Thurston Stewart Doan

THURSTON STEWART DOAN, 52, of Little Rock, Ark., was born on Feb. 18, 1960 and passed away on May 10, 2012. He was Senior Editor at Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. and also worked as an Agriculture Journalist for The National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB). For more than 30 years, this Kentucky native covered agricultural news for a variety of media, beginning with radio. He was considered the premier cotton and rice journalist in the nation but expanded his horizons to master the difficult policy questions that USDA and Congress grapple with. He was in Washington regularly to interview policymakers and develop his wide range of contacts. Stewart was president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting in 1998, and continued his involvement by serving on committees and as a stringer for the NAFB News Service. NAFB named him its 2006 national Farm Broadcaster of the Year when he was Delta Regional Farm Director of the Yancey Ag Network/Clear Channel Communications in Little Rock. He has been recognized by the National Cotton Council, the USA Rice Federation and the Arkansas Farm Bureau for his reporting on a wide range of agricultural policy issues. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Leslie Smith Doan; two daughters, Lauren Grace and Sara Elizabeth; his parents, Bill and Janice Doan of Cynthiana, Ky.; sister, Karen (Michael) Gunther of Parker, Colo.; nephews, Brett and William Gunther of Parker, Colo.; uncle, Lynn J. Baxter of Lexington, Ky.; cousins Diane (Charles) Busby of Lexington, Ky., Amy (Marty) McKinney of Falmouth, Ky. and Karri Kearns Rider of Walton, Ky. He is also survived by loving second cousins, Lynn (Kyle) McMullin; Kelli (Scott) Simpson; Aryn and Morgan McKinney and Joe Rider; his in-laws, Charles and Sonia Smith of Little Rock, Ark.; sister-in-law, Lori (James) Smith Canon; brother-in-law, Chuck (Cyndi) Smith; nieces Lyndsey (Aron) Rogers, Lacey (Terry) Riciano, and Lucy, Maggie, and Abby Smith. He was also adored by other cousins Bella, Jackson, Dawson, and countless friends. He was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Doan, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Kearns; two uncles, Clarence Doan Jr. (Buck) and Joe Earl Kearns; and an aunt, Nancy Doan Baxter. Visitation will be Monday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct. (NW corner I-630 and Barrow Rd.) Services are Tuesday, May 15 at 4 p.m. at Faith Spring United Methodist Church, 501 S. Bowman, Little Rock, officiated by Rev. Brock Patterson. Interment will follow at Martin Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Stewart Doan's Children's College Fund, c/o Peoples Bank, 20409 Arch St., Little Rock, Ark. 72206. The Doan family would like to thank family and friends that have given so much love and support. Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, (501)224-2200. Stewart's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.