Bobby Sullivan Blythe, a life-long resident of Barber, Arkansas passed away on November 2, 2021 at the age of 80. He was born on June 29, 1941 in Dayton, Arkansas to William Sullivan Blythe and Lillian Iris (Neisler) Blythe.
Bobby is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 59 years, Sharon (Pearcy) Blythe of Barber; his son, Keith Blythe and wife, Laura of Fort Smith, Arkansas; daughter, Kim (Blythe) Hadley and husband, Kelly of Fayetteville, Arkansas; granddaughter, Savannah Hadley-Demark and husband, Brock DeMark of Bloomington, Indiana; grandson, Will Hadley of Fayetteville; grandson, Hayden Blythe of Fort Smith; grandson, Grant Blythe of Fort Smith and sister, Linda (Blythe) Leysath and husband, Erskine of Beaumont, Texas. Bobby will also be greatly missed by those who call him Uncle Bobby and the brothers and sisters of his wife, whom he loved as if they were his own siblings. Bobby was preceded in death by his parents, Sullivan and Iris Blythe of Barber and his grandson, Garrett Blythe of Fort Smith.
After graduating from Mansfield High School in 1959, Bobby owned and operated a dairy farm in Barber, Arkansas for 38 years. He also worked for First Federal Savings and Loan, First America Savings Bank and First National Bank of Fort Smith. He retired from First National Bank in 2005.
Bobby was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and delighted in sharing his love of farm animals with his children and grandchildren. He was an active community leader for 4-H and church. For Pine Log Church, in Barber, he served as deacon, church treasurer, building committee member, and church bus driver. With his wife, Sharon, he also helped lead a variety of activities for the youth at Pine Log, and later at Glendale Baptist Church, among other things, he enjoyed helping with the AWANA program.
Officiated by Reverend Donald Cochran, a funeral service will be held at Glendale Baptist Church in Booneville, Arkansas at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 6 with interment at Liberty Cemetery in Greenwood, Arkansas. Visitation will be held at McConnell Funeral Home in Greenwood from 2 – 7 p.m. on Friday, where the family will visit with friends from 5 – 7 p.m.
Keith Blythe, Hayden Blythe, Grant Blythe, Kelly Hadley, Will Hadley and Brock DeMark will serve as pallbearers.
Memorial donations may be made to Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box 2222, Little Rock, AR 72203-9984.
