Thomas Jefferson Daniel

Thomas Jefferson Daniel, age 79, of Glenwood, slipped the bonds of this life to join his Lord and Savior, Jesus in glory, on Sunday, May 29, 2016. Tom was born on August 9, 1936, in Cove, to Thurman and Cova Daniel. Preceding him in death were his parents; one brother, Pierre Jean Daniel; and one sister, Nixby Jane Daniel-Kannady. He attended Van-Cove High School, where he starred in basketball for his soon to be brother-in-law, George Washington "Bill" Hess, graduating in 1955. Soon after graduation, Tom joined the Navy, serving from 1955 to 1959, aboard the USS Bayfield and USS Caliente. Shortly after joining the Navy, he married his sweetheart, Annette Shinn Daniel, on July 20, 1956. They relocated to Long Beach and San Diego, California, where Tom was stationed. He travelled the Pacific with the Navy, then decided to leave the service where he pursued a lifetime career in law enforcement, as first a Malvern Police Officer from 1959 to 1963, then joining the Arkansas State Police on August 1, 1967, where he served for twenty years. First assigned to Searcy County in 1967, Tom was one of the only troopers to last in that county more than six months. He then transferred to Pike County in 1972, where he spent the bulk of his career. By 1990, he was back policing as the Glenwood Police Chief, where he retired again in 1998. He faithfully attended the First Baptist Church in Glenwood, where he was loved dearly by his church family. A strong believer in hard work, Tom was always working side jobs to provide for his family, including working cattle, hauling wood chips, operating chicken houses, and running feed trucks. There was no work he was not willing to tackle. He was a renowned "horse trader", who always believed that anything he owned was for sale, if the price was right. He is survived by his wife, Annette Shinn-Daniel; two daughters, LeAnne Daniel and Lisa Daniel-Whitley and her husband, Terry, of Glenwood; one son, Scott Daniel and his wife, Angela, of Glenwood; grandchildren, Spencer Whitley of Benton, Tyler Daniel of Las Vegas, Nevada, Garrett Whitley of El Dorado, Jonathan Daniel and Phillip Daniel, both of Glenwood; two step-grandsons, Ronald Gilbert of Little Rock and Nathaniel Gilbert of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; two sisters, Jeanette Smith of Ark City, Kansas and Diana Patterson of Mena; and numerous nieces, nephews, and family and a host of wonderful friends. Services will be held at 10:00 AM, Thursday, June 2, 2016, at the First Baptist Church, in Glenwood, with Bro. Erby Burgess and Bro. Bobby Golden officiating. Visitation will be Wednesday, 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM, at the funeral home. Interment will be in the Prairie Bayou Cemetery, Bismarck under the direction of Davis-Smith Funeral Home, Glenwood. Military honors will be provided by the U.S. Navy honor team and the Arkansas State Police Honor Guard. Pallbearers are Alan Moore, Chad Moore, Kenny McGrew, Reggie Jones, Terry Whitley, Garrett Whitley, Tyler Daniel, and Rick Myrick. Honorary Pallbearers are Rex Lawrence, Philip Glasgow, Wendall Adams, Jerry Jones, Jerry Lowery, Jack Stevens, Jim Bray; Arkansas State Police Troop K, Hot Springs, past and present officers, and his special friends in the First Baptist Church Fish Net Sunday School Class. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Feed God's Sheep Ministry, c/o Glenwood First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 373, Glenwood, Arkansas, 71943 or to the Prairie Bayou Cemetery Fund, c/o Elderie Efird, 20133 Hwy. 84, Malvern, Arkansas, 72104. Guest registry is at www.davis-smith.com.