Jesse Dewey Hughes, 79, of Paragould, passed away on Monday, September 26, 2022. He was born September 20, 1943, to Acton and Eula (Crowley) Hughes.  Jesse Dewey Hughes, who went by Dewey, and was known affectionately to his closest friends as “the Aardvark”, and as “Peepaw” by his grandchildren, was born at Walcott, a quarter mile from the intersection of Highways 412/141.  He was a 1961 graduate of GCT and a member of Walcott Baptist Church much of his life.  He was drafted into the US Army and was trained as an Avionics Technician.  He served in the Vietnam War from Oct., 1964, to June, 1966, assigned to the 11th Air Assault Battalion, stationed at Pleiku, Vietnam.  He graduated ASU with a B.S. degree in History and a M.S. degree in Industrial Management.  He was a Master Electrician and Engineer at Tenneco Automotive (Monroe), retiring in 1998, with 23 years of service.  He and his wife, Sherry, retired to The Villages, Florida.  He was an above-average golfer, avid hunter/fisherman, founder of the A.F. Hughes Hunting Club, brewmaster, and best joke teller of all time, bar none.  He was a family man and absolutely adored all of his grandchildren.

Dewey was preceded in death by his parents, Acton and Eula (Crowley) Hughes, and sister, Jane Turnbow.

Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Sherry Hughes; sons, Joe Hughes, Jeremy Hughes (Jen); brother, Bob Hughes (Glenna); sister, Judy Gramling (Marion); grandchildren, Jonathan Hughes, Daric Hughes, Dylon Hughes, Eliza Hughes, Julian Hughes; great-grandchildren, Eula Hughes, Nora Hughes, Avery Hughes; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, September 29, from 2:00 p.m. until service time at Phillips Funeral Home. The funeral service will begin at 3:00 p.m. at Phillips Funeral Home with Nathan Gramling officiating. Burial will follow at Brown’s Chapel Cemetery.

Jonathan Hughes, Daric Hughes, Dylon Hughes, Julian Hughes, and Nathan Baumann will serve as pallbearers.