John Earl Worlow

John “Johnny” Earl Worlow, age 82, passed away at Lawrence Hall Nursing Home on Tuesday, April 5th. He gave his all in trying to beat Parkinson’s Disease for about 25 years. John was born September 10, 1934, near the cotton fields in the Cache River bottoms, near Sedgwick, AR. He was raised on the family farm and married Glendola Corbett of Hoxie, AR on October 11, 1957. They enjoyed 59 years together. John served in the US Army for two years, stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. He received a BSE in Botany, Biology, and Entomology at Arkansas State University in 1958. Afterward he worked six years with the Arkansas State Plant Board before transferring to the US Department of Agriculture. John worked nearly 40 years with the USDA APHIS PPQ as an inspector, supervisor, and program manager. In his last years of work, he was supervisor of the USDA Boll Weevil Eradication Program in South Carolina and Georgia. This was a program he was proud to be involved with. It is interesting that he was born on a day when an early frost took out all the late cotton. He finished his career never far from the cotton fields as he worked to eliminate boll weevils. His work allowed him and his family to enjoy living in different places such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Florida, and Georgia. He was an avid reader, and liked to look for arrowheads for his collection, play cards, travel, and work outside on landscape projects. He was a member of the First Baptist Church, in Jonesboro, Georgia. He is preceded in death by his parents Joe and Ruby Healey Worlow and by his sister Jolene Worlow Jones. He is survived by his wife Glendola of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas; his children: Joe Glenn and wife Andrea of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Deana and husband Michael of McDonough, Georgia, and Mike and wife Jodi of Griffin, Georgia; a sister Tommie Jean Worlow of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas; and three brothers: Glen Worlow and wife Tish of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, Jerry Worlow and wife Lydia of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, and David Worlow of Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was always proud of each one of his eight grandchildren: Valerie, Steven, Ethan, Anna, Cooper, Katherine, Julia, and Ellie as well as his great grandson Asher. A memorial service will take place on Sunday, April 9th at Sedgewick Baptist Church at 2:00 pm with Thomas Lamb officiating. His cremains will be placed in Lawrence Memorial Cemetery during a private burial. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to any Parkinson’s foundation such as Michael J. Fox Foundation or National Parkinson Foundation.

John Earl Worlow

September 10, 1934 - April 5, 2017