Linn Garner

Funeral services for Linn Garner will be Sunday, August 14, 2022 in the chapel of Tri-County Funeral Home at Highland, Arkansas and will include, at the special request of Mr. Linn, a recognition of the life of his son, The Honorable Judge Thomas Linn "Tom" Garner. Visitation will begin at 1:30 p.m. Funeral will follow at 2 with Pastor Kay Brogdon, Rev. Brien Nix Hall, Bro. John Hodges, and Johnny Carter officiating. Those also speaking to honor Mr. Linn and Tom will include Dr. Terrell Tebbets, Professor of English at Lyon College and longtime friend, Fred Lamb. Burial will be in Wiles Cemetery at Ash Flat, Arkansas. Pallbearers: Fred Goodwin, Dale Godwin, Mike Nix, Ronnie Brogdon, Jack Kimbrell, and Martin Carpenter. Honorary Pallbearers: Dr. David Kauffman, Tommy Estes, Clint Bailey, Dr. Brooks Blevins, Tony Stewart, Brett Farris, Keith Feather, Toby Goodwin, Mart Carpenter, Charlie Martin, Jerry Morrow, Kolby King, and Dr. Harley Harber. In lieu of flowers and plants, the family humbly requests that memorial donations be made to the Ash Flat Cemeteries Restoration Fund, P.O. Box 280, Ash Flat, AR 72513 or to Lyon College, P.O. Box 2317, Batesville, AR 72503. Elijah Linn Garner, just shy of 92 years, of Ash Flat, Arkansas was born September 21, 1930 and passed away August 7, 2022. He was the son of Thomas Windom and Isa Mae Godwin Garner. He was proud of his hometown community of Ash Flat, where his family first arrived in 1823. Linn was united in marriage to his long-time sweetheart, Willie Ann Horrell of Hardy on February 25, 1951. The couple shared over 70 loving years together. To this union two children were born, Thomas Linn "Tom" and Julea Glynn Garner. He proudly served our country in the United States Army during the Korean War. Linn was always quick to support the veterans of our great nation and would quickly remind others, “If it were not because of the great people who served in our nation's Armed Forces, we would all be speaking Japanese on one side of our country and German on the other!" He was instrumental in placing American flags and flag poles at numerous World War II veterans’ graves all over the region. He was one of the first to proudly support the American Veterans Memorial in Ash Flat. Linn was a 1949 graduate of the Ash Flat High School, a 1953 graduate of Arkansas College (now Lyon College) and later, earned his masters degree from Arkansas State University. He was well-known throughout the state as a great athlete, later being chosen All-AIC for basketball and then being inducted into the Lyon College Athletics Hall of Fame. At one time during the 1950s, he turned down an offer by the Los Angeles Dodgers to play baseball due to the fact he wanted to return to Arkansas with his family, sell real estate, and farm. After graduating from college, he taught school and coached and was always elated to hear his former students and athletes lovingly refer to him as “Coach” from his days of coaching basketball at Biggers-Reyno, Mammoth Spring, Hardy, and Highland (where he was the first and only coach for the first two years of the consolidated district of Ash Flat and Hardy). He worked for many decades selling real estate in north Arkansas. He was the sales manager in Horseshoe Bend for his brother-in-law, Richard "Dick" Pratt and his brother, Bill Pratt. After many years of successful business with the Pratt brothers, Linn owned and operated the First National Real Estate Company in Horseshoe Bend. He thoroughly loved being a realtor and making great friends with the new landowners. Linn was proud of working on land development side-by-side for over 40 years with two of his closest friends, Robert Clay and Kenneth King. Linn continued selling real estate and raising cattle until his retirement at the age of 90. He served on the Arkansas Cattleman's Association Board, Fulton County Water Association Board, Horseshoe Bend Development Corporation, and Arkansas State Realtor Board. Linn was preceded in death by his wife, son, parents, and siblings: Johney Eugene Garner, Atha Claudine Heflin, Willie Mae Pratt, Margaret Lou Brennan, and his nephew, Steven Heflin. Survivors include his daughter, Dr. Julea Garner; son-in-law, Rev. Brien Nix Hall; and granddaughter, Lillie Garner Hall. He is also survived by his special family: Jim and Marlene Sawyer, Fred and Janet Lamb, the Robert and Kathleen Clay Family, the Kenneth and Mary King Family, Tom's three step-children, Mark and Kyle Knighten and Katy Kalb, the Bill and Alice Nix Family, and the Family of Harlis and Lorene Harber. Special thanks from Linn's family to Dave Jarvis and all the medical staff at the Cave City Nursing Home and to Linn's great friends: Bill and Maxine Russell, Darrel Taylor, and Kurt Bratcher.