Teddy Joe Greenway

Teddy Joe Greenway was born in Walcott, Arkansas, on October 8th, 1934 and passed away on January 8th, 2018. He was preceded in death by his parents, Flossie Fletcher (Hyde) and Lawrence Greenway. After graduating from Paragould High School, he served in the United States Air Force and was later always proud to tell of his tail gunner adventures. He then attended Arkansas State University, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and played on the tennis team. After a brief time with Sears, in 1965, he opened the first carpet store in Northeast Arkansas, Carpet City, which he presided over until 1997. An avid car-trader, he opened Ted’s Auto Sales in 1970 where he was always ready to make a deal until his retirement in 2008. Ted was also a commercial and residential home builder whose homes and apartments still dot the Paragould landscape.

Ted will always be remembered as having a true servant’s heart for his Lord and Savior and for his family, friends, and community. He was a past President of the Northeast Arkansas Car Dealers Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Kiwanis Club in Paragould - at which he once had 27 years of perfect attendance - and for whom he loved to flip pancakes and sell oranges and grapefruits at Christmas-time. He also served as a deacon at both the First Baptist Church and East Side Baptist Church where his most cherished duty was passing the offering plate!

He was an avid golfer, hunter, fisherman, and puzzle master. Ted was also a tremendous tennis player, having won the Paragould Men’s Tournament at age 40 playing 36 sets against much younger competitors and was unbeatable at ping pong with his ability to put an English backspin on the ball that was virtually un-returnable. He was ambidextrous which gave him a huge advantage in whatever sport he competed in and his willingness to switch hands mid-game while bearing down on an opponent was simply maddening. He was a small aircraft pilot who loved waking his friends and family up at four o’clock in the morning to fly them to Biloxi or Gulf Shores for a round of golf using water towers to navigate along the way. He was a great salesperson, extremely soft hearted, intelligently funny, and loved changing song lyrics to make them amusing.

He leaves behind his cherished wife of 60 years LaDoris (Pratt) and two daughters Kim (Scott) Horrell and Dede (Scott) Ford, both of Little Rock. You know he was a great father when both daughters believe that they were his favorite! Ted also leaves behind six loving and well-loved grandchildren: MacKenzie (Jay) Coates, Brad and Caroline Horrell; Sam (Bridget) Ford, Joseph (Kelsey) Ford, and Will (fiancée Rachel Ruddell) Ford; his one great-grandson, Jase Coates, and his much beloved companion, Luey the dachshund. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorials be made to East Side Baptist Church or Chateau on the Ridge in Paragould.

Visitation services will be held Wednesday night, January 10th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Heath Funeral Home in Paragould. There will be a private family burial followed by a “Celebration of Life” memorial service at East Side Baptist Church on Thursday, January 11th at 11:00 a.m. Pallbearers will be Scott and Brad Horrell and Scott, Sam, Joseph, and Will Ford.

Honorary pallbearers will be John McKay, Chuck Woodson, Johnny Goodman, Frank Guinn, Bill Fisher, and Mike Ford.

The family would like to say a special thanks to John McKay of Greenbrier and Chuck and Ellen Woodson of Paragould for their compassion, kindness, and friendship to Ted and his family as he battled these last eight years with Parkinson’s - and to the caregivers at the Little Rock/North Little Rock VA, Chateau on the Ridge, Greene Acres, and the ICU and hospice care departments at the Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould for making his end-of-life care a compassionate, peaceful transition to his heavenly father.