, graduation and marriage milestones with such great pride and joy.

Mary Jo was preceded in death by her parents, Henry Bernard and Dricka M. Beussink Eftink, as well as siblings Margaret Eftink Hulshof and Bernard, Vincent "Peck," Martin and Jerome Eftink.

She is survived by a sister-in-law, Wilma Jansen (Vincent) Eftink; her husband, John S. Farrar; and daughters Diane Farrar Boles, Doris "April" Farrar (David) Guin and Debbie Farrar. Also, six grandchildren, namely Christy Boles (Andrew) McAllister of Belfast, Ireland, Erin Boles (Justin) Schwind of Mobile, Alabama, John C. Guin of Birmingham, Alabama, Kristen P. Guin of Rockville, Maryland, Emily C. Guin of Boulder, Colorado, and Mary Grace Farrar of Higden; a great-grandson, Daniel T. McAllister of Belfast; and many nieces and nephews across the United States.

Visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at West Side Baptist Church on Highway 92 in Greers Ferry, Arkansas.

The funeral will be at 3 p.m. at the church.

Olmstead Funeral Home of Heber Springs, Arkansas, is in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock, Arkansas.