Chief Gaylon D. Raney

A Funeral Service for Chief Gaylon D. Raney of Mountain Home, Arkansas, will be 2:00 pm, Wednesday, September 21, 2016, at First Baptist Church, with Pastor Barry Lagg and Mr. Glen Taylor officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday, September 20, 2016, from 5:00 until 7:00 pm, at Kirby & Family Funeral Home Chapel.

Gaylon passed away September 18, 2016, in Mountain Home, Arkansas, at the age of 81. He was born July 20, 1935, in Crockett, Arkansas, the son of Jonathan and Neva Ellis Raney. He married Mary Eldridge on January 10, 1959, at Loves Park, Illinois and was a U.S. Navy veteran. He owned Raney Roofing & Siding, which was later renamed Gaylon Raney & Sons in Rockford, Illinois. He was a founder and trustee of the Cathedral Baptist Church in Rockford . Later, after moving to Mountain Home, he owned Raney Construction and Backhoe. He was a member of the Twin Lakes Baptist Church in Mountain Home. He loved life and people; his wife and children were the most important thing to him. He was also the Fire Chief of the Tracy Fire Department and considered them his second family. He liked to play in the dirt with his backhoe and would be willing to help his family and friends with anything they asked of him. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and watching baseball. Gaylon lived in Mountain Home since 1983, moving from Rockford, Illinois.

Gaylon is survived by his wife, Mary Raney of Mountain Home, AR; six children, Dewayne Raney, Jim Raney, Gayla (Donald) Gray, Ron (Julie) Raney, Wendy (Alan Jaxson) Raney and Dike (Michelle) Raney, all of Mountain Home, AR; 22 grandchildren, Josh and Justin Raney, Tab and Robert King, Jimmy and Lance Raney, Lilly Raney, Candice and Mike Williams, Amber Gray, Lacie and Austin Mansfield, Jacob Gray, Kelsey, Shelby and Ronnie Raney, Raychel and Alex Miller and Tyler and Skyler Raney; 13 great grandchildren, Robert, Joey, Lucy and Bradley King, Hadley Raney, Whitney, Sydney and Corbin Williams, Dalton Gray, Cooper and Reece Mansfield and Ryder and Logan Miller; step-mother, Mazie Raney; four brothers, Johnny, Robert, Max and Roger Raney; three sisters, Frances Raney, Janet Murrell and Lisa Simpson; special friends, Lance Bradley, Anzil and Katherine Jones and family, Wendy and Jill Winger, Pat and Bill Adkinson and Doug and Skyler Wintle.

He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters; Dorothy Boozer, Sharlon Marble and Kathy Raney; and one brother, DiWight Little.

Burial will be in the Kirby's Tucker Memorial Cemetery, Mountain Home, Arkansas, with Doug Wintel, Chuck Menschik, Skyler Wintel, Rusty Rosson, Ken Williams, Cade Seal, Cory Jones, Dan Brown and Jim Mascio as pallbearers.

Honorary pallbearers will be Lloyd Gunsolus, The Tracy Fire Department and the Mountain Home Fire Department.

Military Honors will be provided by the Alley-White American Legion Post #52 and the United States Navy Honor Guards.

Memorials may be made to Tracy Fire Department.

Arrangements are by Kirby and Family Funeral and Cremation Services.