Jon Cameron Binkley of Swifton, Arkansas departed this life on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, at the age of 66. He was born January 27, 1956, in New London, Connecticut, the son of J.C. and Mary Lou (Couch) Binkley. Jon married Miss Barbara Waite on August 7, 1975, and together they enjoyed 47 years.
Jon was a 1974 graduate of Swifton High School, where he played center for the Swifton Pirates Basketball Team. The team won District his Senior year. Following high school, Jon attended College of the Ozarks, where he also played basketball. He attended Crowley’s Ridge College and was a Graduate of Harding University’s Christian Communications Program.
Jon had a lifetime love of basketball, and enjoyed coaching peewee basketball and “Little Dribblers”. He was an avid outdoorsman, who enjoyed playing golf and he was especially proud of the hole-in-one he made on the 4th hole. Jon also enjoyed backpacking with friends at Caney Creek in South Arkansas. He was known for his love of race cars, especially muscle cars. Jon served in the Arkansas National Guard from 1978 to 1981.
Jon was a devoted member of the Church of Christ. He became a full-time minister in 1981 and over the next 41 years, served many different churches, including the North Heights Church of Christ in Batesville, Churches of Christ in Bryant and Osceola, and Maud, Texas, and the Center Hill Church of Christ in Paragould. Jon was currently serving as the pulpit minister for the Swifton Church of Christ where he grew up. He will be sorely missed by many Christians in the states and abroad.
His love for the church and children led him to further serve the Lord by attending all of the youth trips, including many trips to Youth In Action and working as co-director at Camp Petit John in Ada, Oklahoma, where he was known to swallow goldfish and worms! Jon served by going on several mission trips to Panama, Belize, and the Virgin Islands. He especially enjoyed his Navajo Mission Trips in Arizona with his wife and daughters. Children of many churches will remember him fondly for always making them feel special by giving them Tootsie Rolls.
Jon was a genuine person, who made a lasting impact on each person he met. He loved to make people smile and laugh, and was always telling stories, and had funny quotes, his favorite was, “Does the Pope wear a funny hat?”
Jon will forever be remembered for his heart and service to Christ and His Church, his great love of family, his kind heart, his great smile, and his sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by his family, church family, and his many friends.
He was preceded in death by his father and mother, J.C. Binkley and Mary Lou Couch Binkley; and his grandparents, Leonard Ray “Bud” and Rosalie Couch who were a very important part of his life.
Jon is survived by his wife of 47 years, Barbara (Waite) Binkley of Swifton; two daughters, Amalie Fields and husband, Seth of Paragould, and Bethany Davis and husband, Randy, of Paragould; his grandchildren, Allie Fields, Cameron Fields, Grayson Davis, and Dawson Davis; two brothers, Michael Binkley and wife, Roberta, of Cheboygan, Michigan, and Drew Binkley of Greenwood, Arkansas; brothers-in-law, Nathan Waite and wife, Susan, of Benton, Arkansas, and Robert Waite and wife, Anna, of Fort Myers, Florida; and a lifetime of friends.
Friends may visit at the funeral home, Thursday, November 3, 2022, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Funeral services are 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 4, 2022, at the Swifton Church of Christ, with Mr. Michael Meredith officiating. Interment will follow in Swifton Cemetery.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers are Robert Templeton, Marty Harvey, Bob Holt, J.Q. Harvey, Richard Phillips, and Colton Phillips. Honorary pallbearers are Steven Smith and Bo Rorex.
