20 Sep 2015 A match made by heaven
by RaeLynn Callaway
Keith and Tammy Coward both had ties to the Clinton area, but neither of them ever dreamed of living there. Their story is one orchestrated by God.
In 1994, Keith lived in Alabama and was working as an engineer. He always felt like he was meant to be a doctor, so he decided to take a step of faith and go to medical school. He graduated from Louisiana State University with a combined degree of internal medicine/pediatrics. Although his first choice was to go back to Alabama for his residency, an opportunity came open in Little Rock; he could work at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and UAMS.
Tammy Williams grew up in Indiana but always loved the summer and spring break trips her family would take to Arkansas to see her grandparents and extended family. After attending two years at Indiana University, she decided to move to Arkansas and attend Arkansas Tech University to pursue her degree in medical record administration. Upon graduation, she moved to Little Rock and worked for Pinnacle Pointe Behavioral Health System.
Their story began at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ. Keith saw Tammy in Sunday school and then sat with her during church service. After church, they made arrangements to see each other for Sunday night service. Once that service was over, Keith asked Tammy to dinner. Six months later, Keith proposed.
When Keith finished his residency, he was recruited by Ozark Regional Health to start his practice in Clinton. Keith now owns the Medical and Pediatric Clinic in Clinton and has recently opened a branch in Fairfield Bay. He is the administrator for the local nursing home, works once a week as the wound care specialist at the hospital and consults for a sleep lab in Kansas City.
Keith and Tammy have been married for 14 years and have lived in Clinton for 12. They have two children, Davis and Emma.
Two years ago, they bought a beautiful home with 75 acres from some family friends. With the help of Tammy’s brother, Terry Williams, a designer in Little Rock, they took the home from a very traditional style to a more French Country design.
“It was a beautiful home,” Tammy said. “We just wanted to make it reflect our style.”
They added Texas limestone, tongue and groove ceilings and beams on the interior and the exterior. They gutted the kitchen and all the bathrooms and brought them up to date. They added outdoor living with a screened in porch.
“The views are amazing,” Terry said. “The Old Piney Blue Hole can be seen off their back deck. The very special thing about that is our mother was baptized there many years ago.”
A board certified interior designer, RaeLynn Callaway owns CYInteriors (raelynncallaway.com). She and her husband, Bart, have three children and live in Conway.
