Harl Donley

Harl "Arkie" Wayne Donley, 77, of Cherokee Village, Arkansas, formerly of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, July 16, 2019. He was born December 31, 1941, in the Pistol Valley of Bradford, Arkansas. Harl is survived by his beloved wife of 57 1/2 years, Sheila (Grubbs) Donley; his daughter, Sara Donley (Mark) Del Priore; his grandchildren Cornelius (Jun) Donley, Erika Donley, Sara Marie (John) DeVore, Ryan Richards, and Alexandria Donley-Wert; and one great-grandchild, Hadley DeVore.  He was preceded in death by his son, Keven Lynn Donley, and his daughter, Sonia Elaine Richards; his parents, Arthur and Nellie Donley; his sisters, Olea Williams and Mildred Dunham; and his brother, Lawrence Donley. Harl retired from Navistar, Inc. (formerly International Harvester) in 2012 and had many patents with International Harvester and Navistar. Harl was a devoted loving husband and an extremely proud father and grandfather. He was a man of many words with never-ending stories. Harl never met a stranger, befriended everyone he met, had a huge heart, was loved by all who met him, and had a sweet loving spirit that will not be soon forgotten. Harl attended Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas, and studied agriculture.  He was a skilled outdoorsman who loved to hunt, fish, and camp. Harl became a self-taught pilot at the age of 50 and bought a Cessna single engine to fly with his family.  In his early years, he enjoyed bowling with his wife and friends; he was very competitive in poker tournaments; he loved singing and playing the guitar for his wife and children.  Harl was an avid NASCAR enthusiast, loved riding his motorcycle, and shared jokes on the computer with his many friends and family. Once you met Harl, you never forgot him. The family sincerely thanks all nurses, surgeons, and support staff at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. A memorial Celebration of Life service will be Sunday, July 28, at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Tri-County Funeral Home, 1540 Hwy 62/412, Highland, Arkansas 72542.