Denver Dudley

JONESBORO - It is with great sadness that the family of Denver Leon Dudley (1945-2024) announces his very sudden passing on Saturday, June 15, 2024, (Father's Day weekend), at the young age of 78.

Born and raised in Jonesboro, he overcame many obstacles and graduated from Jonesboro High School in 1963 (state tennis champ) and Arkansas State University in 1967, where he won two business awards. He also was a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity. He proudly served in Vietnam.

A lifelong Realtor, he worked for Coldwell Banker | Village Communities, so there is a high likelihood he sold you a home if you're over the age of 50. He very much loved spending time with his colleagues, who were more like family.

Rather than answering to "Denver," he was addressed as "007" at the office; shortened to "00" if you were one of his closest friends. Although colleagues will have much more candy at their disposal, he will be deeply missed at the office.

Tennis was as essential to him as breathing and he was a member of the Ridgepointe Country Club and Three Oaks Racquet Club. He served as captain of the 55+, 4.0 tennis team and qualified for the state tournament (remember, he was 78).

He also was captain of the 65+, 4.0 team, which won state last year. A couple of years ago, he notably represented the state of Arkansas in the 75+ in Georgia. With only 4-5 players from Arkansas, this honor was an invitation-only event.

His very close tennis family will deeply feel his loss, and will probably hit a losing streak. He was sure to brag to his kids that no matter how old he was, or how hot it was, he "played against guys half my age … how many other 78-year-olds can say that?" His family is currently deciding where to display all of his tennis accolades.

His unwavering love for TV Westerns, nature and history documentaries, Vietnam stories, Turner Classic Movies, chocolate, hot dogs, popcorn, the tennis channel, collecting books he usually didn't read, the movie, "Shane," stacks of papers, and "resting his eyes" spanned the decades.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Grady and Bertha Dudley, sister, Beverly Spratt of Mountain Home, and brother-in-law, Bill Settles of Jonesboro/Mountain Home.

He is survived by his children, Sara Dudley Campbell (Nashville, Tenn.), Claire Dudley Matthews (Brentwood), Michael Goodnight and wife, Seynas (Jonesboro), and grandchildren, Lillian Campbell, Paul Campbell, Graham Matthews, Eva Matthews, Shawn Goodnight and Elijah Goodnight; as well as his sister, Dolores Settles (Jonesboro/Mountain Home) and numerous nieces and nephews.

He is also survived by the mother of his girls, Susan Dudley, who still enjoyed co-parenting and grand-parenting together.

Memorial services will be announced at a later date. We want to see as many of you as possible.

Online registry: www emersonfuneralhome.com