Hello, I can't speak to the suicide, but she did live in Mississippi County and her married name was "FOX". Below you will find a short autobiography that I found on her life. Dale ********************************************************* In a message dated 04/02/2001 9:29:50 PM Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: On my mother's last trip to Blytheville, Ark. with us, her four daughters, she told us that the first husband of Dale Evans was buried in a cemetery in Blytheville. Of course, my mother was ill and sometimes she did not think right, but I was wondering if this was true. She also told us that he had committed suicide. Could anyone verify or negate this? ********************************************************* Dale Evans - The hard-working cowgirl was born Frances Octavia Smith on Oct. 31, 1912, in Uvalde, Texas. Dale Evans spent her teen years in Arkansas. She eloped with her high school sweetheart at age 16, but their union dissolved shortly after she delivered their first and only child, Tom Fox. The marriage was short-lived, however, and she soon embarked on a career as a pop singer. She sang with the Anson Weeks Orchestra, appeared on numerous radio programs, and held a regular spot on the CBS News And Rhythm Show. Evans soon found herself in Memphis, Tenn., where she crooned on local radio stations under her married name, Frances Fox. Despite her objections, a station manager renamed her Dale Evans, which he said was easier to say. The singer was hired as a vocalist on an NBC radio show, which opened the door for her film career, including an appearance with John Wayne in 1943's In Old Oklahoma. When Evans and Rogers co-starred in The Cowboy and the enorita, Rogers already was married and had two small daughters, while Evans was a single mother. In 1946, Rogers' first wife, Arlene, died after the birth of their third child, Roy Jr. He and Evans fell in love, and the following year, Rogers proposed to Evans on horseback as they were waiting to be announced at a stadium in Chicago. Presenting Evans with a ruby ring, he sang to her, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" Tragedy struck when the couple's only biological child together, a daughter named Robin, died just before her second birthday from complications associated with Down's syndrome. Her death inspired Evans to write the first of a series of inspirational books, Angel Unaware. Nevertheless, the family grew as the couple adopted or fostered four other children, two of whom later died in accidents. The pair continued to appear on network shows throughout the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. In recent years, despite suffering a heart attack and a stroke, the ever-bubbly Evans had her own show, A Date With Dale, on the religious-oriented Trinity Broadcasting Network. Although Dale Evans is more famous for being married to singing cowboy star Roy Rogers, she is an accomplished performer in her own right. Dale Evans married Roy Rogers in 1947, and the couple often appeared together on the big screen. Dale's film credits include "Orchestra Wives" (1942), "Swing Your Partner" (1943), "Casanova In Burlesque" (1944), "Utah" (1945), "Bells Of Rosarita" (1945), "My Pal Trigger" (1946), "Apache Pass" (1947), "Slippy McGee" (1948), "Susanna Pass" (1949), "Twilight In The Sierras" (1950), and "Pals Of The Golden West" (1951). Lately, Dale's work in music and television has been more in the gospel vein, and she's written many books of the inspirational type. The Story Behind "Happy Trails" Every cowboy had a theme song. A song heard as the dust settled and heros drifted west towards the sinking sun. Some were better than others, but few were as good as "Happy Trails." "Happy Trails" was written by Dale Evans in 1950, while preparing for a radio show. Dale decided Roy needed a theme song and since he penned all his autographs with "Trails of Happiness" or "Happy Trails, Roy Rogers", the title came easily. Scribbling on an envelope, Dale wrote the famous lyrics and taught the medley to Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers forty minutes before show time. What came across the radio that night gave America's favorite singing cowboy a theme song and a nation a lifetime of inspiration. Reuters contributed to this story.