TJ Daniel Obituary (1918

TJ Daniel, 90, of Russellville, died Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at Russellville Nursing Center. The son of Tom and Juanita Pullen Daniel, he was born January 22, 1918 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was a 1936 graduate of Fourche Valley High School and received a degree from Arkansas Tech. He graduated from the Arkansas Law School in Little Rock in 1941. The day after his graduation, he was drafted into the US Army. He served with the US Army Quartermasters and was attached to a the Fifth Marine Division that fought at Iwo Jima. TJ was with the second wave of soldiers on Iwo Jima and was a witness to the renowned flag raising at Mt. Suribachi. TJ's brother was killed in Germany in July of 1945. While home on leave he married his high school sweetheart, Verna Taylor on July 8, 1945 at her parent's home in Bluffton, Arkansas. He co-founded and worked with the WS Daniel Insurance and Real Estate Agency in Little Rock until 1960. The family moved to Yell County where he operated a local insurance agency in Ola until 1968. He opened and operated a grocery store in Plainview until 1974. He and Verna then moved to Russellville where he finished his career at Humphrey Funeral Service, retiring in 1989. He was a member of the Riggs-Hamilton Post of the American Legion. He was a Sunday School Teacher and member of the board of Stewards at Wesley United Methodist Church in Russellville for many years. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Verna Taylor Daniel, Russellville; 2 sons, Jim Taylor Daniel & wife Pam, Keensburg, CO, John R Bobby Daniel & wife Epi Renteria, Carrollton, TX; a daughter-in-law, Louise Ellington Daniel, Russellville; 2 grandchildren, Ann Greenwich & husband Jeremy, Nairobi, Kenya, Dr. Tom N. Daniel & wife Melissa, Temple, TX; 4 great grandchildren, Gabe, Caleb and Madelyn Greenwich, Nairobi, Kenya and Hayden Daniel, Temple, TX. Funeral will be at 10AM, Monday, December 29, 2008 at Wesley United Methodist Church. Rev. Blake Bradford will officiate. Full military honors will be provided by the Rogers-Ryes Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars at Rest Haven Memorial Park at Russellville. Services are under the direction of Humphrey Funeral Service. Memorials may be made to Wesley Methodist Church, 300 North Cumberland Avenue, Russellville, AR 72801 or Wesley Foundation, 1111 North El Paso Avenue, Russellville, AR 72801. PDF Printable Version