Ova Lee Wallace February 22, 1932 – February 07, 2019 Share this obituary Send Flowers Sign Guestbook| Send Sympathy Card Ova Lee Wallace, age 86, passed on in his home in Alexander, Arkansas, on February 7, 2019. He was born February 22, 1932, to Ezra George and Jessie Taylor Wallace in Malvern, AR, where he spent his boyhood years. After attending Malvern High School, Ova joined the United States Navy, where he completed his education while serving.
Ova retired as a Chief Boatswain’s Mate, completing 22 years of service in active duty and 8 years of reserve duty. Ova met Pacita, the love of his life, in the Philippines in 1954. After a 10-year courtship, they married in 1964.
He was devoted to her for their 44-year marriage and lovingly cared for her during her final illness. After leaving the Navy, Ova graduated from Ouachita Vo-Tech at Malvern and taught classes there for 3 years. Ova was a master electrician with a specialty in air conditioning and refrigeration.
He owned his own business for several years, serving customers across central and southeast Arkansas. In 1976 he left his business and took a job teaching electrical code and air conditioning and refrigeration at Forest Echoes Vo-Tech School in Crossett, AR, where he taught for many years. His student teams always fared well at the statewide skills competitions and some even placed nationally.
His stories about his adventures in the Navy encouraged many of his students to enlist. Somewhere along the way, Ova transformed from someone who loathed computers to an avid techie. He was mostly self-taught, but he also pursued Microsoft Certification.
When he left Forest Echoes, he once again started his own business, AC & R Consulting Service, “Improving Maintenance Skills with Specialized Training in Air Conditioning, Electricity, Heating, Refrigeration, and Mechanical Maintenance”. He traveled the country leading workshops on OSHA guidelines and the National Electric Code for El Dorado Chemical, Georgia Pacific, Monsanto, Tyson, and Potlatch. He also wrote programs teaching the codes for students to do self-paced instruction.
Pacita loved traveling with him to his workshops. When he stopped traveling, he taught the night program for electrical apprenticeship at Forest Echoes. For many years, Ova served as the church secretary of Hamburg First Assembly of God Church.
He loved his church family and was enthusiastic about his duties, taking great pride in designing the bulletin every week, and arriving early for every service. Ova and Pacita enjoyed their retirement in Hamburg until moving to central Arkansas in 2007 to be closer to their children and extended family. Ova was an avid reader, writer, and life-long learner; he encouraged the same attributes in his children.
He enjoyed fellowship and time with his children and family, over a nice meal—especially dessert. Well known and loved for his gentle and generous nature, Ova was a patient and understanding man who never turned away from those in need and always looked for opportunities to help others. He did a lot of free work for people and in the community, including setting up a computer lab and teaching basic skills for a year at the Southwest Little Rock Adult Education Center.
He and Pacita helped establish several churches in and around Pacita’s home village of Bante in the Philippines, and he established a fund to support them. He was a major financial supporter of the LIFE Tutoring Program at Abundant Life Church in Bryant, Arkansas, insisting that the students get snacks every week and dictating that at Christmas each child get “one book and one toy”. He also delivered Meals on Wheels and volunteered at the Humane Society of Saline County walking dogs and petting cats.
He is survived by his children, Jessie Burchfield (Mike), Lee J. Wallace (Julianne), Jill Savage, Julie Wallace (Vikki), Jerry Wallace (Regina) and Janice Wallace; 17 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren; sister-in-law, Kathryn and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, David and Clomer Wallace; sister Marguerite Robinson; his loving wife, Pacita, infant daughter, Josephine and infant great-granddaughter Tallidah Rose Landry-Wallace. Visitation Tuesday, February 12, from 6-8 p.m. at Dial and Dudley in Bryant.
Celebration of life Wednesday, February 13 at noon at Abundant Life Assembly of God Church. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Ova and Pacita Wallace Philippine Missions Fund at Abundant Life.
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