Eugene "BoJack" Whitlock

Eugene “BoJack” Whitlock, 95, of Mulberry, passed away Saturday, March 16, 2024 in Van Buren. He was born December 9, 1928 in Mulberry to the late William and Maude (Rogers) Whitlock. The nickname “BoJack” was given to him by his uncle Dick Whitlock when he was a baby, and it stuck. No clue where he got that name, but nicknames were common in those days and Uncle Dick just thought the name fit him.

BoJack's first job was probably picking strawberries for Clark Bailey on Georgia Ridge, but he worked hard for the family, milking cows, clearing fields, and chopping wood from an early age. At 18, he worked as a carpenter's helper and soon built houses from the ground up. He did this until he was 24 years old, when he contracted Tuberculosis and spent eight months at the sanitorium in Booneville, and another year and a half resting at home. During this time, he took a correspondence course and learned to repair TVs.

While repairing TVs, he worked as a substitute mail carrier for the Alma Post Office. During most of this time, his wife worked teaching school at Pleasant View School and made enough money to keep the family going while BoJack was sick. This was a tough time for her and had to be highly stressful, but by God's grace, could always support the family without government assistance.

BoJack saved enough money carrying the mail and fixing televisions to build a service station in Mulberry in 1963 and ran it for about 25 years. He got to know many people and was liked by almost everyone.

When he finally gave up the station, he and his wife ran a small motel for a few years and, at the same time, farmed, mostly raising watermelons and squash. For a couple of years, he and Dwight Peters had 150 acres of watermelons and 40 acres of squash. They did well and employed as many as 40 field workers for a few years. His last years were spent raising truck patches and selling his produce at the farmer's market in Ozark.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy Ann (Rhodes) Whitlock; and a sister, Lorene Bolinder.

He is survived by two daughters, Lois Brown of Prairie Grove, and Dr. Jennifer Burks (Jeff) of Fort Smith; a son, Steve Whitlock (Ann) of Alma; seven grandchildren, Aimee Hill, Wesley Wagner, Jeff Wagner, Sara Jo Whitlock, Beth Lyn Barber, Savannah Burks, and Samuel Burks; seven great-grandchildren; and nieces, Mary Root (Rodney) of Ashville, AL, and Lora Connaughton (Paul) of Lewisville, TX.

Funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at the Mulberry Church of Christ with interment to follow at Chastain Cemetery, under the direction of Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home of Van Buren, AR.

Pallbearers will be Dwight Peters, Ronnie Milsap, Glenn Groda, Bal Simmons, Rodney Root, Jackson Wagner, Ryan Barber, Jeff Burks, and Paul Connaughton. Gary Merritt will serve as honorary pallbearers.

The family will visit with friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday, March 25, 2024, at Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home, 4100 Alma Highway, Van Buren, AR.