of Benton, AR

December 22, 1949 - March 1, 2024

Dr. Gary Wayne Villines, 74, of Little Rock, AR passed away March 1, 2024. Gary was born December 22, 1949 in Fort Smith, AR to the late Hazel Carlton and Rev. Floyd G. Villines Jr. He is survived by his sister, Sally Linebarger; his three children, Jackson Villines, Holly Villines and Taylor Villines (Kate), as well as his nieces, Meredith Villines and Corey Villines Brooks (Charles); his sister-in-law, Beverly Villines and his partner and best friend, Linda Fletcher. He is predeceased by his parents; his brother, Judge Floyd G. ''Buddy'' Villines and his brother-in-law, Jim Linebarger.


Gary attended Siloam Springs High School until his senior year, when he transferred to North Little Rock High School and graduated in 1967. As a young man, Gary was a talented swimmer and a lifeguard and his dream was to be a marine biologist. However, the Vietnam War was raging and he decided to attend medical school instead. After high school, Gary attended Hendrix College, where he was on the swim team until the chlorine affected his eyes so much that he could no longer study. Gary graduated from Hendrix in 1971, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology.


Gary then attended the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, graduating in 1975. As a young doctor, Gary served as a rural practice physician in Calico Rock, Arkansas, where, in addition to his daily primary-care duties, he handled severe trauma cases and even delivered babies by flashlight in the middle of the night. During his long, successful career, Gary treated thousands of patients in several hospitals in Arkansas, as well as the ER and Trauma Center at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC, where he lived for two years.


In addition to being a board-certified emergency medicine specialist, Gary became a wound-care specialist who started practicing hyperbaric medicine in 1993 at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center. In 2008, Gary established Arkansas' only privately-owned hyperbaric-oxygen therapy clinic, The HBO Clinic, whose purpose was to treat conditions not yet accepted for reimbursement by most insurance companies at a more affordable rate than could be offered in hospital-based units. Many patients benefited from this groundbreaking therapy, which accelerated their recovery from stroke, traumatic-brain injury and other neurological conditions.


Gary is well-known and respected in the medical community of Central Arkansas and by the many patients he treated for being a caring, dedicated physician. He is fondly remembered for the compassionate care he gave to patients and the support he gave to those with whom he worked.


Gary had a lifelong passion for raising plants, particularly orchids, caring for people and animals and a love for all living things, especially marine life. Gary enjoyed fishing, hiking, traveling, photography, snorkeling, collecting sea shells from all over the world and spending time with his family. Endlessly kind and quick with a joke, generous with his time and money, gentle, patient, quick to forgive and forget, loving without conditions or bounds, Gary will be dearly missed.



At Gary's request there will be no formal, public service. There will be a private memorial service for the family to celebrate Gary's life and legacy by fulfilling his last wish: to go fishing. Memorials may be made to Heifer International or Habitat for Humanity.

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