Delano "Del" Richardson Jolly, MSGT, USAF (retired), 80, of Jacksonville, AR passed away in the early morning hours on Monday, January 22nd. He was born on June 27, 1937 in Union, S.C. to the late Wm. Wallace Jolly and Olive Croy.

Del was a hero in every sense of the word. He served with great pride in the United States Air Force for 20 years. During this time, he served a tour in Vietnam as well as numerous TDY's where he was awarded the Bronze Star. In 2006, he was inducted into the Air Intelligence Agency Freedom Through Vigilance Hall of Honor for modifications he made that resulted in many successful missions. He was a founding member of Airborne Maintenance Technician Association (AMTA) and always enjoyed the fellowship with his military brothers who were also great friends.

He was a loving husband, father, brother grandfather, uncle, and friend. He enjoyed a fun sense of humor and loved to laugh. He was one that never knew a stranger and everyone was drawn to this special man. His presence on Earth will be greatly missed but we know he was a child of God and we will see him again one day.

He is survived by his loving bride of 57 years, Sharon Jolly; daughter, Monica Lynn Hall of Newberry, SC; son, Del W. Jolly (Leesa) of Cabot, AR; daughter, Lori A. Parrott (Rob) of Aledo, TX; brother, Wm. Ray Jolly of Henderson, NV; a special first cousin, Zaretta Koepka of Eugene, OR; 6 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Charlene Fowler and Opal Taylor; three brothers, Glenn Croy, Darrell Jolly and Olin D. Jolly; two grandsons, Curtis Delano Jolly and Bradley Ray Radford; and son-in-law, Kenneth Hall.

Services will be Thursday, January 25 with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Moore's Jacksonville Funeral Home, 1504 North J.P. Wright Loop Rd., with the funeral service following at 2:00 p.m. Burial with military honors will be at Chapel Hill Memorial Park in Jacksonville. Online guestbook: www.mooresjacksonvillefuneralhome.com

We extend a special debt of gratitude to all the staff at Chambers Nursing Home in Carlisle, AR for the outstanding care they provided over the past few years. Also, thank you to the staff in the palliative care unit at John L. McClellan VA Hospital for the care and respect they provided over the last week of his life.