John Purifoy Gill

John Purifoy Gill, 89, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was born on December 9, 1936, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. John's work on earth has ended and he joined the church triumphant on March 7, 2026.
He was a devoted Husband, Brother, Father, Father-in-Law and Grandfather. John was preceded in death by his parents Georgia Belle Burnett Gill and Keener Purifoy Gill. He is survived by his beloved wife of almost 66 years, Marjem; brother George Gill and his wife Sallie of Barrington Hills, IL; daughter Elizabeth Gill Myers and her husband Chris of Providence Forge, Virginia; son Ward Gill and his wife Kimberly of Rogers; and son David Gill and his partner Wendy of Little Rock. John also is survived by his seven grandchildren Emma Myers, Colin Myers, Haley Arismendi, Kelsey Moreland, Madison Scroggins, Sarah Mead, and Mary Claire Gill as well as six great grandchildren.
John met the love of his life Marjem when she was a senior at Little Rock Central High School, and he was studying history at Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas. He transferred to Vanderbilt University where he earned his undergraduate and Law degrees as a member of the Naval ROTC program. Upon graduation, John and Marjem married on June 30, 1960, and moved to Marine Corps Base Quantico to start his service in the United States Marine Corps. While at Quantico, John was an infantry officer and was within hours of deployment to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Once the Marine Corps discovered he had a Juris Doctor, he became a member of the Naval Judge Advocate General's Corps. John retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.
John built a distinguished legal career in Little Rock and joined the Arkansas Bar in 1962. He was a delegate to the 1969 Arkansas Constitutional Convention and served as special counsel to the Governor for the proposed Arkansas Constitution Revision of 1996. He was on the faculty of the Arkansas College of Trial Advocacy, and an original member of the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure. He had considerable expertise in water-related legal matters, was an author of tax-free municipal bond legislation and was a member of the Arkansas Water Code Study Commission in 1981-82. He was past President of the Arkansas Bar Association and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was instrumental in adding the Attorney Oath of Office to the Arkansas Law License. John was very proud of the legal legacy he created in the people of Gill, Ragon, and Owen, one of the largest lawfirms in the state with 55 professional and staff members.
His intellectual and spiritual interests came together in his research and lectures on "The Trial of Jesus," reflecting his lifelong engagement with the intersection of law, history, and theology. He founded the Hendrix College Workshop for Preaching Excellence alongside his wife and endowed the John and Marjem Gill Lecture.
John and Marjem were active members of First United Methodist Church, Little Rock, where John served as a trustee, was an organizer of the Bowen Sunday School Class, and held the roles of vice chairman and chairman of the Administrative Board.
His broad community leadership, from church service to youth and civic organizations, reflected a life devoted to nurturing both minds and spirits. He gave countless hours of his time and expertise to a variety of organizations across the state.
His passion and love for his home state of Arkansas was legendary and well documented in four of seven books he published including On the Courthouse Square in Arkansas co-authored with Marjem, Post Masters (Arkansas Post Office Art in the New Deal), Open House (The Arkansas Governor's Mansion and It's Place in History), and The Cross Roads of Arkansas. He was appointed by Governor Mike Beebe to the State Parks Commission in 2011 and thoroughly enjoyed 12 years of service to the State Parks. John was an avid supporter of Preserve Arkansas and was awarded the Parker Westbrook Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2019. His love of the state, history and art converged as he curated an extensive collection of historical Arkansas maps, many of which have been loaned for display at the Central Arkansas Library System's Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.
He was extremely proud of his impact on various landmarks in the state including strategic planning, fund raising, and renovations of the Little Rock Visitor Information Center at Historic Curran Hall and the Firehouse Hostel in MacArthur Park; installations of the La Petite Roche plaque and historical marker at the Little Rock River Market, the original glass sculpture "Straight Lines on a Round World" at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock and the portrait of Scipio Jones, a leading civil rights attorney in the downtown Little Rock post office by the same name.
Visitation with the family will be on Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 5:00-7:00pm at Ruebel Funeral Home at 6313 W. Markham Street in Little Rock. Interment with Military Honors will be Monday, March 23, 2026, at Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock. Also, on March 23 rd at 2:00pm, a Memorial Service followed by a reception will take place at First United Methodist Church, 723 Center St in dowtown Little Rock.
Memorials gifts to your choice: First United Methodist Church (723 Center St. Little Rock, AR, 72201), Mount Holly Cemetery Association (PO Box 250118, Little Rock, AR, 72225), Preserve Arkansas (PO Box 305, Little Rock, AR, 72203), or Arkansas Community Foundation designating "The Friends of Curran Hall Fund" (5 Allied Drive, Suite 51110, Little Rock, AR, 72202). Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com