Jerry Tuggle

Jerry Tuggle, 65, of Lake Village and Kilbourne, Louisiana, died at his Louisiana farm Wednesday, May 16, 2012 following a short illness. He was born in Gideon, Missouri on March 27, 1947 to Thomas Gerald and Christine Lindley Tuggle. He was a very active person and worked hard all his life. He always said he was a happy guy who took pleasure from all that he did. Jerry was a Boilermaker and Master Welder, and worked all over the country, enjoying the places he traveled and seeing the sights of the cities where he worked. He loved the daredevil lifestyle that he chose and told stories about being high in the air on skyscrapers and building fuel tanks. This love of the sky led him to take flying lessons at an early age, and he relished being in the air. He was a cropduster and an aerobatic pilot, crashing twice during his flying career. Jerry always said he was lucky to be alive and took advantage of the second chances he was given. As a child he traveled with his father selling fruit and took to life on the road, where he enjoyed learning the art of bartering and trading. Brought up on a farm, he cultivated an abiding affection for the land and all the activities that involved farming and being outdoors working. He liked to work with many mediums and was an accomplished metal worker, wood worker and was fascinated with wine and beer making. He raised all kinds of birds and other animals, and loved gardening and canning. He became interested in horses as a boy, and that stayed with him until his death. In the early nineties he bought a farm in Kansas, where he became a respected cattleman, raising top Brangus cattle, and was the owner of Tuggle's Brangus Ranch, a cow calf operation and the seller of top line Brangus bulls. In 1999, he attended a cutting horse event and was instantly drawn to the sport. He searched for the best horse trainer he could find and apprenticed with Joe Heim, the winner of the NCHA's Triple Crown. He was the proud owner of two fine cutting horses and an old cow horse, Shorty, who is now 30 years old. Jerry was preceded in death by his father, T.G. Tuggle, a brother, Rickey Tuggle, and a niece, Angela Rotton. He is survived by his companion, Maryl McAffry, of Lake Village and Kilbourne, his mother, Christine Lindley Tuggle of Cave City, Arkansas, brothers, Tommy Tuggle and wife Karen of Mound City, Kansas, Randall Tuggle of Lake Village, sisters, Kathy Livingston of Lake Village, and Christy Rotton of Cave City, and many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, May 18th at Bishop Funeral Home. A celebration of Jerry's life will be Saturday, May 19, 2012, at 10 a.m. at Bishop Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Portland Cemetery in Portland, Arkansas under the direction of Bishop Funeral Home of Lake Village. Pallbearers will be Icer Crouse, Bill Bunker, Roy Rotton, Pat McAffry, Chris Rotton, Nathan Tuggle. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Tom Tvedten, Charles Johnson, Roy Eldrod, and Joe Underwood.