John Best

An athlete. An outdoorsman. A business owner. A loving father and husband. John Wayland Best of Little Rock was all of these and more. John was never one to say no to a challenge. He had more than his fair share of those in his life, which ended when he entered into the arms of Jesus on September 5, 2016, and he took on each challenge with the same determination and drive that inspired everyone who knew him.

Born July 17, 1933 in Jasmine, Ark., John's earliest years were spent in Dyess Colony, where his father, Henry Urcel Best, was a sharecropping farmer. The 1937 flood that devastated much of eastern Arkansas led the family to move to Little Rock, where John would attend Little Rock Junior College, now the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He graduated from LRJC, playing baseball, basketball and running track for the Trojans, in 1953. He would go on to graduate from the University of Arkansas with a degree in business and soon opened a welding business, the Best Welding Co., which he ran for more than 40 years.

John never backed down when it came to difficult situations. He preferred to meet them head-on and to not give up, no matter how daunting the task. At the age of 19, with plans to play professional baseball for the New York Yankees, John suffered an accident that caused him to lose his left foot. With a career in sports beyond his reach, John turned his focus to his family and his business. The fact that he wore a prosthetic foot for much of his life did little to slow him down. He coached all three of this sons' Little League baseball teams and became an avid duck hunter. When he lost his sight in 2012, he never gave up his love for the outdoors. He proved that, despite his disabilities, he could do anything he set out to do when he climbed Pinnacle Mountain in 2015 with the aid of family and friends.

A longtime supporter of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, John was the first president of the board of the UALR Lettermen's Association. Under his leadership, the group grew and flourished to become a strategic supporter of the college's athletic programs. During the last years of his life, he could often be found at a UALR basketball or baseball game, cheering on the teams he played for so many years before.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Suzanne Whitfield Best, and his son, Robert Whitfield Best, and his sister, Billie Jean Brindley (Don) of Maumelle. He was preceded in death by his parents, Linnie Hambrick Best and Henry Urcel Best, and his sons, John Richard Best and Gary Michael Best.

A sing-and-share service will be held to commemorate the life of John on Friday, Sept. 9, at St. Andrew's Anglican Church, 8300 Kanis Road, in Little Rock from 6 to 8 p.m. A graveside ceremony will be held Saturday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. at Rest Hills Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 7724 Landers Road, in North Little Rock. A resurrection service will be held that afternoon at 3 p.m. at St. Andrew's Anglican Church.

There will be open viewing on Friday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John's name to St. Andrew's Anglican Church.

Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct., Little Rock, (501)224-2200. John's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.

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Visitation

SEP 9. 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (CDT)

St. Andrew Anglican Church
8300 Kanis Road
Little Rock, AR, 72204

Burial

SEP 10. 1:00 PM (CDT)

Rest Hills Memorial Park
7724 Landers Road
North Little Rock, AR, 72117

Service

SEP 10. 3:00 PM (CDT)

St. Andrew Anglican Church
8300 Kanis Road
Little Rock, AR, 72204