Joseph Conrad "Bud" Shankles

Joseph Conrad ‘Bud’ Shankles was born to Albert Valentine and Dortha Pauline Deal Shankles on June 25, 1939, in Scott, Arkansas, in the tack room of a barn that had been converted to living quarters. Growing up in Levy, Arkansas and graduating from North Little Rock Old Main in 1957, he played football in high school, as well as having multiple short term jobs, such as working one summer in Oregon with this Uncle JB Deal in the timber business, and working in a slat mill near Malvern plus delivering groceries.

 After high school, he would go on to join the Air National Guard. He later learned his sheet metal trade while working at Wetzlers Sheet Metal and then went to work with his lifelong friend Jim Harper at his sheet metal shop. He would later have his own successful heating and air conditioning companies in NLR and in Arkadelphia. He retired from Alcoa in Benton where he was a welder in the sheet metal shop where he could literally design and make anything needed. Throughout the years, he would be laid off multiple times at Alcoa and then would be called back, but he always continued to work for Jack Freshour, so many years he worked both places. 

Also, after high school he tried his hand at bull riding, racing motorcycles and stock car racing. He became a private pilot and would regal us with his “flying through storms” stories that only Conrad would be brave enough to try, especially with only 40 or 50 flying hours. He was active in the NLR Jaycees for many years and had a heart for the St. Joseph Orphanage where he helped out some.

 Conrad moved his boys to Bismarck in 1977. During their school years he was very active in coaching many of their little league teams.

 In 1994 he married Mary ‘Rachel’ Byrd, helping her raise two daughters, and lived in Hot Springs until her retirement in 2013 at which time they moved to the Bismarck farm. He was never so happy as when he was helping neighbors, the girls, his boys (both of whom would return to live on the family land), grandchildren and happiest of all when mowing on his tractor. One of his sons would say this was a 17-acre yard as he would manicure it like a golf course. 

 The grandkids and great grandkids will remember buggy rides as he loved giving them rides. Many times it would involve the grandkids helping to keep the place clean by picking up garbage along the highway.

Conrad would start planning for DKS deer camp 2 months before time to go. He loved deer camp. He will be sorely missed there; however, I am sure there are plenty of stories of him to keep his memory alive there each season.

Another thing he looked forward to every year was his annual high school reunion. He will certainly be missed by the NLR Class of ’57 as well. He was passionate about westerns, Ford vehicles, President Trump, Civil War history and Lonesome Dove.

He is survived by his spouse, Rachel; sons, Jay (Kendra) Shankles, Joe (Tracy) Shankles of Bismarck; stepdaughters Nan (Scott) Means of Hot Springs and Amy (Marcus) Hutto of Damascus, Arkansas; grandchildren, Shawn (Elizabeth) Shankles, Kammi (Scott) Conway, Sommer Shankles, Zachery, Skyler, Jake and Joey Shankles, Chris (Annalee) Branham, Blair and Ben Hutto; and 8 great grandchildren.

Conrad was predeceased by his parents, sisters, Jimmie Williams and Jerri Richardson, and stepson, Austin Byrd. Pallbearers will be his grandsons.

Services will be held at Ruggles Wilcox Chapel at Smith Funeral Home in Arkadelphia on Thursday, August 8, 2024, with visitation at 1:00 p.m. and the funeral at 2:00 p.m. Graveside will be private. Memorials may be made in Conrad’s name to John H. Lyons, Sr. Scholarship Foundation at www/ironworkers.org.

Arrangements by Smith Family Funeral Home, 517 Clay Street, Arkadelphia, Arkansas www.smithfamilycares.com.