Mary Ann McMahon of Fort Smith, Ark. died August 28, 2024. She was born July 27, 1931 in Fort Smith to Sarino and Ouida Lovoi. She was an owner of Belle Point Beverages, Inc. and Belle Point Ranch. She was a faithful parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church her entire life, and was a dedicated member of the Immaculate Conception Ladies Auxiliary.

Mary Ann’s husband, David N. McMahon, Sr., preceded her in death in 2016. The family celebrated her 93rd birthday on July 27 with a lively party attended by family, friends and Brookfield residents, and celebrated 71 years of their parents’ marriage last week on August 22.

She is survived by four daughters: Mary Lynn Holland and husband Marvin Holland, Jr. of Branch, Kathleen McGuire and husband Tim McGuire of Fort Smith, Julie French and husband Steve French of Beaverton, Mich., Susan Taylor and husband Rick Taylor of Lavaca; one son David McMahon, Jr. and wife Tammy McMahon of Fort Smith. She was blessed with 11 grandchildren: Matthew Holland and wife Marie, Andrew Holland and fiancée Cordelia Hook, Kerri McMahon, Allyson McGuire, Kimberly McGuire, Timothy McGuire, Jr. and wife Abby McGuire, Claire Taylor Matlock and husband Phillip Matlock, Audrey Taylor, Christine Taylor, Madeline Taylor and fiancé Hank Phillips. Aaron McMahon preceded her in death.

Mary Ann especially loved her four great-grandchildren Roselynn Holland, Glendon Holland, Taylor Matlock and Owen Matlock, along with step-great-grandchildren Ethan and Emma Matlock and Asa Edwards.

The Rosary will be recited Wednesday, September 4 at 6 p.m. at Edwards Funeral Home in Fort Smith. Following the Rosary, the family will greet friends at the Immaculate Conception Church 4:12 Youth Building.

The funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, September 5 at 12:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church. Live stream of the Mass will be available at the Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith Facebook page.

Friends are welcome to join the family in the Monsignor Galvin Parish Center after the funeral. Burial will be private at Calvary Cemetery, all under the direction Edwards Funeral Home.

Should you choose to honor Mary Ann’s memory with a contribution, the family has chosen projects important to her that will be impacted by your generosity: Immaculate Conception Church or School – www.icchurch.com; Mercy Health Foundation – Hospice Care: www.mercyhealthfoundation.net; and Angus Foundation – www.angus.org/foundation (please designate Youth Development).

Mary Ann Lovoi was raised at 405 S. 12th Street in Fort Smith, along with five Lovoi siblings. They were part of a wonderful Italian neighborhood, attended Immaculate Conception School and Church, and enjoyed growing up among many cousins and friends. Since their father, Sarino, had several businesses in downtown Fort Smith, the many attractions on Garrison Avenue were favorites of The Six.

Following St. Anne’s High School, Mary Ann attended the St. Edward School of Nursing and added “Registered Nurse” to her name. She worked mainly as a surgical nurse. One day while Mary Ann was working at St. Edward Hospital, she caught the eye of David McMahon who was visiting his mother. (David had met Mary Ann in Kindergarten at Immaculate Conception, and they attended school together until David moved to public school.) Fortunately for our family, the pair began dating and were married August 22, 1953.

Mary Ann and David were loving life partners and Mary Ann provided patience and full support for his passions in business and cattle breeding, as well as their dedication to raise a good family together. The McMahon’s Anheuser-Busch distributorship provided a family business and community involvement. David and Mary Ann began raising Angus cattle on their 40 acres in south Fort Smith, and Mary Ann – a 12th Street city girl – learned and loved being a farm wife and mother! She always said that nothing could top “beer and beef!”

Mary Ann raised five kids with loving lessons and sacrifices of precious time and extra effort, providing wonderful meals (especially suga and meatballs), a beautiful home and unmatched hospitality for our friends, and generous support for lots of other kids who needed mothering. The McMahon home was one where friends gathered and played, had fun cookouts and parties, watched airplanes and fireworks, and worked hard raising animals & other projects.

Mary Ann served our community working tirelessly for the Red Cross, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Angus youth and countless other acts of volunteerism. With five children in many activities, she served as a leader and organizer of Girl Scout campouts, fundraisers, 4-H Share-the-Fun skits and speeches, cattle shows, fairs, and IC church and school activities. The family traveled annually to cattle shows and events, and numerous “beer meetings.” Mary Ann performed in the Red Stocking Revue and helped start the legendary Immaculate Conception Spaghetti Dinner. She was always among the first to raise her hand when a need and “the why” was announced. She was creative, and thorough, and never failed to be sure good works were done right.

In 1975 the McMahons established Belle Point Ranch in Lavaca as a second family business. The ranch quickly grew to prominence in the Angus breed. Mary Ann took on the recordkeeping responsibilities of the cattle herd, and kept track of all breeding and calving information. Mary Ann even attended a cattleman’s school to learn artificial insemination, and often boasted that she held an unheard-of 100% conception rate breeding cows. The fact that she only bred one cow was immaterial, the cow had a calf = 100%.

The McMahon children were raised showing Angus cattle on the local, state and national levels, and Mary Ann found her dutiful assignment at the unpredictable back end of the animal – fluffing and teasing the switch of the calf’s tail for the show! “Doing tails” was her specialty – truly a gift – of which she was proud!

Mary Ann served alongside the lovely ladies of the IC Auxiliary who were her sisters in constant, faithful prayer. She was a dependable member of the Funeral Choir ministry. The Auxiliary’s Fall Bazaar was always a treasured end to the year-long work and fun. With intricate needlework, she prayed and stitched a Mother’s love into pristine baptismal gowns and crafted sweet baby dolls for young and old alike into huggable best friends that had names and personalities all their own. The spirit of God is in their handiwork!

Also in the Auxiliary’s ministry, Mary Ann served “the least of these” for 33 years as the administrator of the IC shut-ins list, making sure each home-bound person or nursing home resident had flowers on their birthday and paying for it herself, quietly and selflessly just because she believed it needed doing.

In her sixties, Mary Ann began writing poetry. Her poems included a variety of topics and ideas; they were sometimes clever and silly, and sometimes prayerful and poignant. A few special selections will be included in her funeral service.

She was the devoted family matriarch for us and “The 28” children of her siblings after they had passed. Mary Ann was a devoted participant at “Margarita Monday”, a weekly dinner gathering of Lovoi extended family and guests. She also loved “Lovoi Family Bowling” and was a popular “Strike Force” bowler! At age 85, she bowled 5 strikes in a game — & she wrote a poem about it!

The family is thankful for “The 12th St. Rag” – the family newsletter that Mary Ann and her sisters published. It provides connection to their parents and preserved their immigrant Italian heritage. Entertaining stories, photos and anecdotes of the family’s history document who we are, by knowing the people we come from.

Mary Ann enjoyed gardening and growing cucuzza and basilico (ask an Italian), and loved tending her “Sarino fig tree.” She was a very creative person who always had a new made-up joke, pun or invention to share. Her special lifelong gift was finding four-leaf clovers, a gift she has passed to several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Around 2018, a small Friday night dinner group with Nanny started. When it became necessary to change our ritual, Mary Ann began hosting “Friday Night Happy Hour” at her home, achieving a fun respite from the restrictions we all faced. The Happy Hour Crew looked forward to drinks and dinners with Nanny, and enjoyed fun on the back porch. Her creativity and hospitality triumphed, rewarding her family!

Mary Ann was repaid for her good works, love and service when she was cared for by the loving, capable and kind staff at Brookfield Senior Living in Fort Smith. Home Instead also provided personal care, and the love and friendships our family gained from all of these caregivers will be remembered and treasured. Mercy Hospice Care provided excellent support which we greatly appreciate.

Mary Ann’s hairdresser of 38 years, Anna Stutts, deserves special thanks for making house calls before the 93rd birthday party, and then for the complete beauty treatment our Mother enjoyed the day before she was moved to Mercy Hospice. Mary Ann felt beautiful and comforted by Anna’s compassionate care.

We also would like to honor and thank our friend, Tim Hess, for his thoughtfulness and expertise in assisting our family with arrangements and services for our Mother. It will be a challenge to repay his kindness in the same measure, but we will certainly try.

Our family will be forever grateful for the care and support that we received alongside our mother.

Loving her neighbor was truly Mary Ann’s mission. She served her family, church and community with humility and joy because she understood that in doing things for others she could serve God. She understood that’s the point. She lived it and she loved her life.

You’re never too old to learn something new, and it’s never too late to get started.

It is fascinating how much Roselynn and Taylor have changed in just over a year, yet everyone else in the family photo is just grateful to not look all that much older. These two great grandkids are so much FUN! They love learning every day, and they really LOVE cows. You can see their eyes light up when somebody mentions that they are going to the ranch, and they are checking cows the minute they arrive! They’re a little young for NJAA but our “youth development program” is actively underway.

David McMahon, Sr. was well-known as a businessman, a stockman, a thinker, a leader. He was also a very good teacher, because he was an avid lifelong learner. He read voraciously – newspapers of all kinds, business magazines, livestock publications, sale catalogs, every promotional brochure that landed on his desk. He would clip information that was of interest to him and share it with others. When he learned to use the fax machine his teaching influence expanded significantly. Dave “got” the fax. Computer? Internet? Not so much. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate the digital exchange of information. He thought it was amazing, for other people. It’s just that he never had a real need to use digital technology for accessing new information – because he already had plenty of reliable sources!

Our Angus neighbor in Poteau, Oklahoma, Danny Wann, tells a story about one of Dave’s most meaningful teachings, that Danny quotes to others frequently. Danny recalls hearing Dave emphatically declare many times, “You have to TAKE OWNERSHIP in your cattle. People enjoy picking them out, bidding on them, taking them home, looking at them, talking about them. But OWNING cattle means learning to do everything that’s required to take care of them – and doing it, every day!”

Back in the early ‘90s, a post-sale conversation took place between a brand new big spender and an equally-able spender with much more experience. The new guy had dropped some serious cash that day, and may very well have been feeling just a bit of buyer’s remorse. But you wouldn’t know it by his bravado. “We’ll have this cattle business all figured out in a couple of years,” he announced. To which the seasoned breeder boomed, “If you think you’re gonna figure out this business in a few years you should sell that cow you just bought and get out now!” Everyone within earshot chuckled and listened as he continued, expounding on why he is an Angus breeder: he truly enjoys studying about every aspect from pedigrees, to performance, to pasture management, constant change makes it the most challenging business he’s ever been in, and (the big finish) it is a lifelong endeavor that he may never actually “conquer.” It was an inspiring speech!

A lifelong endeavor requires lifelong learning. Reading, observing, asking questions, unlearning old beliefs, trying new methods, trying again. To succeed in the Angus business you need big picture vision and an eye for detail, an open mind and a listening ear, quiet time to watch cattle and think about what you see, trust for the tried-and-true, enthusiasm for the new-and-improved, and willingness to shift gears and adapt. When decisions, projects or purchases don’t turn out exactly as planned ‘round here we refer to the experience as “tuition.” Pay the price, look for the lesson and keep moving forward.

Take ownership in your lifelong endeavor. Like Roselynn and Taylor, we LOVE learning about and taking care of our Angus cattle. Don’t you?

When U.S. soldiers came to establish Fort Smith in 1817, this rock shelf, carved out by the Arkansas and Poteau Rivers, is where they touched shore. The French explorers of the Louisiana Purchase had named this beautiful place at the confluence of the two rivers “Belle Point,” a piece of ground as functional and efficient as it was scenic! Our business office is adjacent to the point where the soldiers landed and what is now the popular tourist attraction,
Fort Smith National Historic Site. Mary Ann and David McMahon, Sr. renamed our family company and ranch as an homage to our hometown history, and an inspiration to create a “beautiful,” growing, thriving business.

We are continually expanding our cow herd with unique individuals that are structurally correct, functionally efficient, dependably productive and prudently balanced in the essential traits.

Likewise, we are revitalizing the land, water and pastures, and modernizing working facilities
to be more practical, systematic, and safe for everyone – especially cattle.

The dirt work you see is the site of the old, steel working pens at the headquarters, now being
rebuilt to be functional and efficient from the ground up…and that’s what we call “beautiful.”

Belle Point Ranch Barn # 6

(text from Sheltering Generations, The American Barn)

It’s not just about the cows at Belle Point Ranch.

The McMahon family has been beer wholesalers longer than they’ve been in the cattle business. In 1946, little more than a decade after Prohibition ended, David McMahon’s father became a distributor for Anheuser-Busch.

In 1956, David and wife Mary Ann added ranching to the family’s interests. They and their five children embraced Angus as a business opportunity and began hosting their annual sale in 1978.

Lessons learned from the beer business easily translated to selling beef cattle. Across the nation, more than 600 Angus sales take place each year, none quite like the event at Belle Point. The McMahon family delivers good cattle and good food and drink with a fanfare of impactful marketing and southern hospitality that comes easily.

Travelers can’t miss the sale barn. Part ranch office, part Angus museum, part cattle working facility, it sits across the road from a landmark piece of art—a silo painted to look exactly like a giant Budweiser can. Dubbed “The King of Beers,” it is a monument that draws tourists and photographers and has even starred in a Budweiser commercial.

Each March, hundreds of customers and friends make the sale barn a destination all its own, packing inside for fellowship and a lively Angus auction.

Walking in the front doors, visitors notice glass cases that hold countless collectibles, and walls filled with Angus artwork and a massive display of colorful quilts purchased in auctions benefiting the breed’s youth. A love of Angus cattle and the people who breed them spurred David to accumulate this collection and to coin the phrase still oft-repeated: “It’s a people business.”

What might seem like frivolous extras to others are the hallmarks of a Belle Point sale – Angus cattle are a backdrop for an opportunity to bring people together and deepen friendships. The event kicks off with a get together the evening before, and in the morning, salegoers enjoy a hearty breakfast, highlighted by homemade biscuits and delicious cream gravy, meticulously crafted by the women in the family from Mary Ann’s original recipe. If guests leave with a few business cards in their pocket and a new friend or two, that’s considered a win in the McMahon family’s hearts. It’s about the people, not just about the cattle.

The family patriarch who got them into the Angus business passed away in 2016. He believed if there’s a pair that’s meant to be, it’s beef straight off the grill and an ice-cold beer, so he’d be happy to see the King of Beers silo now has an equal companion. Daughter Julie said, “I feel certain Daddy would be out here today holding a Budweiser bottle in his hand and raising a toast to our latest piece of art, the ‘King of Steers.’”

David McMahon loved life and loved his work. And he never stopped doing all the things he loved!

You may not know there was a little secret to David McMahon’s famous boundless energy, and zest for life and work. When he was in his early 30’s, his doctor prescribed a midday nap, every day, to get him off his feet and help control the symptoms of gout. We figure 50 years of 20–minute naps added up to 365,000 minutes of extra sleep that greatly contributed to his health and productivity! Those snoozes created “a whole new day” for him. When most everyone else would be winding down in late afternoon, his power nap had given him a fresh start. From about two in the afternoon ‘til dark he had renewed energy to think, and plan, and WORK on all the things he cared about!

David may never have been a strict “rule follower,” in fact he was a bit of a maverick. Truly, an original thinker. But he was very respectful – of other people, and cultural traditions, and the
natural order of life. He respected imagination, and vision that creates IDEAS. He respected deep thought that develops into a PLAN. He respected confidence, and the kind of “roll up your sleeves” effort it takes to put plans into ACTION.

Randy Travis sings a truth: “It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go.”

David McMahon left behind a wonderful wife and a vibrant, loving family that works together and cares about our community. He left behind a dynamic business and ranching operation that he tried to improve every day of every year.

We keep learning of the impacts he left behind in the lives of countless people he helped, often without anyone else ever knowing. He left local organizations and worthy causes much better than he found them many years ago – 4-H, Boy Scouts, two youth shelters, two hospitals, his own church and the churches of his friends, numerous improvement projects in our city, county and state, the wonderful Subiaco Monastery, his alma mater Oklahoma State University and the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, and, of course, the National Junior Angus program and the Angus Foundation.

He also left behind a lot of work that needs to be done! We soon realized that it’s going to take ALL of us to do all of his jobs. It will take all the knowledge, skills, talents and experience of Mary Ann, his children and their spouses, his adult grandchildren and their spouses, and, so far, one great granddaughter, to carry on the work he loved so much, that made such a difference in the lives of so many people. We are being helped immeasurably by our loyal and trusted employees, especially longtime, key staff members whom we consider family. Our entire McMahon Family has committed to TRY…and we’re seriously working on it!

The phrase “Move Forward” was David’s own directive to us, proving his faith in the future of our family and our business. The genetic enhancements of Belle Point’s breeding program, and all the improvements you will see at the ranch were on Dave’s “to-do lists” in the last five years of his life. Project by project, step by step, together, we are brainstorming IDEAS, researching and developing PLANS, and rolling up our sleeves to continue, with confidence, putting his dreams and desire for excellence into ACTION. We have accomplished quite a lot very quickly. You will see progress in our livestock, our land, our facilities, our business and management practices, and increased active involvement of our family members. “Moving Forward” is our tribute to him.

We cherish your kind words, inspiring encouragement and powerful prayers. We welcome your “Dave Stories!” We will always respect your trust in us, it is the foundation of our business. And, we will always treasure the friendship you bestow, as Dave would say, in true belief and magical wonderment, “All because of the Angus cow!”