Emon Mahony

He was born May 5, 1941 in El Dorado, Arkansas into a highly competitive family. Growing up was a succession of card and board games, reading, tennis, basketball, swimming, fishing, and hunting. The children were encouraged to compete with each other and with their parents. Even reading was a competition. Emon said life was downhill in many ways after leaving the house.

He was a competitive scholar at Tulane undergrad, Tulane Law, and Stanford Law. Family competition continued as all of his parents and brothers, including his mother, Mabel, were attorneys as were his great uncle, grandfather, cousins, son, and niece.

Politics was also a family sport. His great uncle, grandfather, and brother Jodie were elected to multiple offices. Emon worked for Senator John L. McClellan for six years in five different positions and helped on a McClellan biography.

Both Emon and his brother Mike served on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Emon was on the Arkansas Soil and Water Commission and was chairman of the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Smith Water Task force, and the Economic Development of Arkansas Fund Commission. In Fort Smith, he was on the board of two banks and served on Governor Mike Beebe’s transition team.

Emon also worked as a private attorney and spent 40 years working for and with the Stephens family. He was the CEO of Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation (AOG) for over 30 years. He also served for 27 years on the boards of ALLTEL and its predecessor, working with great pleasure with the Wilbourn and the Ford families. After his retirement, he managed his family’s timber and oil gas interests, working with the next generation of the family as had his brothers, father, and grandfather before him. Working and playing with family was crucial to his joy in life.

He was blessed to be married for 51 years to the former Kay Jobe of Blytheville, a beautiful, softspoken, highly intelligent, loving friend and co-adventurer. Together they raised and educated five children and loved and cared for them all equally. They hunted and fished together across Arkansas and Oklahoma, with forays to Alaska, Idaho, and Texas for quail and turkey.

Emon enjoyed working with his hands as well as his mind. He took great delight in loading shells, making his own lures, crafting duck and turkey callers and making furniture. He and Kay raised a garden for 43 years, regularly cooked as a team and with family, and had their best conversations while driving on extended hunting or fishing trips.

One of his greatest joys was reading and he encouraged parents to read to their children and teach them to read at an early age. He read fiction, history, biography, and even business and accounting texts, often while listening to jazz, blues, Bach, or country, and took great delight.

Emon appreciated working with AOG employees and advisors Mike Callan, Bill Hoffman, Mike Carter, Fred Kirkwood, Buddy Watson, Bob Mulson, Glenda Williams, Byron Smiley, Witt Stephens, Witt Stephens, Jr., and Vernon Giss; and at ALLTEL with Randy Wilbourn, Scott Ford, Joe Ford, Hugh Wilbourn, Harry Erwin, Carl Tiderman, and Bill Zimmer and at Mahony Corporation with Stacy, Becky, Mike, Jodie, Michael Emon, Emon O., Michelle, and Liza.

His mother, Mabel Mahony; sister-in-law Bettie Anne; Kay (and fear) constantly inspired him and demanded a dedication to egalitarian principles.

He was predeceased by his parents, Emon Armstrong Mahony, Sr., and Mabel Farmer Mahony; his brothers Mike and Jodie; and his daughter Terry Donathan Julian and son Paul Donathan. He is survived by his wife, Kay; his daughter Liza Nevenhoven and husband Scott, his son Emon Ossian Mahony and wife Esther Teo, and son Trent Donathan, as well as eight grandchildren.

The visitation will be held 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2026, at Young’s Funeral Directors, El Dorado, AR. The funeral service will be Saturday, July 25, 2026, at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in El Dorado, AR.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials made to the Kay and Emon Mahony Forestry Endowed Scholarship (part of the South Ark College Foundation) PO Box 7010, El Dorado, AR 71731 or the First Presbyterian Church.

Condolences can be expressed online at www.youngsfuneralhome.com for the Mahony family.