Biography:

Earl Hicks "Skip" Clemmons III, 71, of Little Rock, died unexpectedly at home on Sep. 12, 2026. Born Sep. 15, 1954 in Pine Bluff, he was the son of the late Earl H. Clemmons Jr. and Bennye Haskins Clemmons. Skip grew up in Pine Bluff and graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 1972, making friends there that have served as a foundation for his life in Little Rock.

After high school, he attended Loyola University New Orleans where he earned his BBA in Accounting alongside extensive coursework in philosophy, graduating in 1976. Upon graduation he left for SUNY Stony Brook to pursue a PhD in philosophy, but dropped out after a year to return to warmer weather in New Orleans where he joined Price Waterhouse as an accountant, describing his year in philosophy as his “rebellious phase.”

By 1979, he’d moved to Greensboro, NC to join Barker Ward and earned his CPA. While in Greensboro, he met Susan L. Day. In 1983, he applied to Stanford Graduate School of Business, "just to change the channel." Fortunately Susan was also excited to move to Palo Alto. There, they made a tight-knit group with the class of ‘85 with whom they stayed close over the following decades. Keeping up friendships was one of Skip's superpowers.
In 1985, Susan and Skip, recently engaged, moved to Little Rock. Skip joined Stephens Inc., where he spent the next 40 years, rose to Managing Director and focused on healthcare services, biotech, life science tools, agriculture and animal productivity.

He married Susan in 1986, and they made Little Rock home. By 1990, they were expecting their first son and putting down roots in the home they would share for the rest of their lives. The house was built for gathering with a table for twelve, a beloved stereo with hundreds of LPs, a kitchen overflowing with home-cooked meals and an open door to their families, friends, and anyone they could help. Their sons, Patrick (1990) and Colin (1995), grew up with a loving example of family, kindness, community and generosity.

Skip provided diligently for his wife and sons. If he wasn't working, he was likely at church, at home "spinning vinyl," or with his sons at Boy Scouts.

He had a remarkable ability to bring out the best in people. He was a Boy Scout leader and Leave No Trace master educator, a colleague and mentor at Stephens, a Stanford interviewer, a fundraiser for Stanford and Troop 30 where he ran Christmas Card sales for 20+ years, and more. Skip had a way of seeing people's potential, then inspiring, motivating and coaching them on how to achieve it. Whether it was a colleague in their career, a budding Eagle Scout or anyone else, he would always find a way to help. After the loss of his son Patrick to addiction in 2011, he redoubled his efforts, making it “one of my projects” to help other young men and women find their footing. He took personal pride in giving folks opportunity, going so far as to get one man a job on a ship moving cattle in the Mediterranean to keep him out of trouble. Talking with those men and women makes it clear that his impact on the community is greater than he could have possibly known, extending far beyond his closest friends and family.

In 2024, the family lost Susan to a sudden, aggressive cancer, and Skip was never whole again. Despite the loss of his wife, he managed a second knee replacement without her and kept up “my 10,000 steps” a day until the day he died. He would consistently talk about “how lucky we are” to have a loving home and family and the fortune of professional success, even through his grief over both Susan and Patrick. He never stopped thinking of how he could help the people in his life.

Skip was preceded in death by his wife of 38 years, Susan L. Day; his son, Patrick Andrew Clemmons; his sister, Rose Clemmons Gladner; his parents, Earl Hicks Clemmons Jr. and Bennye Haskins Clemmons; his uncle, John T. Haskins; and his parents-in-law, Edward Ray Day and Ellen White Day.

He is survived by his son, Colin Clemmons (Hannah) of Berkeley, CA; his brother, Neil Clemmons, of Bentonville, AR; his sister, Jane Clemmons, of San Carlos, CA; his brother-in-law, Neal Gladner, of Hot Springs, AR; his nieces and nephews, Alex Clemmons (Jessica) of Evanston, IL and Shannon Goeldi (Michael) of Graz, Austria; his great-nieces and nephews, Nora and Wyatt Clemmons and Bennett and Declan Goeldi; and the Haskins family, including Heidi Haskins, Kelli Haskins Buck and Blain Buck of Malvern, AR.

A funeral Mass, interment and reception will be held Sep. 22 at 10am at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church in Little Rock. Visitation will be held Sep. 21 from 5-7pm at Ruebel Funeral Home, 6313 West Markham Street. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to BSA Troop 30 at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2223 Durwood, Little Rock, AR 72207, and to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. 9th St., Little Rock, AR 72202. Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com