Royce Dean Willingham

Funeral services for Royce Dean Willingham, 76, Clinton resident, will be at 1 p.m. Thursday in the First Christian Church, officiated by his son, Dr. Randy Willingham, Jeff McDowell and Doyle Kinney.

Willingham died Saturday, June 27, 2015, at the Corn Heritage Village in Weatherford. He was born Nov. 28, 1939 in Hydro, the son of Leroy and Lena Willingham.

He was raised in Clinton and attended Clinton High School. Willingham soon joined the U.S. Army and set off to see the world and then was stationed at Fort Sill.

He met the love of his life, Carrie Ellen Johnson, and they married on Jan. 31, 1959. They were married 56 years and raised three children.

He worked as a production manager for the Lin Company, then worked in the maintenance department at Bar-S and did a lot of self-employed work utilizing his carpentry skills.

He was a member of the First Christian Church in Clinton.

Preceding him in death were his parents, Leroy and Lena Willingham; and a sister, June Bates.

Survivors include his wife, Carrie Ellen Willingham; a brother, Stan and his wife, Paula, of Clinton; sons, Randy, and his wife, Eva, of Searcy, Ark.; Ricky, and wife, Sabrina, of Bessie; and a daughter, Robin Hulin, and her husband, Rodney, of Clinton; granddaughters, Danielle Hulin, of Weatherford, Misti Ellis, of Clinton; grandsons, Nate Willingham, of Little Rock, Ark., Dan Willingham and his wife, Hannah, of Searcy, Ark., Mason Hulin, of Norman, and Justin Tucker, Ruskin, Fla.; two great grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Burial will conclude in the Clinton Cemetery, under the direction of Kiesau-Lee Funeral Home in Clinton.