Arthur Polhill Small III

Arthur Polhill Small, III passed away at home on Thursday June 15, 2023, after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer. He was born to the late Arthur and Hazel Small on December 20, 1945, in Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated from Ribault High School in 1963 and attended Pfeiffer College in Misenheimer, North Carolina where he played baseball for the great Coach Joe Ferebee. After a short term in the U.S. Army Reserve, he began a distinguished career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1969 under J. Edgar Hoover. His career took him to Philadelphia and New York City before returning home to Jacksonville in 1977. He retired in 2002 after 33 years with the FBI.

He met the love of his life Marjorie (Mike) Beaufort on a blind date in 1970 and they were married a year later. They celebrated 50 years of marriage shortly before Mike’s passing in 2021.

Art had a love for fishing and spent many hours trying to catch “the big one” off his backyard dock. He was known for his infectious humor and had a joke for every occasion. He loved baseball and most of all the Atlanta Braves and would travel to see them play any time he could. He appreciated the simple things in life like a good ballgame, a cold beer, and “plain” food, always better when enjoyed with family and friends.

Art has been reunited in heaven with Mike and infant son Samuel, his mother, father and sister Rachel Lee. He is survived by his sons Art IV and Beau (Julie) and granddaughters Kate and Allie, and many cherished members of his extended family. The family is thankful for his loving neighbors and longtime friend, Billy Wynne, for their care and kindness over the last several years.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Riverside Presbyterian Church, 849 Park Street Jacksonville, Florida 32210. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Art Small III may be made to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch or a Cancer Research charity of your choice.