VALLEY PARK – Ralph Boarder Frisbee, a renowned agricultural pilot and farmer, died Thursday, March 31, 2016, at Merit Health River Region in Vicksburg. He was 86.

Mr. Frisbee was born in Mississippi County, Ark., to Charlie and Pleasant Holt Frisbee. He was reared in Osceola, Ark., moved to Pioneer, La., and later settled in Valley Park, Miss.

Mr. Frisbee began flying when he was in his early 20s after he traded a milk cow to pay for his flying lessons. He found and repaired an old Piper J-3 that was converted to a crop duster and began dusting his family’s cotton crops in Louisiana. Soon, he was dusting his neighbors’ fields. He was issued his first commercial pilot’s license years later, in 1955. He continued to fly and dust crops in Louisiana and Mississippi until he was nearly 80 years old. At the time of his retirement, Mr. Frisbee was the oldest known active ag pilot in the nation.

He was a lifetime member of the Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Association, Louisiana Agricultural Aviation Association and a longtime honorary member of the National Agricultural Aviation Association.

Mr. Frisbee moved to Valley Park in 1966 and farmed in Sharkey and Issaquena counties and in Pioneer until 2010.

Mr. Frisbee was a lifelong member of the Southern Baptist faith and served as deacon at several churches.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Frisbee was preceded in death by his wife, Reba Sue Johnson Frisbee; two sisters, Gladys Polk and Charlene Bledsoe; and two brothers, Franklin Frisbee and Carl Frisbee; and step-grandson, Jinx Smith.

Mr. Frisbee is survived by his wife, Christine Grey Frisbee; a daughter, Arleen Bridges of Redwood; two sons, Dennis Frisbee (Carla) of Amity, Ore., and Ted Frisbee (Alexis) of Vicksburg; one stepson, Cliff Grey (Angela) of Vicksburg; two stepdaughters Christy Noah (Bobby) of Vaiden and Bonnie Morgan (Joel) of Madison; five grandsons, Dr. Michael Spann, Air Force Maj. Dennis Frisbee, Koury Collins, Alex Frisbee and Owen Frisbee; two granddaughters, Dr. Leigh Lenz and Ashley Purvis; four step-grandsons Brett Grey, Garrett Grey, Stanton Smith and Greyson Morgan; two step-granddaughters Callie Grey and Gabbie Morgan; seven great-grandchildren; two sisters, Doris Doss of Terrell, Ark., and Glenda Dollar of Larto, La.; and his brother, Marvin Frisbee of Perris, Calif.

Services will be at Glenwood Funeral Home on Monday at 1 p.m. with pastor Ronnie Purser officiating. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Gardens Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3 until 6 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

Pallbearers will be Tim Barnette, David Johnson, David Wansley, Billy Whitten, Larry Whitten and Jimmy Newman.

Honorary pallbearers will be Bobby Braxton, James Bridges, Rudy Holcomb, Gaylan McGregor, Bob McClure, Clifton Porter, O. J. Sharp and Dr. James Valentine.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or a favorite charity.