William Vernon (Bill) Dutton

At last, the sun has gone to rest. This tired, kind, fisherman has finally traded in his earthly nets for those on the glory shores of God's Galilee. WILLIAM VERNON (BILL) DUTTON exchanged his life on earth for a life in heaven to be with his loving God throughout eternity, June 30, 2015. He was born, July 11, 1930, in Imboden, Ark., to Vern Dutton and Gertrude (Justus) Dutton. His family moved to Little Rock when he was 15. He was a pharmacist at Hall Drug, in the heights community, and teamed up with his father-in law, "Doc" Hall, the owner, until he retired and made Bill the single owner in 1959. He cared very much that he was in a profession that made it possible for him to help and care for people as much as possible. Together, Bill and "Doc" Hall was very grateful that they were able to serve the community for over 50 fulfilling years. When Bill wasn't working, he was fishing and loved it wherever and whenever the fish were biting from the time he was big enough to hold a fishing pole until it was time to lay it down. One of the best fishing trips he ever had and liked to talk about saying over and over, "It was so great, I'll never forget it, never," was the time when he was invited, with a few friends, to fly to Saskatchewan, Canada and land in a private sea plane on beautiful McIntosh Lake. He was very impressed, with the great beauty of Canada; the Cree Indians who prepared lunch for their group on the banks of the lake every day; but was somewhat overwhelmed when he discovered there was 24 hours of daylight but absolutely no night. At first, Bill handled this new type of inconvenience by walking all over the camp the first "night" while everyone else was asleep. However, it didn't take him long to sleep the next few nights like everyone else and wake up to a golden Canadian sunrise, enjoy whopper breakfasts, and thank God for the trip of a lifetime. Bill served in the U.S. Army, 8th Infantry Division, 8th Medical Battalion, Germany, 1955-1956; served one year as president of West Little Rock Rotary, and was a member of Calvary Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nancy Hall Dutton; children; Anna Ruth Dutton, Fayetteville, Ark.; William Tyler Dutton (Paula), West Fork, Ark.; Heather Lea Murski (Matt), Little Rock; Shane Hall Dutton, Little Rock; grandchildren; Emmalyn (James) Smith, Lowell, Ark.; Lauren (David) Wigginton, Fresno, Calif.; Rachel (Taylor) FitzGibbon, Fayetteville, N. C.; Sara Elizabeth Dutton, West Fork, Ark.; grandson, Nicholas Paul Griffiths, Little Rock; great grandson, Jack Lawrence Wigginton, Fresno, Calif.; sister, Maeline Hornbeck, Little Rock; brother-in law, Gene Hornbeck, Little Rock; nephew, Dale Hornbeck, Little Rock; two great nieces, Haley Nicole Hornbeck and Hannah Grace Hornbeck. The family wishes to express deep appreciation to: Dr. James Suen and nurses, Jenny and Brenda; Dr. Elinor Lipsmeyer; Dr. David Liu, Alzheimer Specialist; Dr. Mark Dyer and nurse, Kayla; Sharon Hernandez, nurse-administrator of Ginny and Bob Shell Alzheimer's Center and all its wonderful workers; Arkansas Hospice and nurse, Paula. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your unselfish care and brilliant expertise. Visitation will be held from 2-4 p. m. today (Sunday, July 5), at Griffin Leggett Haley and Roth at 5800 West 12th St. Graveside services will be held for family members only. To sign the online guestbook, go to www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com.