Jessie Howard Lea

Jessie Howard Lea, 94, went to be with the Lord on January 11, 2026. He was born in Greenbrier AR on December 14, 1931, to the late, John and Gertie Lea.

Jessie was born and raised in Faulkner County; he traveled through the US; living in Rhode Island and California. He didn’t like staying in one place too long until he moved back to Faulkner County and met his wife, Shirley. Jessie was in his 30’s when he enlisted in the military towards the Korean conflict time as a paratrooper in the Army. Jessie lived a lot of life through those times but found his home when he and Shirley began their life together. Jessie loved to travel and see the history of the nation, visiting different state capitals along the way. He loved gardening, especially his sunflowers and vegetables. He always had a proud smile when his watermelons and squash were bigger than the last. Jessie loved to plant flowers that Shirley loved; he wasn’t big on sharing his feelings, but everyone around him knew how much he cared by the little favors he did for them.

He now joins, his wife, Shirley; his parents; daughter, Paula Lea; stepdaughter, Sharon Carroll; and brother, John (Opal) Lea.

Jessie is survived by his children, John Lea, Jesse Lea, and Wanda (Don Paul) Choate; stepchildren, Fran (Curtis) Adams and Delbert (Tonya) Plymale; grandchildren, Joshua (Christina) Carroll, Jeremy Carroll, Jessica Coats, Codi (Gloria) Plymale, Jonathan Lea, Jordan Lea, Jake Lea, Rodney Choate, and Paula (Mike) Shumake; great grandchildren, Tyler (Cassidy) Edge, Alyssa (Emma) Williamson, Cade (Allie) Williamson, Darcy Shumake, Lucas Plymale, Connor Plymale, and Grant Swindle; son in law, George Carroll; several great - great grandchildren; and a host of family and friends. 

There will be a funeral service on Thursday, January 15th at 3:00 pm with a visitation 1 hour prior at 2:00 pm, at LifeSong Baptist Church, and a burial immediately following at Pleasant Valley Cemetery.