John Parrish Neihouse's Obituary
John Parrish Neihouse, age 62, died Saturday, February 22, 2025 in his home after a very sudden onset of illness. He was born June 19, 1962 in Denver, Colorado. His parents are Leon Neihouse and Sandra Neihouse of Bath, Maine. John is survived by his wife, Mel Neihouse, and her son, Nicholas Rappold and his wife, Danielle Rappold of Vilonia, Arkansas. John has grandchildren Hayden Rappold, Hudson Rappold, and Harper Rose Rappold. He has a sister, Kristi Neihouse of Florida.
While attending college at Arkansas Tech University from 1981 to 1985, John became lifelong family with James Dunham and his family. John counts as family members a second mother, Erma Dunham and her husband, Calvin Dunham of Atkins, Arkansas; and as sisters and brothers, Cathy Meyer and her husband, Randy Meyer of Conway, Arkansas; Carol Stapper of Austin, Texas; Dr. John and Annette Dunham of Clarksville, Arkansas; Circuit Judge James and Renae Dunham of Atkins, Arkansas; and Karen and Robert Ghasemi of San Diego, California. In this part of his family, there are 13 nephews and nieces, and 4 great nephews and nieces.
John’s parents, Leon and Sandra Neihouse, have a large extended family from the Fort Smith and Russellville, Arkansas area, and John has many Neihouse and Calderera uncles, aunts, and cousins in both communities. He also considers as a part of his family his lifelong friend, Todd Renfroe and wife Danielle. John is Godfather to their son, Tucker Renfroe.
John attended Arkansas Tech University from 1981 to 1985 and left quite a mark on the University and the community. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and a big brother to Phi Mu sorority. John held leadership positions with both groups and formed close, lifelong friendships there. He served as Treasurer of the Student Government Association, and then was elected by the student body as President of the Arkansas Tech University Student Government Association his senior year. At the same time, he was selected as a Senior Fellow in the Accounting Department. Later in life, John served on the ATU Alumni Board.
Upon graduation from ATU, John received a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, and moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas where he lived with family and began a career as an accountant with Bracken & Gardner, CPA’s. John quickly passed the CPA exam and was licensed as a certified public accountant.
On a spontaneous whim about 9 months after graduation, John and three friends from ATU decided on a Wednesday to take the LSAT on the following Saturday. It was actually Jerry Don Ramey’s idea, which is how most of those college misadventures began. Anyway, that Friday night, John (accounting degree), James Dunham (biology major), Alan Norris (business major), and Jerry Don Ramey (the only pre-law major) drove to a hotel in Conway, Arkansas to spend the night and take the 7 am test on Saturday. Around 10 pm Friday, Jerry Don Ramey (the only person who had thought about this test for more than a couple of days) mentioned the requirement of two forms of ID to take the test. The three college students had their DL’s and student ID’s. John had already graduated, and had only a DL. So, with the same seriousness they brought to Conway, all 4 of them went in search of a midnight hunting license for John so he would have a second form of ID. It would be his only hunting license ever, but he aced the test. That August, he began 3 years of law school at UALR School of Law.
In law schoool, John again excelled. He and James Dunham (both L-1's) were roommates with two medical students, John Dunham (M-3), and Clint Henson (M-4). They all studied and played very hard, forming lifelong friendships in that crucible of professional school. John graduated Number 5 in his class of over 100, and was a member of the UALR Law Journal where he served as an Finance Editor.
Following law school, John moved to Dallas, Texas where he again attended law school, now Southern Methodist University, and was awarded an advanced LLM degree in taxation and estate planning. John practiced law in Dallas for three years before moving to Northwest Arkansas . He has practiced law since 1990. Since 2010 John has been a partner at the law firm RMP in Springdale, Arkansas, and he is widely recognized as an elite lawyer in his field.
John is an avid cyclist and has competed for many years at a very high level. He was a powerhouse on the bike, known for his passion and discipline that frequently landed him on the podium. But for him, the true reward wasn’t the medals - it was the camaraderie and lifelong friendships forged with fellow cyclists. Few can compete across four disciplines - mountain, gravel, cyclocross, and road. John had a clear favorite: gravel. And it showed.
A Rosary for John will be held at 11:00 am, Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas with a Funeral Mass following at 11:30 am. A reception will be held immediately after the Mass.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John’s name may be made to Pedal It Forward, 3902 NW Wishing Springs Drive, Bentonville, AR 72712, or to The Humane Society of the Ozarks, P.O. Box 11174, Fayetteville, AR 72703.
To sign the online guest book, please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com .
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