Obituaries

John Wesley Garner

Photo of John Wesley Garner
John Wesley Garner, 80, formerly of North Little Rock passed away on Monday, June 4th, 2018 due to heart failure after being in the hospital in North Carolina. Mr. Garner known to many as John "Little John" Garner was born in the township of Big Rock, he was a graduate of Little Rock Central High School, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and student at Little Rock University. Mr. Garner became popular in the 1970's due to his appearances in commercials representing Garner-Browne furniture. Garner later owned Capri Cleaners out of Sherwood with his son Mark before retiring. In retirement, always wanting to stay active, in 2000 he took a part-time position as Director for the Chamber of Commerce of Lonoke, Ark. It gave him a chance to work with the local community, to work with community and state leaders, and to grow the awareness of opportunities that Lonoke, Ark., had to offer. He always said his greatest accomplishments as a businessman came during the 16 years he spent working part-time in Lonoke. Mr. Garner moved his family to the Cabot area in 1978 with his wife Judy. They raised and graduated three boys from Cabot High School before moving back to Sherwood. Mr. Garner loved sports and shared that love by sponsoring and coaching youth sports. Garner-Browne Lakers, Garner-Browne Golden Bears and the Cabot Crusaders are just a few teams that allowed young men to play and learn at the highest level. His wish was to have a positive impact on each player that played for one of his teams. Mr. Garner is survived by his wife of 51 years, Judy Garner of Clemmons, N.C., son Rusty Garner and wife Christy (Grace and Emily) of Advance, N.C., son John Garner and wife Carolyn (Alexa, Allison, Sara, and Josh) of New Madrid, Mo., daughter-in-law, Karen Garner (Brandon and Tiffany) of Little Rock, Ark. Mr. Garner is preceded in death by his parents, Odis and Ora Garner and eldest son, Mark Garner. A memorial service will be held at the Lonoke Assembly of God, 1763 W. Front St., Lonoke, Ark. 72086, on July 9th, 2018. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. with speakers and prayer beginning at 6 p.m. A private burial will be held at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery the following day. Memorials can be made to Wade Knox Child Advocacy Center of Lonoke or Charity of choice.

Published July 8, 2018

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