Sonja McCauley

Sonja McCauley went to be with the Lord on November 14, 2018, just three days after her 78th birthday. Her unexpected passing was the result of an Aortic Dissection on November 10. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, William "Bill" McCauley, son Mike (Kay), and daughters Becky Cranford (David) and Beth Davis (Rob), as well as her grandchildren: Justin McCauley (Jen), Zac McCauley (Loren), Hannah Cranford, Ellen Davis Ortis (Andy), Emily Davis, and Erin Davis. Sonja considered many others to be family, and if you feel that your name should be included in this list, you are most welcome to write it in.

Born November 11, 1940, Sonja grew up in Arkansas and met Bill in junior high school. They graduated from Little Rock Central High School in 1958 and were married that same year. As young adults, Bill and Sonja committed their lives to Jesus and experienced the life-changing power of a relationship with Him. After starting their family, Sonja and Bill enrolled at Harding University where Sonja completed her degree in three years, made the Dean's List every semester, and had dinner on the table every night. She went on to earn her second degree at University of Southern Mississippi as a registered dietician in 1975.

Sonja is remembered by those who love her as a strong, vivacious, adventurous, and Godly woman. In recent years, she rarely missed her twice weekly aqua aerobics class, and was a natural at dance class on Tuesday evenings. She was an excellent gardener and a long time member of the Little Rock Garden Club. In season, she made excellent hummingbird food, and was a gracious hostess to her winged friends each autumn.

Affectionately called "Grandmurmur" by her grandchildren, Sonja loved to travel and explore other cultures. She was a life-long learner and a walking encyclopedia. She also loved to be at home, particularly when she could host family, friends, or any guest at all. She referred to her own house as "The Inn." Above all, she loved the Lord Jesus. Her love for others, her forgiving heart, and her joy in all circumstances were evidence of this.

A memorial service will be held at Pleasant Valley Church at 9:00 AM on Monday, November 19, 2018.

Visitation will be held at Smith Funeral Home in North Little Rock from 2-4PM on Sunday, November 18th.

Narrative of Sonja's passing:
Saturday, November 10:
Sonja finished dinner with Bill and her current house guests, Alia Smith Wagner and her husband Vincent Wagner, and sat down with Alia to look at places to search for houses in preparation for the Wagner's move to Little Rock. As they talked, Sonja suddenly slumped in her chair and lost consciousness. Alia was able to catch her and move her to the floor while she called 911 and alerted Vincent and Bill. Bill was instantly in a state of shock. Sonja regained consciousness while they waited for the ambulance. She was in excruciating pain, and Alia held Sonja in her arms reminding her how many people loved her. Bill and the rest of the family are forever grateful for Alia's grace, presence, and mindfulness in the midst of this traumatic moment.

The emergency room at St. Vincent's confirmed what the paramedics had: a heart attack could be ruled out. After more testing, a CT scan revealed the issue.

Sunday, November 11 a�" Sonja's 78th birthday:
Sonja had experienced an Aortic Dissection, a serious condition in which the inner layer of the aorta, the large blood vessel branching off the heart, tears. We would be told later that her heart was otherwise very strong.

Bill, his sister, Linda, and youngest daughter, Beth, were with Sonja when she received the news around 1:30AM. Being the highly informed and knowledgable woman she was, the doctor did not have to explain much to Sonja. She knew this was serious. Her mind was still clear, and through her pain she bantered back and forth with the surgeon, and shared a few inside one-liners with Linda.

Sonja went in to surgery at 4:30AM and underwent a risky repair of her aorta. The surgeon was clear that her chances of survival were not high. The tear, he discovered upon inspection, was the worst kind that could occur. The surgery was completed at 11:00am, and Sonja was among the oldest patients at St.Vincents to even survive through the surgery. Becky flew in shortly thereafter after booking an emergency flight home from Florida. Sonja's granddaughters arrived that afternoon. Due to bleeding, Sonja was taken back into surgery a second time. Afterwards, Sonja remained stable throughout the evening, but was given only a 25% chance of surviving the following 72 hours.

Monday, November 12
Sonja made slight improvements through the night between Monday and Tuesday, but remained stable throughout the day. She was breathing 40% on her own, and 60% on the ventilator. On Monday evening the surgeon instructed the nurses to step Sonja off of sedation slowly over night.

Tuesday, November 13
Off of sedation, the next step for Sonja was to wake up. Family intermittently went in to speak with her, and it was evident several times that she heard what was said. Through her grogginess it took all the strength she could muster to open her eyes, but she did. Confident in this improvement, Sonja's granddaughters headed back to work with plans to return to their grandmother at the week end, and Bill, Becky, and Beth went home to rest. Just about the time everyone had settled in for the night, the hospital called and said that Sonja had taken a downhill turn. Bill, Becky, and Beth returned to the hospital accompanied by faithful family and friends.
Wednesday, November 14
Throughout the night, Sonja continued to decline. Sonja and Bill had been very clear about their expectations for one another in a situation like this, and with a breaking heart, Bill made the decision to withdraw care and completely release Sonja into the arms of Jesus. Sonja held on longer than any human should naturally be able to, and surrounded by her family, she bravely stepped into the arms of Jesus just after 8:00am.