Garland P. Kirkpatrick

Garland P. Kirkpatrick, 85, passed away peacefully in Houston, Texas on February 21, 2014. He was a former resident of Jonesboro and Beebe Arkansas. Born January 16, 1929 in Rover, Yell County, Arkansas he was the son on Martha Dona Burruss and Walter Clinton Kirkpatrick. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Alva Marie Hogan. Garland began a 50 year banking career at Peoples National Bank in Little Rock in 1947. In 1952, he and his wife Wilma moved to Jonesboro and through the years he was associated with First National Bank, Mercantile Bank, Bank of Nettleton and Pulaski Bank & Trust of Little Rock. His greatest business accomplishment was organizing the First State Bank of Beebe which was granted its charter in 1981. In addition to banking, Garland acquired Town & Country Insurance Agency-Jonesboro and was owner/executive broker of Arkansas Real Estate & Insurance-Beebe. Garland retired in 1997. Through his life, Garland was actively involved in many civic and charitable organization and committed to community service wherever he lived. Lions Club, Elks Club, Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club, United Way, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital & Northeast Arkansas Mental Health Association were dear to him. He proudly served on the Arkansas State University-Beebe Development Council and many other associations. Garland is survived by his wife of 65 years, Wilma Marie Russell Kirkpatrick, two daughters, Marilyn (Mrs. Vince) Lyden of Cypress, Texas and Carolyn Watkins of Katy, Texas, four grandchildren Laura Palmer, Russell Palmer, Olivia Watkins and Garland Marie Watkins, one great-grandson, Hunter Hayden McCabe. Services will be held at Klein Funeral Home, 9719 Wortham Blvd., Houston, Texas 77065 on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 2 p.m. The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to New Life Children's Services, 19911-A SH 249, Houston, Texas 77070 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital-Memphis, Texas www.stjude.org.