RAYMOND PETTY Obituary Malvern Daily Record June 30, 1994 Raymond Lee Petty Raymond Lee Petty of Malvern died at his home Wednesday, June 30, 1994. Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church. Burial will be at Oakridge Cemetery. Visitation is 6-8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Arrangements are by Atkinson Funeral Home. Center director, Petty, dies Malvern Daily Record July 1, 1994 Raymond Lee Petty, long-time director of the Hot Spring County Center for Exceptional Children and Adults and community leader, died Wednesday, June 29, 1994, at his home. Petty was born October 30, 1942, in Malvern to Raymond L. Petty and Mary Pye Petty. He was a life-long resident of Malvern, member of Malvern Civitan Club, United Way, a Hunter's Education instructor and a Baptist. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Roy and Carmie Petty and Eileen Pye. Survivors include his wife, Mary Ann Beason Petty of Malvern; his son, Ryan Petty of Malvern; his stepsons, Mike Gray of Midway and Mark Gray of Hot Springs; his daughter, Nikki Petty Lackey of Malvern; his parents; his brothers, Rodney Petty of Malvern and Jerry Petty of Oxnard, Calif.; his sister, Martha Petty Otts of Glen Rose; one grandchild and one step-grandchild. Funeral was 10 a.m. today at First Baptist Church, officiated by the Revs. Charles Sandage, Verne A. Wickliffe and Jimmy Don Crowder. Burial was at Oakridge Cemetery. Pallbearers were Danny Crossno, Clarence Woosley, Larry Griffith, Loyd Bultena, Denver Thornton, Eddie Canada, Leon Jenkins and Charles Kirkpatrick. Honorary pallbearers are clients of the Hot Spring County Center for Exceptional Children and Adults and Dr. Bruce Burton. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Hot Spring County Center for Exceptional Children and Adults. Arrangements are by Atkinson Funeral Home of Malvern. "Raymond Petty: a rare breed" by Mark Bivens, Sports Editor Malvern Daily Record July 1, 1994 Hot Spring County Exceptional Director Raymond Petty stopped by the office the other day. He'd come to look at pictures taken at the Exceptional Fishing Rodeo. Raymond liked fishing. He liked it even more when it was kids having fun. Raymond knew I fancied myself as a fisherman of sorts. Not necessarily a good one. But a fisherman. "I'll show you a place where we can catch all the breamyou want," Raymond said. "If I get well." Raymond had been diagnosed with cancer. "Don't say if," I demanded. "Say when you get well. You'll beat this." Raymond nodded. Those were the last words I ever said to Raymond Petty. He never stayed around long. He was always in a hurry running from place to place. Always for some kind of cause. Raymond never stopped long enough to do much of anything for himself. Always just for others. Petty's type aren't born everyday. This has become a dog-eat-dog world. The rat race, it's called. Now and then a Raymond Petty will come along. But not often enough. Raymond told one time that the doctors thought they had the cancer licked. In more technical terms, in remission. Only weeks after that happy report, Raymond said things had gone wrong. Bad wrong. He was losing weight. The appetite was gone. Smelling food made him sick. I knew how bad things were when Raymond told me about the Exceptional Fishing Rodeo. He wasn't there when I arrived. He came in later to apologize. "I was just so tired from this (chemotherapy) I couldn't make it," Raymond said of missing the fishing rodeo. I've always been leery of people that seem too good to be real. Maybe because they're near extinction. Maybe because I'm more selfish with my personal time than someone like Raymond Petty. And maybe, deep down somewhere, I think they're in it for the reward - the old pat on the back. I never lumped Raymond into any of those categories. It wasn't hard to trust him - for reasons as unexplainable as the reasons I'm usually leery of do-gooders. When I picture Raymond, in my mind, he's usually out there at DeGray Lake in the wee hours of the morning, tending the barbeque grill filled with ribs at the Exceptional Center Big Bass Classic. "Come here a minute, Mark," Raymond called to me one morning at the Big Bass Classic. "Taste this." I was handed a hefty slice of ribs. Raymond stepped back waiting for my judgment. It was beyond good. It was great. Raymond was proud. The same kind of proud he was about everything he did in life. I always wanted to show up at the Big Bass Clasic. I always wanted to see Raymond standing by the grill tending the ribs. And I want to know about that place where Raymond said I could catch all the bream I wanted. But I know different. Raymond won't be at that barbeque grill next spring at DeGray Lake. Me and Raymond won't be at some fishing hole catching all the bream I want. Raymond Petty is to be buried today. Rt. 4 Box 6 B Malvern, Ark. 72104 (Maxine) Nikki Lynn - 15 Ryan Lee - 5 Farm Bureau Insurance 1960 Class pamphlet 1980 Reunion 418 E. Mill Malvern, AR 72104 Unemployed coach, PE teacher. Likes: Guitar, Fishing, Hunting, Teaching Hunter Safety. Travels: Fa., Dallas, Colorado, N. Mex. 1960 Class pamphlet 1985 Reunion 1105 Pine Bluff Malvern, AR 72104 Dir. Center for Handicapped 1960 Class pamphlet 1990 Reunion Name Birth Death Last Residence Last Benefit SSN State RAYMOND PETTY 01 Oct 1942 29 Jun 1994 (not specified) (none specified) 429-72-9793 Arkansas -Social Security Death Index (7/18/00) I wanted to thank you for the great things said about my father on your site. It really make me feel good that his memories are still w/ you all today. -Ryan Petty (11/01/02)