This year’s Citizen of the Year has been a well-known, much respected, pillar of our community for many years, always going beyond the call of duty to help those in need. Earle Overton was born in Central City, Arkansas to Mr. and Mrs. Leo Overton. He graduated from Greenwood High School, then served in the United States Navy during World War II.
He began his plumbing career in 1947, working days for Bender Brothers Plumbing in Fort Smith, and evenings and Saturdays in Mansfield. It was also in 1947 that he married his true love, Irma Boyd, from Mansfield. They have three children, seven grandchildren, and will celebrate their sixtieth anniversary this July.
It was in 1963 that Earle, Irma, and partners Cecil and Marie Armstrong first opened Mansfield Plumbing, Heating, and Home Center. The business thrived, becoming a Mansfield Institution until it was sold in mid-2006, when Earle and Irma retired.
Earle is a member of the Mansfield United Methodist Church, where he and Irma served as youth leaders for more than twenty years. Earle also served as church treasurer and as chairman of the Administrative Council, holding both positions more that fifteen years. He has also served on the board of Methodist Village/Methodist Nursing Home in Fort Smith, on the board of Saint Paul Seminary of Kansas City, Missouri, and was a long time member of the Sebastian County School Board, the Mansfield School Board, and the Mansfield/Huntington Chamber of Commerce. He has served as a director of Mansfield Bank, still serves on the advisory board, and is a fifty-plus year member of the Mansfield/Huntington Lions Club.
Earle enjoys working with his hands and, though now retired, always manages to stay busy with one type of project or another and never misses a chance to visit with his children and beloved grandchildren. We are proud to introduce this year’s Citizen of the Year, Earle Overton.