Biography: Roland Rowe “Rollie” Remmel of Little Rock, was born in Little Rock on September 26, 1917, the fifth child of Augustus Caleb Remmel, Sr. and Ellen Lucy Cates Remmel, died at home July 2, 2006. “Rollie” was preceded in death by his father and mother; his brothers Harmon Liveright Remmel and his first wife JaquelinTowson Remmel, Pratt Cates Remmel and wife Catherine Couch Remmel, and Augustus Caleb Remmel, Jr.; sister Carrie Ellen Remmel Dickinson and her husband Haskell Tyndall Dickinson; brother-in-law Richard Colburn Butler; and his eldest daughter, Ruth Ellen Remmel. Surviving him are his wife of 58 years, Ruth Rebsamen Remmel; sister Gertrude Remmel Butler; sisters-in-law Jean Purrington Remmel FitzSimmons and Beverly Best Remmel; children Mary Remmel Wohlleb and husband Jim Wohlleb; Karen Remmel Lowry and husband Steve Lowry; and Dr. Raymond Roland Remmel and wife Dr. Margarita Garcia Remmel. Grandchildren are Sara Wohlleb and husband Salvador Vergara, Beth Wohlleb Adel and partner Vanessa Mohr Adel, Joshua Neal Lowry, Justin Cates Lowry, Jared Jennings Lowry, Ariana Maria Remmel, Carina Elizabeth Remmel, and Remington Rebsamen Remmel. Great-grandchildren are Dunia Jasiri Adel and Santiago Vergara. Foster great-grandchildren are Robert and Aquari Barfield. Many nieces and nephews and their children also survive him. Having heard all his early life, “Are you Gertie’s, Harmon’s, Gus’s, and Pratt’s little brother?”, Rollie decided to be the only sibling to attend Washington and Lee University, where he joined Sigma Chi fraternity. As a late starter at studying seriously, he left W & L for the more disciplined Virginia Military Institute. The University of Arkansas awarded him a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After service as a contract officer and captain with the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, Remmel returned to Little Rock, where he co-founded Southland Building Products and started smaller businesses. He also managed several of the Rebsamen business firms. In the 1950s the National Plywood Association elected him president and inducted him into the Plywood Hall of Fame. He also served as Director of the Little Rock Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Enthusiastically dedicated to his community, Remmel actively supported First United Methodist Church of Little Rock, the Boy Scouts, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Easter Seals, Catholic High School for Boys, the Salvation Army, Arkansas Nature Conservancy, the Aerospace Education Center and its Episphere, and many other worthy causes. This year Rotary Club 99 awarded him—one of its longest-serving members—the Centennial Paul Harris Fellow Award. The camaraderie of friends in the Old Goats club gave him many pleasurable hours as well. In the early 1970s, Rollie and Ruth led the fund drive for the National Herb Garden at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC, a gift to the nation from the Herb Society of America. Rollie boasted that they put 99 cents of every donated dollar into the earth. A lifelong, avid Republican, Rollie ran his brother Pratt’s successful campaign for mayor of Little Rock. Party affiliation did not dampen his support of his dear friend Wes Clark’s campaign, however. Rollie is probably best known for his untiring and unending promotion of Ducks Unlimited, under the nickname of Papa Duck. Rollie’s efforts earned him friendships across North America as well as the Bert McKee Award, Heritage membership, and marshes in Alberta, Canada and Arkansas named for him. Rollie gave his bipartisan walking sticks, called “Rollie sticks”, at first to help his friends “stay vertical” while wading in marshes and later to celebrate their good deeds. His close friends Pete and Pat Hardy gathered and carved many of those Rollie sticks, and Bill Lusk added their exquisite duck heads. Five bright pink sticks have gone annually in recent years to leaders of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Rollie was particularly pleased that, at President Clinton’s request, a special Rollie stick is in the replica oval office of the Clinton Presidential Library. Over the course of his lifetime, Rollie met one of the Wright brothers, Charles Lindbergh, and Neil Armstrong. He enjoyed all experiences to their fullest, but Jackson Point Hunting Club on the Mississippi River was his idea of heaven on earth. He loved hunting and fishing and sustaining the natural world around him. Rollie’s long, productive life, giving and receiving love, encouraged everyone he met to respect human dignity and to rise above whatever challenges they faced. One of his family nicknames, coined by granddaughter Ariana, was “Ra Ra”, which seemed particularly appropriate for this cheerleader par excellence. During his final days, while struggling to speak, Rollie voiced three notions on his mind, “Love, family,” and, with a characteristic twinkle in his eye, “a little bit of business.” The family thanks Rollie’s many friends for their support and concern during his illness, as well as the staffs at CARTI, St. Vincent’s Infirmary, Baptist Rehabilitation Institute, in particular Drs. Dean Kumpuris, Joe Beck, and Barry Baskin. His primary caregivers in recent months, Douglas Sorensen and Martin Craddock, and for many years, Dorothy Morgan and Bill Brooks, gave friendship, humor, and energy to make him as comfortable and as happy as possible. Before his injury in March, Sue Hill also provided the transportation that kept him out with “his public”. Through the years, his devoted executive secretary, Virginia McCartney, and long-time employee, Ruth Bratcher, performed countless valuable tasks for him, for which his family owes much gratitude. Following a private family burial, a memorial service will be held at 3:00 PM on Wednesday, July 5, at First United Methodist Church, 723 Center Street, Little Rock. Among his many causes, Rollie Remmel would have been especially happy for donations to any of the following organizations: Arkansas Ducks Unlimited (for wetlands projects): Arkansas Field Office, 261 Newman Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72117 Aerospace Education Center (for its Episphere Digital Dome): 3301 East Roosevelt Road, Little Rock, AR 72206 Gertrude Remmel Butler Child Development Center of First United Methodist Church (for scholarships): 324 West 8th Street, Little Rock, AR 72201 The Herb Society of America Ellen Remmel Website: 9019 Kirtland-Chardon Road, Kirtland, OH 44094 The Arkansas Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation: 904 Autumn Road, Suite 500, Little Rock, AR 72211 CARTI Foundation: PO Box 55011, Little Rock, AR 72215