Franklin A. “Sonny” Gaston Jr. was born in Camden, Arkansas on June 15, 1931. He entered Heaven’s gates on June 17, 2020.
He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. The loveliest thing about Sonny is that he never met a stranger. He always had a smile on his face, a twinkle in his eye and a skip in his step.
Sonny was an avid gardener with an interest in everything from harvesting fabulous vegetables to growing exotic plants.
Sonny loved a good joke whether he was playing it on someone or someone was playing it on him. He just loved to laugh. Even in heart failure he never lost the gift of sharing his smile and humor with others.
Sonny had an unwavering faith in God. He was a devoted and enthusiastic member of First United Methodist Church and the Saints and Sinners Sunday School Class in Hot Springs.
To quote John Wesley, “Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the places you can to all the people you can as long as ever you can.” He exemplified this quote throughout his entire life.
Sonny was predeceased by his father Franklin A. “Zan” Gaston, his mother Helen Plunkett Gaston and his sister Betty Sue (Preston) Griffin.
He is survived by his wife, of 66 years, Jo; his daughter Debbie (Walker) Loyd; five grandchildren Heather (Jarod) Williams, Caroline (Nick) Tingquist, Emily Loyd, Helen (Andrew) Dodson and Anna Catherine (Elliott) Nipper; seven great-grandchildren Cece and Zan Williams, Andrew Walker Dodson and Jackson Murray, Elliott Jr., Vivian Walker and Elizabeth Nipper.
