Jennifer Ashley Sexton

Jennifer Ashley Sexton, age 46, passed away on Saturday, December 6th, 2025 at her home in Bentonville, Arkansas. She was born on Tuesday, April 3rd, 1979 in Millington, Tennessee to Richard and Jo Ann Smith (Hennessy).

Jennifer grew up in a United States Navy officer’s family, following her mother’s orders to San Diego, California, Poulsbo, Washington, and after her mother’s retirement, Searcy, Arkansas. She graduated from Harding Academy High School in Searcy, and attended college at Harding University earning a Master’s Degree in Education, which she applied as a long time elementary school teacher at Joe Mathias Elementary School in Rogers, Arkansas, Bentonville Christian Academy, in Bentonville, Arkansas and as an instructor at the Cannon-Clary College of Education at Harding University—Northwest Arkansas. She has spent more than twenty years of her life in Northwest Arkansas, enjoying cooking, baking, raising her son, and being deeply involved in her church congregation at Bentonville Church of Christ.

Jennifer is survived by her husband, Phillip Bryan Sexton; one son, Patrick Sexton of Bentonville; her parents Richard and Jo Ann of Searcy; and one sister, Jaime Tareq (Mustafa) of Jenks, Oklahoma.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held in her honor at the Bentonville Church of Christ on December 11, 2025, at 11 a.m., Ministers Kelly Neil and Daniel McGraw officiating.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Betty Ann Watson Education Resource Center, Harding University, at Advancement, HU Box 122338, Searcy, AR 72149
( https://www.harding.edu/give/give-now/ ) or the Richard Monroe and Jo Ann Hennessy Smith Endowed Scholarship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, at Office of Institutional Advancement, 4301 W. Markham, #716, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199 ( giving.uams.edu )