Herschel Dean Raney Sr. passed away on 21 January 2021 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was born in Conway, Arkansas on 21 September 1931. He was the last surviving sibling from his mother and father’s marriage of Verda Kee Raney and Bob Raney. He was preceded in death by his brothers Robert ‘Bob’ Raney Jr., Orville Raney, Ollie May Raney, George Raney, Sylvia Maude Raney, Carolyn Sue Raney and Carl Raney. All his brothers and sisters died in their home state of Arkansas.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Patricia Ann Raney as well as his three sons and their wives, Herschel Dean Raney Jr. and wife Vicki Lee Stancil of Conway, Kenneth Scott Raney and wife Cathy Raney of Houston, Texas, and Blake A. Raney and wife Kim Raney of Burlington, Kentucky. Surviving grandchildren include Amelia Raney (daughter of Herschel); Kara Raney, Elise Raney, Kristen Raney, Kyle Raney and Bryce Raney (all children of Kenneth); and Ashley Raney (daughter of Blake). He was also loved by Josh Stephens, husband of Amelia and Sheridan Raney, wife of grandson Kyle. He did not live to see the birth of his first great grandchild by Kyle and Sheridan coming later this year.
He served a long, full term in the United States Army, joining at age 17 in 1948 and retiring in 1971. He served in the Korean war where he was a member of a machine gunnery team and received a Purple Heart after being shot through the knee during a sniped bridge crossing. He also was a victim of infectious encephalitis which ended his Korean service. For most of the rest of his service he was in Military Security at various locations in the world including Japan, New York and Alaska. He was always proud to have served.
He returned to Arkansas and had a house built after the Army service and became a VA Hospital policeman in Little Rock for 22 years eventually becoming Chief of Security there before his final retirement in 1994. He still lived in the same house with his wife in Sherwood at the time of his death.
He was a long-time member of the Elks Club. He was a lifetime hunter and fisherman until this past few years. He has caught King Salmon and fly-fished in backcountry Alaska. Hunted bear, moose, caribou and deer. Shot pheasant in Kansas and turkey in Arkansas. While out in his hunting club woods in south Arkansas, he made many friends and he learned to love nature while sitting in his tree stand watching hawks, bobcat, coyote and the occasional wild hog. At home he used his binoculars on the backyard birds. He was still a crack shot until late in life, a skeet shooting champion in the military, an expert pistol marksman on the Army shooting team and the best Ping Pong player that his three sons have still ever battled against. He was also a good, steady and often joyful Blackjack player. He enjoyed a nice whiskey here and there and quiet afternoons on the back patio of his home.
Services will be held at Rest Hills Memorial Park at 7724 Landers Road in North Little Rock on Friday the 29th of January. A short visitation at 9 AM will be followed by a service in the chapel there at 9:30 AM. After transfer, graveside military burial will be at the VA Cemetery at 1501 West Maryland Avenue in North Little Rock at 11 AM.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in his name to the American Diabetes Association or American Heart Association.
