JOHN WOODUL GANN, SR.,
passed away Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Little Rock, Ark. He formerly resided in England, Ark., and was 95 years old. Born October 12, 1925, in Prescott, Ark., he was the son of late James Cleveland Gann and Julia Woodul Gann. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Eleanor Morris Gann.
Mr. Gann graduated from Catholic High in 1943, and following active military service in World War II, he graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1949. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and the Blue Key.
Upon graduation from high school, Mr. Gann enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 and served in the Eighth Air Force during World War II as a nose gunner/toggler on a B-17 aircraft of the 490th Bomb Group. He was stationed in eastern Great Britain and flew 29 combat missions followed by four mercy missions. He was awarded several commendations for his service including the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the European Theater Ribbon, three Battle Stars, and the Purple Heart.
After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Mr. Gann returned to Prescott and engaged in farming. He also continued his military service and was commissioned as a Captain and served as Company Commander of Company C of the 153rd Infantry Regiment of the Arkansas National Guard until 1958.
He married Eleanor Morris on December 27, 1953, and they moved to England, Ark. in 1955, where he ran a successful insurance business and pursued his farming interests. He served as a president of the England School Board, Plum Bayou Levee District Board, England Little League Program and the England Hospital Association. He also served on the Board of
Directors of the Citizen’s Bank and Citizen’s Realty Corporation. For a number of years, he managed the Federal Gin Company. Mr. Gann was an active member of the timber community and was awarded the Arkansas Tree Farmer of the Year in 1986. Mr. Gann was a member and served on the Board of Trustees of the First United Methodist Church in England, Ark., and most recently attended the First United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark.
He is survived by three sons, James (Jim) Benton Gann of McNeil, Ark. (Kathy), John (Jay) Woodul Gann, Jr. of Houston, Texas (Mary Howell); and George Houston Gann of Little Rock, Ark (Nancy); and six grandchildren including Jim’s children, Benton James Gann and Carrie Lynn Gann: Jay’s children, John Woodul Gann III, and Mary Howell Gann: and George’s children, John Carmichael Gann and Lauren Elizabeth Gann.
A graveside service will be held for family at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 5, 2021, at Tomberlin Cemetery in Coy, Ark. with Reverend Grace Ellen Rice officiating.
In leu of flowers, memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, England, Ark.; First Methodist Church, Little Rock, Ark.; or the Arkansas Forestry Commission. To sign the online guest book, please visit www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal