Doyle Julius Priest

Doyle Julius Priest, 88, of Austin died Sunday, May 13, 2018 in Cabot. He was born September 23, 1929 in Pettis Township, Lonoke County to the late James H. "Jack" and Dollie Smith Priest. Mr. Priest served in the United States Air Force as a switch operator and later was a dairy farmer. He also owned and operated Priest Fabrication where he fabricated steel beams for many large projects. He was directly involved in building the Nissan plant and a scientific substation in the Antarctic, and did steel work for Nuclear 1. One of his passions was water skiing and was able to ski all day for most of his life. Mr. Priest was a hardworking man who was strong and tough but had a generous heart. He was always willing to help anyone at any time and loved to "tell people about the Good Lord to save their souls". In addition to his parents, Mr. Priest was preceded in death by his wife, Frances Delois Priest; daughter, Marcia Priest and sister, Alberta Davis Carroll. Mr. Priest is survived by his daughter, Beverly Thompson and her husband, John of Cabot; step-sons, Bob Klein and his wife, Kathy and Randy Klein and his wife, Barbara, all of Quitman; grandchildren, Wade Thompson and his wife, Selena, Brian Thompson and his wife, Allison, Sarah Wells and her husband, Aaron, Ashley Cummings and her husband, Nate, Megan Perkins and her husband, Byron, Austin Klein, Jessie Adams and her husband, David and Wayne Nogles; great grandchildren, Sierra Wells, Elizabeth Branscum, Clayton Thompson, Sadler Thompson, Violet Thompson, Pearl Wells, Jonathan Thompson, Joshua Cummings, Davis Cummings, Raylan Perkins, Zora Adams and Killian Adams; siblings, Ernest Davis of Morrilton, Richard Priest of Jacksonville, Dale Bowman of Huntsville, Alabama, Billy J. Priest of Dallas, Texas and Linda Yarbrough of Austin, Texas. Memorial gifts may be made in Mr. Priest's name to Oak Grove First Baptist Church Building Fund; P.O. Box 1150; Cabot, Arkansas 72023. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Thursday, May 17, 2018 in the chapel of Moore's Cabot Funeral Home with Aaron Wells officiating. Interment will follow at Mount Carmel Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home (501) 843-5816. Please sign the online guestbook at www.moorescabotfuneralhome.com.