Richard "Dick" Jarboe

Richard Allen "Dick" Jarboe passed from this life April 1, 2017 following an 11 month battle with esophageal cancer. He was instantly reunited with his son Richard Everett Jarboe who predeceased him January 1, 2007. They are enjoying their daily philosophical discussions again. He was born May 22, 1944 to Robert "Bob" Jarboe and Helen (Morse) Jarboe who predeceased him. He was predeceased by his beloved sister Shirley Davidson as well. He put his life and his law practice "on hold" to assist with the care of his son Richard after his diagnosis with a cancerous sino-nasal tumor, his son Aaron following a life threatening vehicular accident, and his son Andy who was disabled as birth. Although she did not require as much of his attention, he loved his daughter Kimberly none-the- less. Survivors include: Jane (Nahlen) Jarboe, honored to be his wife of 36 years, his daughter, Kimberly (Jason) Hammock of Smithville, his son, Robert Andrew "Andy" Jarboe of Jonesboro, his son, Aaron Jarboe of Walnut Ridge, and his precious granddaughters, Katelyn (Chase) Battles of Sydney, and Kaylie and Hannah Hammock of Smithville. Dick, as he is affectionately known, is also survived by his two devoted, loving sisters and brothers-in-law, Linda (Richard) Vogan of Little Rock and Sarah (John) Brownlee of Maple Creek who assisted with his care in too many ways to mention, his mother-in-law, Ruby Nahlen of North Little Rock, his sisters-in-law, Nancy Nahlen of East End and Kathy Fooks of North Little Rock, his brother-in-law, Dr. Bernard Nahlen, M.D. of Washington, D.C., and a "gaggle" of nieces and nephews whom he adored and enjoyed grilling steaks and ribs for all to enjoy. We must also name his beloved yorkie Abbey Gale and his cat "Baby Cat" as his survivors or we will not be forgiven by him. To name a few of his pleasures in this life, Dick enjoyed fishing, antiquing, boating, Andrew Bocelli, Linda Ronstadt, Eddie Rabbitt, Ennio Morricone, "Sanford and Sons", "Driving Miss Daisy", the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the AR Razorbacks, and the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Baseball played a huge role in his life and he was proud of saying that he "integrated" baseball in Lake Village, Ark. as he was called on to pitch for Lake Village especially when they were being challenged by Dermont on Sunday afternoons. He was a member of the Mississippi State SEC Conference Champions of 1965 and 1966 and threw a "wicked" curveball to assist with these victories. Most importantly, he developed lasting lifelong friendships with his teammates. He frequently visited and was most fond of Jim "Moose" (Davie) Doescher of Bay City, Florida, Claude (Kay) Passeau of Lucedale, Mississippi and Frank (Ann) Potera of West Point, Mississippi. These guys will forever be his brothers. He will be remembered by a host of classmates/friends from his hometown of Lake Village where he served as Student Council President for the Class of 1962 of Lake Village High School. He graduated from the University of AR Fayetteville Law School in 1969. During his time in law school, he introduced his companion Jerry Mazzanti to Sharon who was to later become Jerry's bride. He enjoyed practicing law with Attorney Leroy Blankenship and the late Attorney Harry Ponder of Walnut Ridge. Also left to cherish his memory are many close friends too numerous to name who listened to his stories in chambers and witnessed his skills in the courtrooms of Northeast AR. In an open letter from Northeast Arkansas Legal Community which was artfully penned by District Judge Adam Weeks and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Cooper this was said about Dick: "Lawrence County lost a great man on Saturday. The legal community lost a legend. Dick Jarboe was a lion. His acumen and legal reasoning was coupled with a good-natured humor and a folksy charm that endeared him to fellow lawyers and judges alike. To borrow a phrase from the game he loved so much, Dick Jarboe swung a big bat- both as a lawyer and as a man. Dick was a true student of the game of baseball. Amidst the talk of hitting streaks and pitcher's follies, fellow lawyers could see the joy creep across his face as he talked about the pastime he loved so much. In these moments, we were all elevated beyond the petty problems of the day. Dick had that effect. His good humor was contagious and his impact undeniable. There are not enough big and fancy words in our English language to describe how truly great Dick Jarboe is and maybe that is for the best. Dick wouldn't want 'em anyway. Dick was a respected colleague and a legend in the legal field, but more than that, he was a good man, a wise man, a trusted man, a sympathetic ear, a mentor, and even though it is a simple word that falls far short of the man....Dick Jarboe was our friend and he will be missed." Dick was a member of the Arkansas Bar Association and the Randolph/Lawrence County Bar Association. He served on the AR Bar Association Ethics Committee for several years. He was a patient and kind attorney who was known to turn a courtroom into laughter with his dry wit during the most serious moments. He was skillful in negotiating the "art of the deal" which benefited his clientele immensely and he worried about his clients in the last seconds of his life. He was a mentor to many young attorneys, but he treasured his relationship with Joe Grider whom he considered to be his son. He valued his friendship with Murray Grider even though once upon a time, Murray took him flying with malfunctioning instruments in his plane. Lorra Whitmire of First National Bank commented "He never made me feel stupid!" Kristi Schnick, his secretary for 23 years, was fond of saying "working for Dick Jarboe is like working for your father." To quote the Outlaw Josie Wales, Dick would say "I'm prouder than a game rooster to have rid with all of you!" A Celebration of His Life Memorial Service will be held at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Pocahontas, Ark. at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 22nd under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home of Little Rock. A reception will follow at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Interment will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 24th at Calvary Cemetery in Little Rock, Ark. Honorary pall bearers are members of the Randolph/Lawrence County Bar Association and his Mississippi State Baseball families. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Dr. Lawrence Mendelsohn and his staff of CARTI in Little Rock. A special thanks is also extended to Dr. Seb Spades and his staff for the 45 years of kindness and care given to Dick! In lieu of flowers, donations in Dick's memory may be made to The Children's Shelter in Walnut Ridge, Ark. or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. An online guest registry is available at ruebelfuneralhome.com.