FAYETTEVILLE — John William “Will” Van Laningham,

34, died Friday, March 17, 2023, in a car accident in Hazen, Ark.

He was born Jan. 15, 1989, in Little Rock to Kathy Mandrell Van Laningham and Scott Van Laningham.

Will’s love of music was matched only by his intolerance for injustice, wherever he saw it.

When he wasn’t making music, he was making friends. Most of them remained close friends through thick and thin for the rest of his all-too-short life.

Will grew up in Fayetteville. He attended the New School, where he made the first set of friends. It was also there that he developed a love of performing. Getting to play the lead in “Oliver” one year and then Buddy Holly a few years later will do that to you. Will also had a knack for finding great teachers. It started at the New School with Karen Beaton, Angel Petet and Quran Carr.

Will attended and graduated from Fayetteville High School, where he made the next group of friends and had the good fortune to find teachers like Martha McNair, Milton Burke, and Robert Neralich.

He was already a big Razorback fan when he started attending the University of Arkansas and he soon met the next set of friends. He also experienced the joy of international travel. The first trip took him to India, where he and classmates had an audience with the Dalai Lama. At the U of A, Sidney Burris, Geshe Thupten Dorjee and Richard Lee made sure he got an excellent education and years of support and encouragement afterward. From the U of A he earned a bachelor’s degree with majors in philosophy and Spanish.

Will would soon make good use of that Spanish with a twoyear stint in Madrid, where he taught English to grade school students. Will was one of about 50 young Americans who discovered the Council for International Educational Exchange program. Nearly every weekend for two years, they travelled from Scotland to Greece. They explored the cafes, pubs, nightlife and museums in major, and some minor, cities of Europe.

While in Spain, he and two exchange program students formed a band they called Baby Talk. Performance videos can still be found on social media.

Will returned to the United States a different person. The change was written all over his face as he got off the plane. There was a new-found confidence and a real appreciation of classical art, different cultures, spectacular architecture and magnificent cathedrals.

It was at this point that he also found the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock. Actually, he “found it” after lunch with Skip Rutherford at Hugo’s. Once he got to the school, those intelligent and well-rounded students became the next set of friends. He found kindred spirits who also wanted to fight injustice, help the less fortunate and just make the world a better place. John DiPippa and Ellen Fitzpatrick were among the professors who exposed him to yet more ways to view the world.

Will took a short detour and enjoyed working on the Jonathan Dunkley for Congress campaign in central Arkansas. He also finished his master’s degree at the Clinton School.

He returned to Fayetteville with the degree and his new dog. A friend (of course) had rescued the dog from the streets of southwest Little Rock, and Will named him Strider. It’s from the Lord of the Rings and it’s somehow connected to Jimmy Page. It was the start of a match made in Heaven.

Will began to use his public service degree by coordinating an evaluation of the Tyson Foods Upward Academy, which is an adult education program at the company’s poultry plants. He also worked as a land survey technician at Blew & Associates. Most recently, Will was working at the Arkansas Support Network providing services for individuals with disabilities and their families.

He is survived by his parents of Fayetteville; uncle, Bill Mandrell of Fayetteville; aunt, Jodi Van Laningham Patterson of Broken Arrow, Okla.; and cousin, Kyle Patterson of Tulsa, Okla.; aunt, Kay Van Laningham Ratzlaff and husband Kenny of Tampa, Fla.; cousins, Derek Van Laningham and Matthew Van Laningham of Sacramento, Calif.; and numerous other members of the Van Clan scattered throughout the country. Will’s parents have adopted Strider.

Will was preceded in death by his grandparents, William Kermit and Dean Mandrell; John and Jo Aleene Van Laningham; and uncle, Eric Van Laningham.

The memorial will be at 4 p.m. Friday, March 24 at Nelson-Berna Funeral Home on Crossover Road in Fayetteville. The family will receive friends from the end of the service until 6 p.m. at the funeral home. To watch the livestream of the service or sign the guestbook, please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make memorials to any charity you think Will and Strider would approve.

Will’s fatal traffic accident happened as he was driving from Fayetteville to Memphis for a weekend reunion with two friends from the Clinton School.

Honorary pallbearers are Kahlilah Fleming, Donna Davis, Meegan Jones, Addison Largent, Josh Shaddox, Robert Roccio, Sheweet Yohannes, Mike Barron, Jeremiah Sniffin and Evan Brown.

Willbo, you packed a lot of life into those 34 years. Godspeed, our son.