William Gary Telford

William Gary Telford, "Family Roots Columnist", age 73, died Friday, February 14, 2014 in Searcy, Arkansas. He was born July 2, 1940 north of Luxora, Mississippi Co., Arkansas, the son of Jim Duff Telford and Minnie Modell (Powell) Telford. His parents came from Myrtle, Union Co., MS and were cotton farmers. Gary attended public schools in Blytheville, Mississippi Co., AR and Burdette, Mississippi Co., AR, as well as Parmer, Missouri and Memphis, Shelby Co., TN. On June 23, 1958, Gary married Carolyn Sue Job, of Memphis, TN, at Hernando, Desoto Co., MS. They had one son, William Leslie "Pete" Telford. In 1958 in Memphis, he tried to join the paratroopers but was rejected because he did not weigh enough, 110 pounds. Everyone said "You should be a jockey." In 1958 Gary began training to be a Jockey at Lexington, KY. He traveled and rode on tracts in Hot Springs, AR, Lexington and Louisville, KY, and Cleveland, Ohio, each year returning to Oaklawn Race Track, Hot Springs, AR. After racing season in Cleveland, Ohio in 1960, he gave this up and he and his wife, Carolyn went back to Memphis, TN. Gary and his wife Carolyn were divorced in 1962 On January 23, 1963 he married the love of his life, Mary K. "Kay" Sisk, the daughter of Homer O. and Bartha J. (Marlin) Sisk, of Leachville, AR. They were married in the Church of God, Blytheville, AR. They had two children while living in Blytheville, Kammie "Kami" Kaye Telford and Gary Hollis Telford. Gary was an active member of the Auxiliary Police Department and the Junior Chamber of Commerce in Blytheville and later the Chamber of Commerce in McCrory. In early 1968, Gary helped organize the Woodruff County Auxiliary Police Department. Hubert Mann was named chief, Ike Brown was the assistant chief, Gary Telford was secretary-treasurer and reporter. On January 23, 1969, Gary was promoted to second Lieutenant, receiving a set of gold bars. This organization was active for several years. While Gary and his wife, Kay, lived in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where they owned and operated a ceramic coating company, he traveled to many foreign countries, Barcelona and Paris, France, Spain, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, all over Mexico, and other countries. Gary started in genealogy in 1978 with tracing his own family roots. After he and his wife Kay divorced in 2002, he started writing historical and family histories for the Bald Knob Banner and the Searcy Daily Citizen. Some of his stories also appeared in the South Reporter newspaper, Holly Springs, Marshall Co., MS. The Marshall Co., MS website, The History of Southeastern Marshall Co, MS, published by Lois Swaney in 2004. The Union Co, MS website. The Woodruff County, AR website. On April 15, 2003, Gary wrote his first family history for the Woodruff County Monitor-Leader-Advocate and has continued to write these articles every week on all the old prominent families of Woodruff County. He was a member of the White County Historical Society, the Independence County, and Woodruff County Historical Society, where he was a board member, the Cleburne County Historical Society, and past member of the Arkansas Genealogy Society. Gary published over 100 family history books. His largest being on the Morris family of Denmark, and McCrory, AR over 500 pages. His religious belief was Pentecostal, having attended the Church of God and the Assembly of God Churches. On March 29, 2010, Gary married Scottie Irene (Hood) Collins at her home, in Texas. Scottie was his teenage sweetheart from Blytheville, AR, the daughter of Allen Hood and Golden Eva (Tompkins) Hood. They attended the Church of God in Texas and the Church of God in Searcy, AR. They were divorced August 17, 2010. Gary is preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Carmon E. (Telford) Blackard and Virginia W. (Telford) Potts of Memphis, TN; and two brothers, J.D. Russell Telford of Nesbit, MS and Marice C. Telford of Houston, TX; and his special friend, like a brother, who he grew up with in Memphis, Dee McClain of Horn Lake, MS. He is survived by his first wife, Carolyn Sue (Jobe) Telford-Neal and their son, William Leslie "Pete" Telford-Neal of Ohio. His second wife, Mary "Kay" (Sisk) Telford-Chapman of Bradford, AR. He and Kay's two children, Kammie "Kami" K. (Telford) Castillo and her son, Dylon Telford Castillo; Gary Hollis Telford, and his children, Ray Hernandez Camacho, Weston M., Brandon H., and Tiffiny M. Telford. Gary is also survived by his nieces and nephews as well as many friends. A very special friend and caretaker in time of need, Linda Kennedy of Bald Knob. His third wife, Scottie Irene(Hood) Collins-Telford of Deer Park, TX. Although Gary has passed on, his legacy will live on through libraries and historical societies throughout the country, and in the hearts of those families he wrote about and published books for. Visitation will be held Sunday from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Services will be conducted Monday, February 17, 2014, 2:00 p.m., Powell Funeral Home Chapel in Bald Knob. Interment will follow in the Shady Grove Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Powell Funeral Home Bald Knob-Judsonia. www.powellfuneralhome.net

William Gary Telford

July 2, 1940 - February 14, 2014