George Macfadden "Mac" Wells Jr.

Our son and brother, George Macfadden "Mac" Wells, Jr., died early Monday morning, October 7, 2013 in Little Rock. He succumbed to the quiet and insidious disease of depression after suffering valiantly from the ravages of this physically invisible illness for many years He fought his associated addiction with great determination, committing and recommitting to overcoming his sickness many times before finally losing the battle to deep depression. Mac joins in heaven his paternal grandparents, Libby and George Wells, as well as his Granddad and favorite fishing partner, Robert Fitzjerrell. He is survived by his parents, George and Becky Wells; his grandmother, Betty Fitzjerrell; his sister, Mary Kathryn Vinyard, brother-in-law, Chris and nephew Wells; his wife, Lacey Wells and step-daughter Hadley; and his beloved and adored two-year-old son, Lane Macfadden Wells. Lane was Mac's greatest source of pride in this life; Mac's adoration for Lane burst from his heart. On the days when Lane stayed at his grandparents' house while Mac worked, at the end of the day when Lane heard Mac's truck drive up, Lane would immediately drop what he was doing and run to the front door to meet his dad. And when Mac got out of his truck and saw his son, Mac's eyes lit up with joy and pride and that sideways, boyish grin spread across his face as he went to hug and pick up his little boy. Mac turned to putty when playing with Lane – his deep, Southern drawl melting to sweet baby talk to make his boy smile. And in this last year of his life, Mac fought incredibly hard to do what was right for his son, taking on challenges and burdens unseen by most in order to be the best father possible to his little boy. Mac was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 5, 1983. He took great pride in his work as a maintenance technician in the Regions Center in downtown Little Rock. Beyond the unparalleled joy that Lane brought to Mac's life, Mac loved big trucks, 4-wheelers, and muddin' in both; Willie Nelson and George Strait; the movies Dazed and Confused and Borat; great barbecue and his mom's home cooking; and fishing in Arkansas, the state he loved so much that he saw no reason to ever leave. Mac frowned on social occasions that called for anything more than cowboy boots. (Only once in the past decade did he don a suit and dress shoes – but he gamely did so one time to help his sister celebrate her new marriage.) That sideways grin, deep-belly laugh, and his sharp-witted one-liners will be forever missed at the Wells family dinner table. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. in the morning on Friday, October 11 at Ruebel Funeral Home (6313 West Markham Street) and will be officiated by Reverend Robert Cook of St. Andrew's Church and Reverend John C. May. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Wolfe Street Foundation in Mac's memory. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.