John T. Emanuel, Sr.

John T. Emanuel Sr., 96, formerly of Sherwood, Ark., died peacefully on Nov. 26, 2010, in Hospice care at St. Joseph's Mercy Health Center in Hot Springs, Ark. Born in Fayette, Miss., on Oct. 19, 1914, to Asa Coleman and Ida Josephine Cammack Emanuel, he dropped out of school during the Great Depression and found work to help support his family, developing a strong work ethic that continued throughout his life. In 1941, he met and married his only sweetheart, Pauline Wallace of Allison, Ark. Mr. Emanuel served his country in WWII by enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1942. He served three years with the Navy's newly formed Construction Battalions ("Seabees") in the Pacific Theater. He was assigned to the 47th Naval Construction Battalion which built and repaired vital airstrips and bases in the Solomon Islands for use by Allied Forces on their march to Japan. After the war, Mr. Emanuel managed lumber mills and bought timber in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana for Tiller Tie & Lumber Co. for 18 years. He then worked for Koppers Company for 16 years until retiring in 1979. Self-educated, he became a successful businessman and was a natural outdoorsman who loved hunting, fishing, camping with his family, and gardening. He was a strong Christian and a member of Sherwood First Baptist Church for many years, then Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Hot Springs. He was a devoted husband and a model father who delighted in his family, a good neighbor who enjoyed helping people, and a classic Mississippi storyteller who loved to laugh and taught his children a sense of humor, adventure and imagination. Preceded in death by his parents and his nine siblings, he is survived by his wife of 69 years, Pauline Emanuel; three children, daughter and son-in-law, Betty and Jerry Brown of Hot Springs, daughter Linda Seaton of Sherwood, and son and daughter-in-law, John T. Emanuel Jr. and Sue Cassidy of Colorado Springs, Colo.; and four grandchildren, Chris Brown (Theresa) of Hot Springs, Jeff Brown (Ashley) of Atlanta, Ga., Sara Howard (Paul) of Cabot, Ark., and Amy Garner (Randal) of El Dorado, Ark. He was blessed with ten great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Hazel White, of Tuscumbia, Ala.; and a number of cherished nieces, nephews and many friends. The family requests memorial contributions be made to Arkansas Hospice, 628 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs, Ark. 71901. Visitation will be Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 from 1-2 p.m. at Griffin Leggett Rest Hills Funeral Home, 7724 Landers Rd, Sherwood, Ark. 72117 (501) 835-3515. Funeral services, conducted by his grandson, Rev. Jeff Brown, will begin at 2 p.m. at the funeral home with interment immediately following in Rest Hills Memorial Park. To visit Mr. Emanuel's online obit please go to www.griffinleggettresthills.com.