News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Here are the latest obituaries and notices as provided by the funeral homes serving Cookeville, Baxter, Monterey, Sparta, Gainesboro and Livingston.
News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 brings you the daily obituaries each morning, Monday through Saturday, at 7:25am, during The Upper Cumberland This Morning and afternoons at 5:25pm during The Upper Cumberland At 5.
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Obituaries For Monday, May 17
Funeral services for Mr. Daryl Lindsey Vaughn age 53 of Sparta will be conducted 11:00am Tuesday, May 18, 2021 from the Chapel of Hunter Funeral Home with burial in New Bon Air Cemetery. Paul Allen will officiate. Kenneth Whitaker, James Ernest, Greg McCaskey, Terry Hennessee, Jerry Birdwell and Tyler Vaughn will serve the family as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are the employees of Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, Grayson Birdwell, Trevor Birdwell, Levi Whittaker and Blake Gongaware. Memorials may be made to newly established Daryl Vaughn Memorial Ag. Scholarship in care of Hunter Funeral Home, PO BOX 90, Sparta, TN 38583. The family will receive friends Monday from 4-8:00pm at Hunter Funeral Home.
Funeral Services for Clara “Debbie” Willene Fox, 80 of Bloomington Springs, will be held Tuesday, May 18, 2021at 3:00 pm from the chapel of Crest Lawn Funeral Home with David Fox officiating. Interment will follow in the Crest Lawn Memorial Cemetery. Mrs. Fox passed from this life on Friday, May 14, 2021, at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. Debbie was born Monday, January 6, 1941, in Cookeville, Tennessee, and she was the daughter of the late Howard Bilbrey and the late Dimple Dolly (Landsford) Bilbrey. Debbie was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, gran, aunt, and friend. She was loved by all that knew her and she will be greatly missed. Debbie is survived by, Daughter, Amy Fox-Hale and husband Kenny; 4 Brothers, Roy and Sharon Bilbrey, James and Rita Bilbrey, Doyle and Jewell Bilbrey, and Mike Bilbrey; Sisters-in-law, Evelyn and Harold Flatt, Willene Fox, and Oradean and Junior Fox. The family will receive friends from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at Crest Lawn Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations are asked to be made to the funeral home.
Funeral services for Mr. Tommy Lee Henry, age 70 of Alexandria with military honors by the Veterans’ Honor Guard will be conducted 12:00pm Wednesday, May 19, 2021 from the Chapel of Hunter Funeral Home. At Tommy’s request he will be cremated following his funeral service and his ashes will be spread at a special location. passed away at 5:25pm Saturday, May 15, 2021 at his residence. Tommy was born January 20, 1951 in Monterey, Tennessee to the late Charles Clinton and Louise Woody Henry. Tommy was a high school basketball standout. After high school he joined the United States Marine Corps where he served in Vietnam as a field radio operator until an injury sustained on a mission got him medically discharged with a Good Conduct Medal. Following his service in the Marines, he worked 30 years as a brick and block mason. He was a history buff especially history pertaining to war and military. Above all else he loved his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he is also preceded in death by his son Tommy Lee Henry, Jr., who died May 25, 2019; sister-in-law Alice Lee Henry; nephew John Henry; step-son Andrew Duke and step-brother Paul Farley. Family members left to cherish his memory include his daughter Tamara Tomlin and husband Chris. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 10:00am until service time at noon at Hunter Funeral Home.
Funeral services for Cynthia Wood, 60 of Gainesboro, will be at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, May 19 at Crest Lawn Funeral Home located. Miss Wood passed away on Saturday, May 15 at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville. Cynthia was a caring individual that always made sure others had what they needed, even if that meant she went without. She enjoyed the outdoors and catfish fishing. Cynthia would share her delicious catch with family and friends. She was an artist that painted with oils, giving them all away. She also enjoyed wood burning, making many lasting pictures. Most of all, she loved her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her children, Richard Wood, and Aundrea Mabe, both of Gainesboro. The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Wednesday, May 19 at Crest Lawn Funeral Home.
A Celebration of Life service for Marilyn Ann Smith, 80, formerly of the Dodson Branch Community in Cookeville, will be held Friday, May 21st at 11AM at the Anderson Upper Cumberland Funeral Home. Interment will follow at the Dodson Branch Cemetery in Jackson County. Mrs. Smith passed away Thursday, May 13 after suffering from a severe stroke. She was raised with five siblings, one of whom her closest sister’s boyfriend at the time introduced her to her future husband, Doug Smith, both active in the U.S. Navy. Marilyn and Doug began to communicate primarily by written correspondence. On October 27, 1958, they united in marriage. Following Doug’s retirement with GM in 1989, Marilyn moved with her husband to Cookeville, Tennessee where a home was built and once again, country life became the norm. Marilyn loved to laugh and was a gentle, kind soul always on the edge with a good comeback. She is survived by her two dearly beloved children, Rhonda Schirle of Orlando, Florida and William Smith of Denver, Colorado. Visitation will be held at the Anderson Upper Cumberland Funeral Home, 2131 South Grundy Quarles Hwy., Gainesboro on Thursday, May 20th from 6 to 8pm.
Graveside services for Ms. Mildred Carrie Good, age 80 of Livingston, will be conducted Saturday, 10 AM Eastern Time, from Carpenter Cemetery in Mooresburg. Bro. Larry Cook will officiate. Ms. Good passed from this life on Tuesday afternoon, May 11 from her residence. She was born in Sneedville on May 14, 1940, to the late William Harrison and Oma Brewer Lamb. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren, studying Native American history, and enjoying her flowers. Mildred loved her friends, loved her life, and never met a stranger. Ms. Good leaves behind her sons Anthony Good of Glasgow, KY and Willie Douglas Peruzzi of Gainesboro; daughter Melissa Linder and husband Kenneth of Livingston. The family will welcome friends at the graveside.
A funeral mass for Pat Swearengin, 65 of Sparta, will be held Wednesday, May 26, at 10:00 am, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church (421 N. Washington Ave., Cookeville, TN) followed by a Christian burial at Dodson Branch Cemetery. Mr. Swearengin passed away peacefully, with his family by his side, at UT Medical Center, on May 12 after a brief battle with cancer. Pat was born and raised in Jackson County where he graduated from Jackson County High School. He graduated from Tennessee Tech with a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. He put his degree to work teaching Agriculture at Cookeville High School for several years. He changed careers and worked as a quality control supervisor in the manufacturing industry before he transitioned into his most rewarding and meaningful role – stay-at-home dad. His blood ran orange for the University of Tennessee where he attended and watched numerous sporting events. He especially loved cheering on the Lady Vols basketball and softball teams. His proudest moment was the day that his daughter, Mary Catherine, graduated from UT. He was looking forward to someday retiring to Knoxville where he could be close to his daughter and son-in-law and his beloved UT. He is survived by his wife of almost 30 years, Sandy Swearengin; and his daughter, Mary Catherine Wright and husband, Corey, of Knoxville. In lieu of flowers, our family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society (cancer.org), the Pat Summitt Foundation (patsummitt.org), or the Tennessee Fund (checks payable and mailed to the Tennessee Fund, 1551 Lake Loudoun Blvd., Knoxville, TN 37996; memo line: UT Softball team in honor of Pat Swearengin). Visitation will be held at Crest Lawn Funeral Home Tuesday, May 25, from 4:00-7:30 pm followed by a vigil at 7:30.
