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Terri Lynn Williams Womack, the wife of U.S. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), died Sunday after a brief illness, according to a statement from the congressman’s office. She was 68. Womack said his wife passed away at Circle of Life Hospice in Bentonville, surrounded by family and close friends.
“Sunday afternoon, Heaven welcomed an angel. My wife of 41 years, Terri Womack, went to live in eternity with Jesus,” Womack said. “My heart is broken and that space remains without her presence. I take comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering in pain and is at peace evermore. Her legacy of love will live in the hearts of all who knew her. Our family appreciates the outpouring of prayers and support. You have all honored her in such a special way, and we are eternally grateful.”
Her passing came just days after President Donald Trump commuted the federal prison sentence of the couple’s son, James Phillip Womack, who had been serving an eight-year term for distributing more than five grams of methamphetamine. The Department of Justice confirmed the commutation in an Executive Grant of Clemency signed Jan. 15 by Trump.
A White House official told USA Today that Trump’s decision was influenced by James Womack’s good behavior while incarcerated and his family’s medical circumstances — including Terri Womack’s recent diagnosis of abdominal cancer and health issues affecting another of the Womack sons.
Rep. Womack publicly thanked the president, calling the clemency “a gracious and thoughtful act.”
“The commutation has allowed my son to be with his family during a profoundly difficult time, and the President’s phone conversation with my wife and her care team made an impression that I’ll cherish forever,” Womack said in a statement to Arkansas television stations KTHV and KNWA.
Court records show that James Womack was sentenced in May 2024 in federal court to eight years in prison and a $1,900 fine after pleading guilty to methamphetamine distribution. The commutation reduced his sentence but left in place five years of supervised release.
Terri Womack was born Nov. 2, 1957, in DeWitt, Arkansas, and graduated from DeWitt High School before attending the University of Arkansas. She and Steve Womack married on Aug. 4, 1984, and together raised three sons.
She dedicated more than 35 years to public service in Arkansas’s court system, serving as chief clerk and case coordinator before retiring in 2019. Friends and colleagues described her as a diligent public servant and a constant presence supporting her husband’s career in both local and national politics.
Rep. Womack has represented Arkansas’s 3rd Congressional District since 2011 and currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee. He previously chaired the House Budget Committee and served 30 years in the Arkansas Army National Guard, retiring as a colonel. Before entering Congress, he spent 12 years as mayor of Rogers, Arkansas.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement expressing condolences to the Womack family and praising Terri’s decades of public service.
“Bryan and I are mourning the loss of Terri Womack, Congressman Womack’s wife of more than 40 years,” Sanders said. “She and Steve were true partners and institutions in their hometown of Rogers and across Northwest Arkansas, and her loss will be felt throughout our state. Steve’s public service in the National Guard, as mayor of Rogers, and as a congressman would not have been possible without the incredible, steadfast support that Terri provided. My prayers are with Steve, the Womack’s three sons and grandchildren, and all who knew and loved Terri.”
Womack’s colleagues in Congress also expressed sympathy on social media, with several Republican members calling Terri “a pillar of grace and strength.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said her “quiet faith and enduring kindness left a mark on everyone who met her.”
Terri Womack’s death marks the end of a four-decade partnership that paralleled her husband’s long public career — from his early service in the Arkansas National Guard, to his tenure as mayor of Rogers, to his leadership in the U.S. House. Her passing, coming within days of her son’s clemency and amid the family’s ongoing health challenges, prompted an outpouring of condolences from across Arkansas’s political spectrum.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
