Richard Parnell Poole

Richard Parnell Poole (88) of Little Rock, Arkansas went to his heavenly reward April 9, 2025, after a life full of friends and accomplishments. He never met a stranger, was a gentleman’s gentleman, and loved community service work. He will be remembered as a man of faith who continued to attend his Sunday School class at Saint James Methodist Church in Little Rock until his passing.

Richard was born the only child of Raymond Alfred “Bud” and Mary Baldwin Elizabeth Poole of El Dorado on September 22, 1936, who both predeceased him.

He is survived by his son Mark Wayne Poole of Dallas, Texas. 

His most cherished childhood memory when as an attendee to Boys Nation, he traveled by train to Washington, D. C to meet with President Eisenhower. This no doubt led to his patriotic love for his country and ultimate service as an Infantry Captain in the United States Army.

Richard graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he was a member of the Gamma Upsilon chapter Sigma Nu fraternity and president of the campus Marketing Club. After graduation he moved to Dallas to work for both the IBM Corporation and McGraw-Hill publications. He returned home to Arkansas and formed Poole Advertising, Inc., the award-winning advertising agency headquartered in Pine Bluff. He did a great deal of community pro bono work and served as president of the Rotary Club of Pine Bluff before moving to Hot Springs as senior vice president of Horizon Banks. While there, he served as president and founding member of the internationally acclaimed Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

Richard’s lasting passion was the wonderful game of golf. He was a loyal friend of the game, a skilled player and tough competitor. He served on the Board of Directors of the Pine Buff Country Club, the Hot Springs Country Club, and Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. His golfing buddies remain envious of his 9 hole-in-one trophies which he displayed with pride in his home. No doubt he will add to that total while singing “Amazing Grace” and playing more golf with his buddies who passed on before him.

A celebration of life will be held Wednesday, April 23, at 1:30 p.m. at Saint James Methodist Church.

Arrangements by Arkansas Cremation, 10515 W Markham St, Suite B1, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205.If you would like to leave a message of condolence to the family, you may do so using the Guestbook section.

www.arkansascremation.com