Mitchell LaGrone Passes, Was President of Citizens National Bank

By Roller Funeral Homes, 11/22/22 3:17 PM

Robert Mitchell (Mitch) LaGrone III passed from this life on November 18, 2022. Born in Hope, AR in 1932 to Robert and Evelyn LaGrone, he was a graduate of Hope High School and Southern Methodist University where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, ROTC, and the freshman baseball team.

Mitch was inducted into the United States Air Force in 1955 at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas. He served as Manager of the Officer’s Club and later as Adjutant of the Air Police squadron. He played on the base football, baseball, and golf teams, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain.

In 1958 he became a casualty underwriter for Travelers Insurance Company in Dallas where he met and married Arlene Kuehling. They returned to Hope and opened LaGrone Insurance and Realty Agency.

Mitch joined the Citizens National Bank in 1962 and in 1974 followed his late father and grandfather as the bank’s third president. He served the bank for 42 years as an employee and director.

Mitch was deeply involved in the work of the First United Methodist Church of Hope, serving as a teacher in the youth department, Sunday school superintendent, Chairman of Trustees and the planning, construction and financing of the new church building in 1973. He was also active in a number of commercial poultry businesses, real estate and an abstract and title company. Mitch and his family owned two farms in Hempstead County which produced timber, hay, watermelons and peaches. He was appointed to the Red River Commission of Southwest Arkansas by then Governor Bill Clinton.

Mitch was a prime mover in helping build Hope Country Club by promoting the construction of a new clubhouse in the 1970s as well as planning and overseeing the expansion of the golf course when nine additional holes were built in the 1990s. He formed the 135-member Southwest Arkansas Senior Golf Association and was its Executive Director and Tournament Chairman for a number of years.

 

Mitch and his wife, Arlene, moved to Little Rock in 2001 to be nearer their children and grandchildren. They became members of Trinity United Methodist Church and belonged to the Searchers Sunday School Class. Mitch served as Chairman of the Trinity Chaplains visitation ministry. They moved to Maumelle in 2005 and later became members of St. James United Methodist Church of Little Rock and the New Challenges Sunday school class. In 2017 they returned to Little Rock and settled in Parkway Village.

Besides family, church, banking and agriculture, his other major interests were golf, hunting, fishing, playing guitar and banjo and crafting hard-shell gourds.

Mitch was predeceased by his parents, Robert & Evelyn LaGrone and a sister, Barbara LaGrone Daniels.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Arlene; children, Dean (Bonnie); Andy (Lisa); Pat; Jeanne (Kenny) De Luca; nephew, Tim (Mona) Daniels; 6 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A Celebration of Life service will be held Tuesday, November 29, at 1:00 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church, located at 321 Pleasant Valley Drive in Little Rock, Arkansas. Following the service, friends are invited to join the family for refreshments and visitation. A private burial will be held at Riverwood Memorial Gardens in Maumelle.

Memorials may be made to St. James United Methodist Church, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, or charity of choice. Any flowers should be delivered to Roller-Chenal Funeral Home.

Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal