Obituaries

Raymond Earl Peeples Sr.

Photo of Raymond Earl Peeples Sr.
Raymond Earl Peeples, Senior, MD, 94, died peacefully at Parkway Village with family at his side January 8, 2017. He was born February 1, 1922, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to the late Ina Reed and Ruben Earl Peeple. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Bonnie Boatman Peeples and his son, Caroll Andrew Peeples; his sisters, Gladys Davis, Jo Graves, and Sammie Nottingham, and one brother, George Peeples. Raymond is survived by two sons, Raymond Earl Peeples, Jr. (Carolyn) of Little Rock and Alan Reed Peeples (Holly) of Ridgeland, Mississippi; eight grandchildren, Sara Peeples, Ray Peeples (Amy), Mary Helen Peeples Holman (Ben), Will Peeples (Caroline), Sam Peeples (Robin), Madeleine Peeples Nichols (Will), Caroline Peeples, and Douglass Peeples; and seven great-grandchildren. Raymond graduated Arkadelphia High School in 1939. The following fall he entered Ouachita Baptist College and also joined the Arkansas National Guard 153rd Infantry. The unit was mobilized in December of 1940 and sent to Camp Robinson in Little Rock for training. After 1941 summer maneuvers, Raymond served with the Unit in the Alaskan Defense Command as a machine-gunner. He continued his infantry service in the Aleutian Campaign following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Raymond later transferred to the Air Corps to train as a B-17 heavy bomber pilot. Dr. Peeples and his crew flew 35 missions over Nazi Germany during World War II as part of the 388th Bomb Group stationed near Cambridge, England. After Raymond's release from the service in September 1945, Dr. Peeples returned to Ouachita Baptist College to complete his pre-medical studies. He earned his MD degree from the University of Arkansas Medical School in 1950, returning to the military to serve as a Navy doctor during the Korean War, 1950-51. Thus, he served in all three military branches, Army, Army Air Forces, and Navy. Following his duty in the Navy, Dr. Peeples practiced medicine in Malvern from 1951-1958 before specializing in anesthesiology at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. He practiced anesthesia in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1961-1972, and Hot Springs 1972-1982. Following retirement, he taught on the anesthesia staff at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, Mississippi. Dr. Peeples gave his life to Christ in 1940. He was a longtime member and deacon of First Baptist Church of Hot Springs. He and Bonnie made short-term mission trips to Brazil, Haiti, and Honduras. He was a missionary anesthesiologist at the Eku Baptist Hospital in Nigeria in 1983. They enjoyed fishing and playing bridge in their spare time. Raymond was a member of the Arkansas Medical Society, American Medical Society, Southern Anesthesia Society, Fellow of American Anesthesia Society and several other organizations. He strongly supported his Alma Mater, Ouachita Baptist University and served as a trustee for Williams Baptist College. Dr. Peeples was a devoted father, grandfather, brother, husband and friend. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. A memorial service will be held 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, with visitation one hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 11324 Arcade Drive, Suite 16, Little Rock, Ark. 72212. Guests may register at www.caruth-hale.com.

Published January 12, 2017

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