Robert “Bobby” Bohannan of Berryville, Ark., was born December 11, 1947, in Eureka Springs, Ark., to George Ellis and Sharda Esther (Segraves) Bohannan. Bo passed away Monday, June 14, 2021, in Rogers, Ark. at age 73.
Bo is survived by his daughter Sorrel Bohannan McCarthy (Mike) of Lewisville, Texas; half-sister Gail Bush Goff of Van Buren, Ark.; step-brother Aubrey Heape (Arlyn) of Sheboygan, Wis.; nephew Christopher Webb of Springdale, Ark., nieces Kellie Webb Bradley (Terry) and Ashley Webb Schoggin (Nick); step-daughter Tonya McMahan (Josh) of Green Forest, Ark.; step-son Mike Dwyer (Shelby) of Berryville, Ark.; four grandchildren: Elise, Aiden, Cael, and Bryn, and 10 step-grandchildren: Trinity, Jacob, Chloe, Lily, Zachary, Gavin, Phoenix, Dakota, Liam, and Reagan.
He is preceded in death by his parents, George Ellis Bohannan and Sharda Segraves Bohannan Harp, sister Frances Lynne Bohannan Webb, and half-sister Connie Bohannan Hill.
Bo served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War and lived in Hawaii and Washington State before returning to Arkansas in the early 1970s. He loved music and came from a long line of gifted bluegrass musicians. As a teen, he played in a band called The Avengers. In the ‘70s, after returning to Eureka Springs, he played bass with the Eureka Springs-based band, Gaskins Switch, and opened for John Lee Hooker at the Ozark Mountain Folk Fest in May 1973.
After living in Houston and Missouri for several years, he returned again to Arkansas in the 1980s. He lived in Berryville and worked at Tyson Foods for the last 30 years of his life. He will be greatly missed by his daughter Sorrel, his stepdaughter Tonya, his stepson Mike, and his many grandchildren, as well as his co-workers at Tyson Foods and his beloved dogs, Jaxx, Noodles, and Zoe.
Memorial services will be held at a later date and will be posted online at nelsonfuneral.com. Memorial donations may be made to the Gaskins Switch Memorial Foundation: mightycause.com/story/Gaskinswitchmemorialfoundation.
Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson Funeral Service. Online condolences may be sent to the family at nelsonfuneral.com. © Nelson Funeral Service, Inc. 2021.
RIP, Bobby!