John Gordon Rye Jr.

1931 - 2003

John Gordon Rye Jr., 72, passed away Monday, July 7, 2003, in Fayetteville.

Funeral: 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Wesley Chapel of the Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville. Graveside service: 5 p.m. the same day in Oakland Cemetery in Russellville.

Memorials: Washington Regional Medical Center Hospice, 34 W. Colt Square, Suite 1, Fayetteville, Ark. 72703; or Central United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 1106, Fayetteville, Ark. 72702.

John Gordon Rye Jr. was born March 12, 1931, in Russellville, Ark., to John Gordon and Elise Gibson Rye. He graduated from Russellville High School in 1949. A gifted high school athlete in basketball, track and football, he set several state track records and participated in the inaugural North-South High School Basketball Game, which was a forerunner of the McDonald's High School All-American Game.

John attended Vanderbilt University on a football scholarship for a year, before joining the Marine Corps from 1950 to 1952. He earned his degree in 1956 at the University of Arkansas.

After college, John moved to Texas and worked for TEMCO and Collins Radio before joining Bell Helicopter Texron for a 27-year career in finance and management. He moved to Fayetteville following his retirement in 1991, where he became a fixture at Razorback sports practices and events. He was a member of Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville.

Survivors: Wife of 34 years, Linda Lanier Rye; son, John Gordon Rye III of Mason, Ohio; daughters, Margaret Boyd of Lee's Summit, Mo., Susan Jessup of Benton, Ark., Sherrill Johnson of Portland, Oregon, and Jenni Vaughan of Cabot, Ark.; 12 grandchildren; mother-in-law, Myra Lanier of Corsicana; aunt, Marguerite Gibson; and six cousins.