FORT SMITH, Ark. — Jack Richard Cleavenger, Sr., 83, of Fort Smith went to be his Lord and Savior on Saturday, April 11, 2015, in Fort Smith surrounded by his loving family.
He was born on July 26, 1931, in Clarksburg, W.Va., to the late Gilbert Dorsey and Vernia May Dunlap Cleavenger.
He was a longstanding member of Faith United Methodist Church.
He loved his wife Elizabeth “Betty” Cleavenger dearly and missed her so much following her passing on March 12, 2011.
Following her death, he continued decorating the house for all the holidays for everyone to enjoy, something they both had a passion for. He also continued to deliver “stuffed dogs” to the ER at Sparks Hospital, a service the local Central EHC club and his wife enjoyed providing to the children at the hospital.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Gilbert Dorsey and Vernia May Dunlap Cleavenger; his wife of 57 years and 9 months, Elizabeth “Betty” Cleavenger; twin sisters, Eleanor Helen and Lorraine Ellen Cleavenger; brothers, Edward Guy, James Ray and William Bryan Cleavenger; and sister, Aletha Gay Southern.
He is survived by four sons, Jack Jr. (Linda) of Barling, David of Fort Smith, Gary (Sherry) of Greenwood and Donald (Donna) of Farmington; and two daughters, Kimberly (Fred) Snipes of Van Buren and Debra (Dale) Reynolds of Monte Ne; sister-in-law, Linda Haskins of Salem W.Va.; two brothers, Walt (Dot) Cleavenger of Breckenridge, Texas, and Eugene “Butch” (Juanita) Cleavenger of Bridgeport, W.Va.; one sister, Loveta Nutter of Clarksburg, W.Va.; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
Following his high school graduation, Jack served in the United States Coast Guard for 3 years.
He married the love of his life and moved to Fort Smith, where he began working for the Southwest Times Record as a photographer. He took the famous “Elvis Presley haircut photo” at the barber shop at Fort Chafee on March 25, 1958. He was an industrial salesman and Sales Manager for Hollis and Company, American Machine and Supply and JDS Supply Company before retiring in 1995.
He volunteered at Mercy Hospital for over 4 years and was awarded Volunteer of the Year for hours served.
He was an avid Razorback fan and loved sports of all kinds. He attended many Razorback games with his son Gary and many UAFS basketball games with his best friend, Gary Reynolds.
The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Fentress Funeral Home.
Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 17, 2015, at Faith United Methodist Church, with burial to follow at the U.S. National Cemetery in Fort Smith.
Pallbearers will be Fred Snipes, Dale Reynolds, Gary Reynolds, Clinton Snipes, Scott Snipes, Steve Lovick, Kevin Reynolds and Ashton Cleavenger.
Honorary pallbearers will be the Faith United Methodist Men’s Prayer Breakfast Group.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Faith United Methodist Church, 2901 Massard Road, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903.
The family extends its deepest gratitude to the ICU staff at Mercy Hospital (Nurses Janet, Ryan, Marsha and Katlyn) and to Dr. Nolewajka and Aleisha Davis for the personal care they provided to Jack and the entire family over the past 3 months.
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