Earl Bobo’s faith became sight on Easter Sunday, April 5th, 2026, when he was welcomed into glory at the age of 82 in the presence of his daughters.
Earl was born on October 16th, 1943, to Coy and Catherine Bobo in Lewisville, Arkansas. Coy found Earl to be great company when he went out to cut pulpwood and by the age of 10 Earl was running a chainsaw alongside his dad. With the money Earl earned helping his dad, he bought his first car at the age of 12 and rebuilt the motor himself. Understanding mechanics and engineering came naturally to Earl, so much so that in high school he was often pulled out of class to help the bus mechanic rebuild motors and transmissions and the like.
He married the love of his life, Bernice Ward, on May 4th, 1962. Bernice’s testimony of faith and her persistent prayers and encouragement along with the prompting of the Holy Spirit led Earl to make the decision early in their marriage to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. The Lord then began the lifelong work of molding Earl into a man that his family, his church and his community could depend on. He was ordained as a deacon in 1967, and he took very seriously his responsibility to be a servant of the church. They welcomed four daughters into their marriage. As a “daddy,” he was generous with his “I love you’s” and his hugs, but he truly showed his love through service and his lessons. His girls knew how to check the oil and change a tire before they were ever allowed to pull out of the driveway. They also knew what it meant to be loved by someone who would lay down his life for them, and who would teach them how to draw their strength from the Lord.
Earl often told how the opportunity to work in the oil industry came at just the right time in their lives. It was a God given opportunity for him to build a career that would provide for his family and allow Bernice the opportunity to use her gifts in the home, church and community. Countless people were served by Bernice’s generous heart and hands while Earl worked for companies such as Sun Oil Company, Sunoco, Oryx, and Kerr McGee in the oil fields of southwest Arkansas and later operated gas plants in west Texas and Louisiana. He almost always had a side gig going on as well, usually that of shade tree mechanic. He even traded his mechanic skills to a horse rancher in west Texas, Mr. Hoy Hamilton, for a lot on the ranch in order to move his family out of town. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton became like another set of grandparents to the girls.
Upon retirement, Earl focused on cattle farming and engineering whatever Bernice needed or wanted. As her health declined, Earl took pride in coming up with innovative ways of providing care for her in their home. If you talked to him at all, he likely showed you pictures on his phone of all the gizmos and gadgets and home alterations he made just to make life a little easier for her. As for the farm, you rarely caught Earl in the house. He was always working on something. And if it was raining, well, he could always run up to the farm store. In his last days, that mind was scrambling trying to engineer something that would allow him to climb back on his tractor.
Earl was welcomed home Sunday by a whole host of family. Besides his parents, he was welcomed by his beloved wife, Bernice, two sisters, Jeanette Rickels (Doug) and Carolyn Jackson (Jack), two brothers, Alvin Bobo (Carol) and Jimmy Bobo, three sons in law, Todd Stiles, Carroll Purtle and Edward Briscoe, three grandsons, Nathan Stiles, Jerry Briscoe and Joel Purtle, as well as three granddaughters, Elizabeth and Rebekah Purtle and Rachel Stiles.
He is survived by his four daughters; Carla Stiles Briscoe, Sherri Rogers (Edwin Ray), Sharon Purtle and Christa Bobo Neal, two brothers; Michael Bobo (Peggy) and Larry Bobo (Penny), 15 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and a host of beloved nephews and nieces. He was blessed to call many neighbors his friend, but Robert Wyatt, Jr. (Bois d’Arc) was always there, rain or shine, to check on him and Bernice and to spend a little precious time just swapping stories.
The family would like to thank the staff of Enhabit Home Health, Heather Manor South Rehabilitation and Nursing, Southwest Regional Medical Center and home infusion nurses Vicki and Ashley for their care of Earl. Their dedication, skill and kindness are more than this family can ever repay.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 pm on Wednesday, April 8th at Herndon-Fuqua Funeral Home in Hope, AR.
Funeral service will be 2:00 pm on Thursday, April 9th, 2026, at Herndon-Fuqua Chapel.
Graveside service will follow at Holly Springs Cemetery near Spring Hill, Arkansas.