George Autrey McCrary's Obituary
George Autrey McCrary, 86, of Fayetteville, passed away on February 13, 2026, in Fayetteville. Many knew him as “Doc” or “Dr Mc”.
A memorial service will be held at 11am, Monday, February 16 at First Baptist Church, Fayetteville. This will be followed by a time of fellowship and sharing. He made friends easily and everywhere he went, and often managed to find old friends everywhere he traveled. His family called these “George McCrary moments”, and in our time of fellowship, we want to hear your George McCrary stories. George loved life and spending time with loved ones, and wouldn’t want everyone somber. Please wear comfortable clothing, even Razorback wear, as he was a diehard fan. Indicative of his generous and caring nature, he will not be buried, but will help future medical professionals with the donation of his remains to his alma mater of UAMS. Also, in keeping with his generosity and concern for others, memorials may be given to Northwest Arkansas Food Bank (https://www.nwafoodbank.org).
George was born in Nashville, Arkansas to Matthew and Addie Mae McCrary on August 31, 1939. He graduated from Nashville High in 1957. He married Mary Ann Frizzell on August 25, 1961, in Shreveport, Louisiana. After attending the University of Arkansas for 3 years, he attended UAMS, where he earned his MD in 1964. George served his medical residency with the U.S. Navy, serving for two years. While stationed at Millington, TN, he trained corpsmen who would go on to serve in the Vietnam War. He lost several friends that he had trained in that war. He practiced Family Medicine for over 40 years in Jacksonville and Cabot, Arkansas, followed by nearly 20 years with MANA Urgent Care in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Through those years, he was a true general practitioner, performing many surgeries, delivering babies (and sometimes, babies of babies he had delivered), emergency room coverage, serving as an attending physician at several nursing homes, setting fractures, and general care for all ages. Doc was known and revered for his bedside manner, he could take your family history, hear about your ailment, and diagnose you simultaneously. He was one of the last doctors to do house calls, often going out in the wee hours of the night to care for his patients. He would often stop at roadside wrecks and check on the people involved; he helped many people even while on vacation, notably saving two different people while sitting on the beach on the Carolina coast. He gave his time generously to the central Arkansas community by serving for over 30 years on the Pulaski County Board of Education, teaching Sunday School and working with Royal Ambassadors at First Baptist Jacksonville. He volunteered as the on-field physician for both Jacksonville High and North Pulaski High School football teams. Sharing his love of baseball and softball, he coached many softball teams through the years, on the Navy base, and several church teams. Having been raised on a farm, he had a deep love of animals, and was always surrounded by horses, donkeys, goats, dogs, and cats. He loved spending time at the beach, playing golf with his brother and brother-in-law, and deep-sea fishing, and he loved taking on anyone in a competitive game of dominoes. He was a rabid fan of the Arkansas Razorback, any and all sports, and even volunteered as a Track and Field official for many years. Doc was a natural storyteller, the keeper of the family history and stories, and he was in turn, curious about others and wanted to hear their stories, even until his last days in the hospital and rehab. First, foremost, and to his final hours, his number one love and primary focus was his wife, daughter, and family. His family always took priority and pride. George's greatest loss in life was the untimely death of his 16-year-old son, George, Jr. He led his wife and daughter through the traumatic grief with dignity, courage, and grace. He kept the family together against all statistical odds, and displayed his faith and love in the process. A life-long Christian, George was raised in the Missionary Baptist community, but spent the last 70 years as a member of 3 different Southern Baptist Churches, First Baptist Jacksonville, First Baptist Cabot, and First Baptist Fayetteville.
George is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Tom, and his son George McCrary, Jr.
George is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary Ann; his daughter and son-in-law, Mary Lynn and Alan Mantooth of Fayetteville; granddaughters Deanna Mantooth-Hendrix (Daniel) of Tucson, AZ, Laura Skinner (David) of Fayetteville, and Maureen Mantooth of Oneonta, NY; great-grandchildren Olivia and Teddy Hendrix of Tucson, AZ, and Isla and Rowan Skinner of Fayetteville. He is also survived by brothers-in-law Charlie Frizzell, Robert Frizzell (Mary), James Frizzell (Phyllis), and Kenny Frizzell (Ann); and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews whom he adored.
The family of George McCrary wishes to extend our sincere thanks for the kind and respectful care at Washington Regional Medical Center and The Maples at Har-Ber Meadows.
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