John William Corbett

John William Corbett, 83, of Little Rock, passed away on Saturday, July 20, 2019. John was born August 14, 1935 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Most people knew him as the "mint man" because he always had a pocketful of mints that he handed out to everyone he met. John is also known for his captivating smile and his infectious laugh. It didn't matter who you were or what you looked like, if you were a woman you were "gorgeous" and if you were a man you were "brother". He was a loving husband and father, but he was born to be a grandfather. "Papa John" loved spending time with his grandkids. Whether it was playing Skip-Bo with them, chasing them through the house just to hear them laugh, or taking them to the neighborhood pool and doing his annual back flip off of the diving board (until Diane made him stop at the age of 75), as long as he was with them, he was happy. Another passion of John's was his life-long love for railroads which he also passed on to several of his grandchildren. John loved his church and taught 2nd grade Sunday School at Little Rock's First Baptist Church for over 30 years. He also served as a deacon, a leader in AWANA, a volunteer for VBS as well as many other capacities. As a young man, John served as a Sergeant in the Marines. After his discharge he attended Arkansas State Teacher's College where he obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Economics with an emphasis on Accounting. John began his career at Safeway and worked as an accountant and then as an administrator in other government and private sector positions during his career, with his favorite being named the Director of the State Transportation Commission. He also served as the President of the Arkansas Transportation Association and the National Transportation Association. Survivors include his wife of nearly 60 years, Diane Alvis Corbett of Little Rock; son, Andy Corbett (Tammie) of Corpus Christi, Texas; daughters, Jennifer Lester (Bud) of Conway, Arkansas, and Beth Martin (Kevin) of Mabelvale, Arkansas; grandchildren Scout, Ashton and Noah Corbett, Mallory Lester (fiancé, Lane Moore), Cole, Parker, Isabella and Olivia Martin; sister-in-law, Carol Sward (David) and nephews, Ted and Cliff Sward and their families. John was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin H. Corbett, Sr. and Hilda Reichardt Corbett; brothers, Melvin H. Corbett Jr. and Donald Corbett; and in-laws, Carl "Duke" and Leota Alvis and sister-in-law, Gwendolyn Alvis. Services will be Thursday, July 25 at 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, followed by visitation at the Church. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Alzheimer's Arkansas, 201 Markham Center Dr., Little Rock, Ark. 72205 (www.alzark.org). Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct., (501) 224-2200. John's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.