John Richard Gillenwater

John Richard Gillenwater of Little Rock, AR, born April 29, 1942, gained his wings on April 19, 2026. He was the son of Luda Mae and John William Gillenwater, and he was known to friends and family as Dick.

He was one of the original founding members of Christ the King Catholic Church. He served on the board of the Msgr. Hebert Endowment Fund, was a Eucharistic Minister, he attended several mission trips to Honduras and did adoration once a week. He was a long-standing member of the Serra Club of Central Arkansas and was also a member of the Diocesan Financial Committee.

He started his education at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Business Administration Degree. During his college he enlisted with the United States Marine Corp and was a member of the Marine Corp Reserves.

Professionally, he spent his career in the Insurance and Financial Industry. His career started with Aetna, and he received full retirement from Aetna. In between his time at Aetna, he worked for Union Life Insurance Company and Millennium Brokerage Group. Post retirement, he continued his passion for helping others by creating John R. Gillenwater & Associates, Inc. He was a designated Chartered Financial Consultant and a Certified Life Underwriter.

Dick was an avid fisherman that loved spending a great amount of time at Greers Ferry Lake and the White River. His greatest passion was duck hunting where he was a long-standing member of the Aim and Claim Hunting Club. It was there where he developed life-long friendships and he enjoyed spending time in the woods with his sons and grandsons.

He is preceded in death by his bride of 63 years, Charlotte Anne Kennedy Gillenwater; his parents; sisters Sue Gillenwater and Julia Gillenwater Hickman. He is survived by his 3 children, John Richard Gillenwater Jr, Patrick Brian Gillenwater and LeaAnne Thompson (Jason); 3 grandchildren, John Richard Gillenwater III (Caroline), Kathryn Kennedy Barrett and Ryan Kennedy Gillenwater; sister Peggy Jones.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, April 28 at 6:00 PM followed by Rosary at 7:00 at Smith Family Funeral Home Little Rock. Mass of Christian burial will be Wednesday at 10:00 AM at Christ the King Catholic Church. He will be laid to rest beside his bride in the Columbarium at Christ the King. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Msgr. Hebert Endowment Fund 4000 Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, AR 72212.