Leo McClure, Jr.

Leo McClure, Jr., began his journey of life on October 18, 1941, in Curtis as the son of Leo and Jannie McNeal McClure. Leo accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior at an early age at Mt. Friendship Baptist Church. He was a graduate of Peake High school where he excelled in both basketball and football. He later attended Chef school and was a former employee of the International Paper Company. Leo met Mattie Lee Hill and a friendship and courtship began. Leo later married Mattie on July 10, 1965 and the Lord added to their union seven children. Family gatherings and being with his friends was always a source of joy, but his greatest joy was coaching little league baseball and football. Leo was an avid sports fan and a big supporter of the Arkadelphia Public School sports whether it was football, basketball, or baseball. He loved to hunt and his passion was fishing. Leo fished everyday until his health would no longer permit him to do so. Leo was the self proclaimed “Poker King”. He loved all table games; dominoes, spades, and rolling dice. He truly loved the life he lived and lived the life he loved. Throughout his life he was a devoted and committed husband, father, loving grandfather, great-grandfather, faithful & trusted friend. On Saturday September 19, 2009, in his 67th season at National Park Hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas Leo surrendered his soul to Christ. He was welcomed to his eternal home by his parents, one sister, Janet McClure, one brother, Joe Nathan McClure who passed into the Lord’s embrace on March 11, 2009, one grandson, Cornelius Means and a daughter-in-law, Tanya McClure. Those left to cherish his legacy of love & laughter are: his wife Mattie, four daughters, Jackie (Claudis) Goshen of Curtis, AR, Pamela Means of Curtis, AR, Mattie Sue (Jimmy) Matlock of Hot Springs, AR, Jannie C. McClure of Phoenix, AL; three sons, Leotis (Pamela) McClure of Curtis, AR, Kenneth F. McClure of Curtis, AR, and Emmanuel McClure of Springdale, AR; one brother, Phenoid (Wilma) McClure of Curtis, AR; four sisters, Blossie Mitchell of Little Rock, AR, Clarice (Alvin) Turner of Little Rock, AR, Louise Ross of Tulsa, OK, Vera (James) Ross of Tulsa, OK; two aunts, Dorothy McNeal of Pine Bluff, AR, and Mattie Lee McClure of Lansing, MI; his mother –in-law, Annie Bess Hill of Arkadelphia; eighteen grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a caravan of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, numerous friends and the Mt. Friendship Baptist Church family. Mr. McClure will lie in state at Williams Funeral Home on Friday, September 25, 2009 from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The family will receive friends and share with them the Image of Life DVD from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. A Celebration of His Life will be held Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary of Mt. Friendship Baptist Church where Rev. Louis Jones is the pastor and will preach the celebration message. The committal service and final resting place will be in Curtis Cemetery. Bearers of the casket will be Ronald Haynie, Nick Perry, Sr., Mickey Dotson, Jr., Isiah Hookfin, Juan Horton, Dewayne Graves, Charles McClure, David Mitchell, Stevie McClure and Barry Hawkins. Honorary bearers of the casket will be Greg Mitchell, Timothy Means, Sr., Claudis Goshen, Emmanuel McClure, Kenneth McClure, Jr., and Robert Stroud.