Ronnie Glynn McGaha

Ronnie Glynn McGaha passed away on January 30, 2023. Ronnie was born on August 1, 1943. He was 79 years old. He was born in and remained a lifelong resident of Holland, Ark. Ronnie is survived by his wife, Janie Faye (Loyd) McGaha; his children, Corey (Kelly) McGaha and Kelli (Shawn) Martin. Ronnie "Pop" is cherished and remembered by his grandchildren, Max and Silas McGaha and Carlee Martin. He is also survived by a sister, Eva Lee (McGaha) Parsons, and several nieces, nephews, family members, and friends. Ronnie was predeceased by his parents, Darnell and Cora (Chaney) McGaha; his twin brother, Jerry McGaha, and his sister, Becky (McGaha) Leslie. To say Ronnie McGaha impacted lives is an understatement. First, he loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He wanted others to know his Savior, too. He was ordained as a deacon of Holland Baptist Church in 1972. Through the decades he served in a multitude of roles, including Chairman of the Deacons and Planning Committee Chairman for the current church as it stands today. His work for the Lord was also seen in contributions on the Cold Springs Retreat Board. More importantly was his willingness to share his salvation with others. His daughter-in-law recently said, every prayer she's ever heard him pray was carried out through tears, showing his genuine love for the Lord, and his son-in-law remembers Ronnie's logic that life lessons and answers "just go back to the plain ole' Bible." His love for Holland led to his being elected Mayor in 2010, a role in which he served for the next eight years. He sought out grant funds to expand the walking trail, improve lighting, and to add a baseball/softball field to Holland City Park. The town recently named the ballfield The Ronnie McGaha Field. Ronnie loved his friends, many of which consider him as a father, grandfather, or brother. Childhood friends might mention the mischievousness and comical stories of he and his twin brother. He loved and adored his siblings. He operated Ronnie McGaha Construction, Inc. for decades, building hundreds of homes across the state and establishing lifelong friendships. He was also a past Worshipful Master of the Free Mason Faulkner Lodge 738. Finally, there is Ronnie's love for his family. Ronnie and his wife, Janie were married for a blessed 56 years. They first lived in "downtown Holland" until moving to their Holland farm in 1983 where he raised cattle for the rest of his life. Their strong work ethic and commitment to God and each other went unmatched. Corey and Kelli were able to share with Ronnie that they could not have asked for a better childhood. They know now that they were more blessed than most others with the parents God gave them. He coached their baseball and softball teams, including traveling the state and the country with those teams, summer after summer. One lesson that he taught his kids was that no matter how tough life gets, and no matter how low you think your situation is, or if you thought you were alone, Jesus is there. A second lesson he taught his kids was to always give "110 percent" in all that they did. Pop's grandkids have countless memories to treasure and were blessed by his example. They all found joy in his "climbing tree" by the back pond and their annual Christmas dividing of Pop's change collected over the past year. Max and Silas found their home away from home with him on the farm, where they rode the mule, put peanuts in their coke, caught big fish, and found the best hunting spots. Of course, they made memories around the dinner table, including Pop eating cornbread and milk and everyone enjoying Nana's fried deer steak, biscuits, and gravy upon special request. Max learned the hard way to never change the channel if the Hogs were playing, even if Pop was napping. Silas learned to treasure a quality gun, like Pop's 22 revolver. Carlee Ann survived working cows with Pop and loading calves for the sale barn, sometimes in exchange for a $20 bill. She had no choice but to learn a lot in the process, mostly wisdom that you can't find in a book somewhere. Pop also taught Carlee to share her Cheetos, and most of the time she tried. Carlee and Pop were both old souls and sure loved a good classic country sing along, especially Johnny Cash. Ronnie loved fried catfish, bluegrass music, the Arkansas Razorbacks (even when they are hard to love), storytelling, Muscadine Ridge, SEC basketball, his farm, and his cattle (when they behaved). He was always for the "underdog," and he has leant a helping hand to more people than we will ever know. As a family friend recently said, "we need more Ronnie McGahas in this world." A visitation will be from 6-8 p.m., Thursday, February 2, 2023, at Holland Baptist Church. Funeral service will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, February 3, 2023, at the church. Burial will follow at Oakland Cemetery. Online Guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/guestbook/conway