Nathan Edward May, 72, of Mabelvale, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on May 6, 2026, in Little Rock, surrounded by loved ones.

Nathan was born on January 28, 1954, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Edward and Lena Bell May. He grew up in central Arkansas and, in 1972, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served until 1976 as a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter mechanic, earning the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.

In civilian life, he served as plant manager at B&B Materials for many years. Outside of work, his hands stayed busy — he was a skilled mechanic who knew his way around an engine and had a sense of humor about it. One of his favorite shirts read "If you know what this means, we can be friends" above a list of numbers. Those numbers were the firing order of a Chevy V8. He, of course, knew them by heart.

Nathan loved the outdoors. Fishing, hunting, and any reason to be out in the woods or on the water suited him just fine.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Lena Bell May; his wife, Debbie May; his sister, Nina May; his sister-in-law, Margaret Kuehn; his grandson, James Aaron Bias; and his nephew, Andy Casey.

He is survived by his children, Nathan Eugene May and his wife Ashley, Marcia Alice Byers and her husband Alan, Brandy Michelle Abbott and her husband Travis, and Brian Edward May; his grandchildren, Ashley Bias, Austin Fletcher, and Riley May; his sisters-in-law Mary Menz and her husband Charlie, Sharon Kelsay, and Angie Oakley and her husband Donnie; his nieces and nephews — among them Heather Casey Metzler, Scott Weisenfels, Jessica Jolie, and Dawn Latch — and many other family and friends.

Family and friends will gather on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the veterans section of Rosemont Cemetery. Visitation will begin graveside at 1:30 PM, followed by a service with military honors at 2:00 PM.