Obituaries

Bill Denman

Photo of Bill Denman
Bill Denman, jeweler, pilot, golfer, father, friend and beloved family member, has been released from the bonds of life and took his last earthly flight on August 30, 2016. He was the owner of Bill's Custom Jewelry and the fourth generation of the Denman family whose skill and artistry created fine jewelry for customers across the state and region. His business was known for its honesty, integrity, and quality. Working with individual customers brought Bill a great deal of pleasure, and his talents in jewelry making and watchmaking leave a legacy in jewelry that many of his customers will cherish for generations. At the time of his passing, he had worked in the jewelry business 44 years, continuing the Denman tradition into its 124th year of service to the people of the Grand Prairie. Bill was born on January 7, 1950, the eldest son of optometrist Dr. Max and Eleanor Denman, who predeceased him. Left to honor his legacy are daughter, Alexandria (Scott) Pickering and granddaughter, Taylor of Paris, Texas; son, William (Erin) Denman of North Little Rock; brothers, Max Denman Jr. of Atlanta, Mark (Diana) Denman of Nassau Bay, Texas, Jeff (Peggy) Denman of East End, and sister, Heidi (Gary) Hogan of North Little Rock, as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends around the state. One of Bill's earliest loves was flying, a hobby which he continued throughout his life. As a young boy, he went with his mother Eleanor to visit a friend at the J.O. Dockery airfield in Stuttgart, where he discovered discarded World War II training planes known as BT13's with big radial engines, which were being used as sources for spare airplane parts. He recalled climbing in, out, and over the planes, fascinated by the structures, pretending he could fly. Later, his mother said she worried about the wildlife lurking in the junked planes, but Bill said he was never afraid and never forgot. Later, when he was 15, he went to J.O. Dockery on his own and took his first flying lesson. After graduating from Stuttgart High School in 1968, his love of flying led him to the University of Mississippi, where he majored in Physics and hoped to pursue a degree in aviation and an eventual career as a Naval officer and pilot. He was admitted to Ole Miss on golf and music scholarships, skills he had honed while growing up in Stuttgart. He fondly remembered his time in the SHS Marching 100 band, where he played a Constellation Coronet and proudly recalled that his son William later played the same Constellation Coronet when in high school. The Ole Miss golfing scholarship skills began when he began playing at 11 and his love of golf led to multiple local and state tournament awards and trophies. When asked about the trophies, he said he got rid of them long ago because there were too many to keep. He enjoyed playing golf with his father and many lifelong friends and golfed as long as his health permitted. Bill was enrolled at Ole Miss for two years, until the program was cancelled due to funding. Disappointed, he returned to Stuttgart for a short visit, and while there, his grandmother, Gene Bonner Denman, widow of Denman Jewellers owner Floyd A. Denman Sr., asked him if he would consider a future in the family business, since Bill's uncle, Al Denman, had also passed away. Bill agreed to join the family business, and he enrolled in Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas, where he graduated with a degree in jewelry manufacturing and watch repair in 1972. He married Nellie Plata, who returned with him to Stuttgart where Alex and William were born while Bill began his jewelry career in the family business. After returning to Stuttgart, he also continued his interest in flying, earning his pilot's license when he was 49. He was proud of the legacy begun by his great-grandfather M.F. (Moses Franklin) Denman, who was one of the early residents of Stuttgart, founder of the family jewelry business in 1892, and a founding member and elder in the First United Methodist Church, a legacy followed throughout four generations, where Bill was baptized and attended church. Bill also had a special friendship with his uncle Floyd A. "Al" Denman, Jr., who taught Bill to shoot and took him duck hunting, helping him develop a love of the outdoors and wildlife that lasted the rest of Bill's life. Some of Bill's greatest moments of joy and peace were found with friends who shared his love of aviation and the freedom of the open sky. He was very proud of his father Max Denman, who at 19 flew Hellcats off the USS Suwannee, an escort carrier in the South Pacific and was a World War II POW. Bill fell in love with planes long before he knew his father had been a pilot and regretted never having a chance to take his father flying. Some of Bill's favorite flights took him to see his children in Texas when they were young, Oshkosh Air Festivals in Wisconsin with friends and his son William, and dinner flights with buddies Rolfe Bryant, Grayson Daniels, and Ross Wood to Gaston's White River Resort, as well as restaurants in Little Rock, Hot Springs, and Hammond, Louisiana. On a smaller scale, Bill filled his home and office with replicas and models of his favorite planes and found a great deal of pleasure in sharing the joy of remote control model plane flying with others. Until he left this life, Bill's flight bag and logbook remained at the jewelry store, just in case he had a chance to take to the skies one more time. Bill was active in the community and enjoyed working with friends and colleagues in the Stuttgart Rotary and Lion's clubs. He was also an active member and leader in the Arkansas State Jewelers Association and received the Arkansas State Jewelers Association Outstanding Member award. He was greatly loved and will be deeply missed by family, countless friends, and colleagues. He was a true, gracious Southern gentleman who understood the importance of loyal friendship, kindness, high standards, good business, and strong customer relations. The family thanks Dr. Brad Baltz, Dr. Noble B. Daniel, the caring staff at the Stuttgart Memorial Hospital and at CARTI in Stuttgart and Little Rock for their kindness and compassion, the wonderful patients he became friends with who shared CARTI experiences, the First United Methodist Church congregation and the United Methodist Men's group for their faithful support, and the members of the First Christian Church for their prayers. Special thanks go to amazing friends with huge hearts who helped Bill in countless ways over the years: Tammy, a 20-year employee, and David Belcher; Dana, a 14-year employee, and Tony Bateman; and Susie Bonner, a 4-year employee, who did double duty cooking and driving Bill to appointments; flying buddy Rolfe Bryant for also driving Bill to appointments in Little Rock when needed; and Tom Thompson who worked alongside Bill for 25 years as a jeweler and learning the trade, helping Bill to continue serving customers even after he became ill. Bill had many other friends that he deeply appreciated and there is not room to name them all. In 2002, Bill started recording meaningful quotes in a small notebook he kept at his desk. One seems appropriate as a way to remember him. In March of 2005, he recorded wisdom from Leonardo de Vinci: "Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, there you long to return." We believe that the end of his life has given Bill a new freedom, where he can soar to great heights in Heaven and be at peace. Bill requested a memorial celebration full of positive thoughts rather than a funeral. A Celebration of Life Service will be held for him at the Stuttgart First United Methodist Church this Friday, September 2, 2016. Visitation is at 1 p.m. and following the 2 p.m. service. He also requested no flowers and hoped those who wished to remember him in other ways would do so either donating to the CARTI Foundation, P.O. Box 55011, Little Rock, Ark. 72215; First United Methodist Church, 307 East 4th Street, Stuttgart, Ark. 72160; and because he rescued and loved his dogs, cats, ducks and geese, the Stuttgart Animal Control Center, c/o City Hall, 304 South Maple, Stuttgart, Ark. 72160; or Rescue Road, c/o Melanie Stapleton, 1303 Cherry Brook Drive, Little Rock, Ark. 72211. We will very muiss our big brother, father and friend but he is so much better now, enjoying the beautiful jewels in heaven. Please go to www.turpin-co.com to sign the online guestbook.

Published September 1, 2016

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