Herschel R. Garner

Herschel R. Garner of Rison passed away on Monday, September 28, after a long, active and successful life. Mr. Garner was 94.

Born in Rison on June 4, 1915, to Agnes Rutledge and Cleveland L. Garner, Mr. Garner was a lifelong resident of Cleveland County where he was involved in church, business, civic and political affairs. His parents and an older brother, Willard Mac Garner, who died in 1914 at age six weeks, preceded him in death.

Mr. Garner was baptized in the Rison Baptist Church in 1929, and became a deacon of the church in 1939. He attended Rison public schools and graduated from Rison High School in 1933. Upon graduation, he became a partner with his father in the newly named C.L. Garner and Son Lumber Company. The father-son partnership operated a sawmill in New Edinburg until 1938, when the mill was moved to Rison. The Garners closed the mill in 1951. Since 1951, Mr. Garner actively managed family owned timberland and investments.

At age 21, Mr. Garner became the youngest 32nd Degree Mason in Arkansas. His other interests and activities included being appointed by Governor Ben Laney to the Boys Industrial School Board; serving on the Selective Service Board; member of the Cleveland County Historical Society; one of the founders of the Pioneer Craft Festival, and chairman for 40 years of the Cleveland County Republican Committee where, as a party chairman, he served on the Cleveland County Election Commission.

As a member of the Cleveland County Historical Society, Mr. Garner satisfied a keen curiosity in the history of Arkansas in general, and Cleveland County in particular. Through the years, he shared with family and friends, historical stories and anecdotes about the land, its economy, and its people. Mr. Garner was interested in genealogical research, as well, traveling outside Arkansas to learn and appreciate more about his ancestral background.

Mr. Garner married Anna Lee Smith on May 10, 1934. The couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary this past May. He is survived by Mrs. Garner, and the couples four children, Herschel S. Garner of Rison, and wife, Lannie; Nancy Garner, of Fayetteville, and husband, Mort Gitleman; Betsy Golden of Jonesboro, Louisiana, and husband, Jimmy, and Lisa Douglass of Little Rock, and husband, Craig. Mr. Garner is also survived by nine grandchildren, Steve Garner; Angie Garner Heifner and husband, Kevin; Martha Garner Drennan and husband, Donny; Julie Garner Patterson and husband, Bryan; Jason Watson and wife, Sherri; Brad Watson and wife, Suzanne; Gary Golden and wife, Machaela; Russ Golden and wife Lori, and Anna Ruth Douglass. A cousin whom he considered as a son, John Charles Hartley, as well as 14 great grandchildren also survive him.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, September 30, at 2 p.m. in the sanctuary of Rison Baptist Church. Mr. Garners grandsons and grandsons-in-law will serve as pallbearers. Burial following the service will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Rison, with arrangements by Buie Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at Buie Funeral Home in Rison. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials are made to the Rison Baptist Church and the Greenwood Cemetery Association, Rison, Arkansas