OBITUARY: Ronnie Mac Vineyard

Ronnie “Mac” Vineyard, 83, of Nashville, TN, formerly of Russellville, AR; Hot Springs Village, AR; and Fort Smith, AR, passed away, surrounded by his loving family, on Friday, April 3, 2026.

He was born on August 29, 1942, in Gorman, TX, to the late H.M. “Shorty” Vineyard and the late Jessie Mewborn Vineyard. He was also preceded in death by his son, Dale Vineyard; his brother, Gene “Bubba” Vineyard; and his sister-in-law, Nell Vineyard.

Mac was raised in Comanche, TX, and Fort Worth, TX. He graduated from Birdville High School in Haltom City, TX, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Texas Christian University where he was a member of the baseball team. During his long, successful career in the telecommunications industry, Mac earned many honors and awards in sales before retiring from Nortel Networks. He was named Man of the Year in 1974 by the Russellville, AR, Chamber of Commerce.

His hobbies included golfing; attending horse races at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, AR; watching Texas Rangers baseball, the Dallas Cowboys, and TCU football and baseball; traveling to Hawaii; and spending time with his family. He served as a Mason for more than fifty-five years.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Garry Martin Vineyard; three children, Dana Simmons (Scott) of Fishers, IN; Amy Bynum (Keith) of Franklin, TN; and Hal Vineyard of Fort Smith, AR; and his grandchildren, Mackenzie Vineyard Harpole (Michael) of Arvada, CO; Stephanie Simmons of Fishers, IN; Jaxon Dale Vineyard of Fort Smith, AR; and Ellis Bynum of Franklin, TN. His puppy and constant companion, Miss Jeep Vineyard, also survives him, along with two brothers-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and several nieces and nephews.

Mac’s love of telling a good story, with his humorous and witty sayings interjected, will live on through his children and grandchildren. He will be remembered as a straight shooter and as someone who consistently put others above himself, often doing things for others that few people ever knew about.

A private family celebration of life was held on Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Franklin, TN.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc., 5801 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or a charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank Mac’s medical team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Alive Hospice for the compassionate care they provided.

For more obituaries visit our obituaries page.

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