Kenneth Gilbert McRae III

Kenneth Gilbert McRae III, 85, of Little Rock, Ark. passed away on Jan. 12, 2012 peacefully surrounded by family, in Little Rock, Ark. He was born on Feb. 23, 1926 in Idabel, Okla. to the late Kenneth G. McRae Jr. and Helen Williams McRae of Hope, Ark. He was preceded in death by his sister, Marilyn McRae Bilyeu of Shreveport, La., and his nephew, Kenneth Lile Bilyeu of Shreveport, La. He is survived by four sons: Kenny McRae IV and wife Sherry, of Little Rock, granddaughter Colin McRae Mitchell and husband Guy K. Mitchell III, and great-grandchildren Madeline, Guy and Leslie, all of Birmingham, Ala., grandson, Matthew Graves, son, Nathan McRae and grandson, Justin, son Brooks G. McRae and wife Beth, grandson, Grayson, and son, Jeff McRae and wife Emily, grandchildren, Lily, Seth and Evan, cousin, Colene Beauchamp Nicholson, all of Little Rock, niece, Nanette Bilyeu of Edmund, Okla., sister, Kay McRae Wallace and nephew, Greg Wallace of Hot Springs, Ark. He grew up in Hope and Little Rock, attending Pulaski Heights Junior High and Hope High School. He graduated high school from Sewanee Military Academy in 1944. After serving in the U.S. Navy, in 1946 he spent a year in Argentina with his uncle, Thomas J. Williams. He returned to attend the University of Arkansas, pledging Sigma Chi fraternity, and graduated from Oklahoma A&M. He married Marion Francis Mouser of Hope, Ark. in 1951, and they had four sons. He began a career in the cattle business at Crow Creek Ranch in Forest City, and later moved to Little Rock to manage the Little Rock Stockyards. In 1965, he changed careers to residential and commercial real estate beginning with Rector Phillips Morse. His interests included a love of the outdoors; hunting, fishing, and reading, story telling and horse racing. Much appreciation is felt for Qiana Roberts, his caregiver and the staff at Emeritus Assisted Living in west Little Rock, and the palliative care unit at the VA Hospital in Little Rock. Visitation will be at Ruebel Funeral Home (www.ruebelfuneralhome.com) in Little Rock on Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. A graveside service will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery in Hope, Ark. at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. The service will be led by the Rev. David Porterfield, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Hope, Ark. and under the direction of Herndon-Pharr Funeral Home. A reception will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church following graveside service. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 901 N. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. Sign our online register book at www.pharrfuneralhomes.com.