Respected radio personality Gary Elmore passes away (Updated)

Gary Elmore, a respected, influential and community-focused radio personality, passed away June 7.

Updated info — the obit for Gary Elmore: Rev. Gary M. Elmore, 56, of Huntington, passed away on Monday, June 7, 2010 in a Fort Smith hospital. He was program director and talk show host of KWHN Radio and Pastor of God’s House of Prayer in Fort Smith.

Services will be Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 2:00 P.M. at the Mansfield High School Gym with burial at Huntington Cemetery under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home in Greenwood. Viewing will be Wednesday, June 9th from 1-9 P.M. at the funeral home where family will visit with friends from 5-7 P.M.

Survivors include his wife, LaRhesa of the home; four sons, Clint Elmore and his wife, Crystal of Greenwood, Gary Scott Elmore of Ozark, Zachary R. Williams of Huntington and Mikey Rush of Huntington; three daughters, Annsley L. Williams of Van Buren, Heather Shelly of ft. Smith and Bethany Rush of Huntington; four brothers, Arlin Elmore of Dover, Jerry, Rickey and Larry Elmore, all of Huntington; three sisters, Glenda Freeman of Sugar Grove, Joyce Bratton of Huntington and Karen Hughes of Greenwood and five grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Shane Hughes, David Hughes, Tim Elmore, Aaron Elmore, James Elmore and Brian Freeman. Honorary Pallbearers will be Brent Elmore, Randy Black, Ronnie Black, Buddy Black, Jerry "Lil Jerry" Elmore, Denny Dillard and Darren Bobb.

“KWHN and Fort Smith radio veteran Gary Elmore passed away June 7, 2010. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gary’s family. We are respecting the family’s privacy at this time, so no further information is available. Arrangements are pending and we will let you know as they are made public,” according to a statement posted 8:28 p.m. on the KWHN website.

The husband, father and grandfather was born in in 1954 in Fort Smith and was a lifelong resident of Sebastian County. He graduated from Mansfield High School in 1972.

Although losing the use of his left arm at two-years old from Polio, Elmore learned to play the drums at age 12. He played drms for Southern Gospel groups for 18 years.

He has been employed by KWHN 1320 for more than 19 years, with more than 15 years of those as news director and host of Arklahoma AM.

“This has allowed me the opportunity to interviews hundreds if not thousand of guests. Everyone from the dog catcher to the Governor,” Elmore said of the experience.

In his more than 30 years in the radio business, Elmore recorded thousands of commercials and lent his voice to numerous video productions. Those included a documentary for the University of the Ozarks (Clarksville) about the $6 million donation by Wal-Mart co-founder Helen Walton and the video presentation for the U.S. Marshals Museum that was used to help successfully recruit the museum to Fort Smith.

He has received numerous awards for his work, including three first-place honors from the Arkansas Associated Press.

“Gary made a huge impact on a lot of lives. I am blessed to be one of them. He was a great teacher and mentor, but even a greater friend. I’m gonna miss you Buddy,” Alice Yeager, a long-time co-worker of Elmore’s noted on the KWHN Facebook page.

Bryan Harris, Elmore’s co-host on the Arklahoma AM show for the past several years noted: “Doing the show without him will always feel like going into a fight with one boot off.”

The staff and owners of The City Wire are grateful and honored to have been included in Gary’s vast network of friends. We send our sincere condolences to his family, and hope that his generous, warm and loving spirit may continue through those he touched.

This post will be updated with funeral ceremony details.