John William Belue

John William Belue of Searcy, Arkansas died on December 24, 2017.  Known as “Bill” to his many friends and “Paw Paw” to his grandchildren, he was 79 years old.

Bill was born on May 21, 1938, in Earle, Arkansas to Clyne Prentiss, Sr. and Ernestine Belue. He graduated from Earle High School and after earning a degree from Harding University, coached football at Gosnell High School. Even after he stopped coaching, he served the sport he loved as a referee for high school football games. He worked for the American Greetings Corporation for 32 years first in Osceola for 10 years and then moving to McCrory to help open a new branch of the company.

Bill was a devout member of the Church of Christ, attending at both the McCrory and the College Church of Christ in Searcy.  He and Linda were currently attending First Presbyterian Church in Searcy.  He was always an avid sportsman and enjoyed many years of hunting, fishing, and golfing with good friends and family. His skills at landscaping and gardening created both beauty and good food for the people he loved. He was with the Razorbacks through the good times and the bad. Once upon a game (when he was babysitting), he paid such close attention to his beloved team that his 3 young grand-daughters were able to color an entire room from the carpet to about 3 feet high.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 43 years, Linda Hall Belue; his sisters, Julia Gammill and Ann Norwood; and his brothers, Clyne Belue, Jr. and Jim Belue.

He is survived by his wife of 4 years, Linda Staggs Belue; his children Kerri (Gary) Berkemeyer, Russ (Jennifer) Belue, Stan (Kara) Belue; his grandchildren Lauren and Mallory Berkemeyer, Caitlin (John Mark) Pierce, Lucy and Levi Belue, Sara and Regan Belue; his great-granddaughter, Adalyne Pierce; his stepchildren and their children Dana (Kelley) Troutt, Jay (Trisha) Staggs, Amanda and Laura Jones, Hannah and Kaleb Dull; brother-in-law, Harold Norwood; sister-in-law, Dorothy (Jim) Fielder and a host of additional family and friends.

His family remembers him as an always loving and generous husband, father, and “Paw Paw.” They extend a special thank you to Dr. David Griffin, Dr. Muhammad Waqas, Dr. Thomas Wallace, Dr, Prajwal Chevireddy, Dr, David Staggs, and the staff of CHI, St. Vincent Heart Clinic. The family requests that memorials be sent to the American Heart Association American Heart Association / American Stroke Association 10900-B Stonelake Blvd., Suite 320 Austin, TX 78759.