A. D. Nutt

A.D. Nutt, 97, of Little Rock went home to be with the Lord on Friday, April 6, 2018 at Hospice Homecare in Little Rock. A.D. was born February 9, 1921, in Thornton, AR to Julius and Maggie Lingo Nutt. He was well known to his friends and family as a man of integrity who had a passion for hunting, fishing, and telling people about his Jesus.

A.D. was preceded in death by a host of family including his parents, eight brothers and three sisters, Alice Gray Nutt (first wife), Jerry Nutt (son) and Alton Nutt(son), Don Luzader, Jr. (grandson), and Christi Luzader (granddaughter). He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Provence Vanlandingham Nutt, Hallie Nutt (brother), Adeline Nutt Luzader (daughter), Sandy Vanlandingham (stepdaughter), 3 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren.

A.D. married Alice Gray Coleman on July 3, 1940, and began a long career with Arkansas Power & Light Company/Entergy. Soon after getting married, A.D. joined the military and served in World War II in the Navy Seabee’s. He was stationed on Tinian Island when the first atomic bomb was flown to Hiroshima. (It was top secret so he never knew he was working so close to it until later.) While serving there, he had many experiences on the island with God saving his life several times. Then on December 24, 1945, he was discharged and was able to return home to Bearden, AR, where his wife had been living with her parents. He was excited to finally meet his daughter, Adeline, who was by then almost 2 years old.

A.D. and Alice Gray moved back to Little Rock where they joined Life Line Baptist Church on July 7, 1947. God blessed them with another child, Jerry. A.D. worked as the meter superintendent, was known as “Mr. Meter Man” and became an electrical engineer. He retired after 45 years with A P & L but continued to share his knowledge teaching various classes over the years after retirement.

His dedication to his family was exemplary and his love for the Lord was evident in the way he lived his life. Alice Gray passed away in 1997 but A.D. continued to serve faithfully at Life Line Baptist Church in many capacities. He was a friend to pastors and a mentor to many people over the years—“he taught by his example.” He was a true Bible student, was an excellent teacher, serving as deacon and as the Sunday School Superintendent for many years. He was very solemn and sincere; he was always right and never backed down. If asked for advice, he would think hard before answering and then share valuable insight. He was also very inventive and could always think of a better way to do things.

A.D. always loved outdoor sports--- hunting and fishing, and especially loved to teach others to enjoy them. Oh the stories he could tell….like when Donny Jr. caught a little bream and wouldn’t throw it back saying “Papaw, it’s momma is already in the basket!” There are many folks that would be able to tell about things he taught them about hunting or fishing and he loved to share life by doing those things with family and friends through the years.

In 1998, A.D. was blessed by marrying Phyllis Vanlandingham. They enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping together—A.D. even created a deer stand built for two, so they could hunt together, although she never killed a deer. Once they were fishing and he hit a log with the boat and almost knocked Phyllis out of the boat The last few years, A.D. and Phyllis have been very faithful to work in the food closet ministry of Life Line Baptist Church, ministering to the needy families of their community. A.D. was the greeter as folks came through the door, and Phyllis entered their information in the computer. They were both very passionate about this ministry of their church. If you would like to give a memorial gift to honor the life of A.D. Nutt, you can give cash or a check payable to Life Line Baptist Church, (designated to the Food Closet).

The family would like to thank you for taking time to share in this celebration of life for A.D. Nutt. If you have a special memory of him, please find time to share it with his family. II Timothy 4:7 says “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” A.D. certainly did just that….may we all be inspired to live a Godly life and leave such a legacy to our families as he did by his example.