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Here are the latest obituaries and notices as provided by the funeral homes serving Cookeville, Baxter, Monterey, Sparta, Gainesboro and Livingston.
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Obituaries For Wednesday, November 15
Carlo (Carl) Arthur Christiano, age 69, of Cookeville, and previously of Gloversville New York, passed away in his Cookeville home on November 15, 2023 with the love of his life by his side, after a brief battle with cancer. He was born on August 3,1954 in Gloversville New York to Carl Christiano Sr. and Myrna (Betty) Christiano. He attended Gloversville schools, HFM BOCES and went on to specialize in Building maintenance, with his most recent Employer being OnSite Janitorial at Frontier Communications, prior to his retirement. Carl married the love of his life, Toni Marie Christiano, on August 29, 1974. They did everything together. They especially enjoyed, visiting casinos together, as well as with family and good friends. In addition they enjoyed watching and reading murder mysteries together, as well as going antiquing to see what treasures they could find. Carl always enjoyed finding the gaudiest and most rare items! Carl’s greatest joys were his children, Kathy and her husband Scott of Sparta, and Carl and his wife Debbie of Gloversville NY, and then his grandchildren who he was so very proud of and he was so looked up to by: Zachary Simone, and his wife Kinsey, of Cookeville; Michael Simone of Sparta; Daniel Hazzard of Gloversville NY; and Zoe Christiano of Gloversville NY. Family as a whole was very cherished and important to Carl. He is survived by his sisters, Lucy Sprung(Garry) of Gloversville and Missy Tran (Thaun); along with brothers, Joe Downes (Bonnie) and Greg Christiano of Gloversville NY; Sister-in-law Tina Jackson of Johnstown NY and Sister-in-law Tami Jo (Bill) Brown of Johnstown NY. He is also survived by host of nieces and nephews.nHe was predeceased by his sister Marie Steenburg and brother Greg Christiano. Carl had a soft spot for his two furry family members, who were so dear to him over the years, who predeceased him, Gus and Sissy. Carl’s family asks that you remember his great sense of humor and all of the good memories had over the years with Carl. There will be no services at this time. The family asks that if you wish to make a donation in memory of Carl, please make that donation to Hospice of Tennessee at: Journey Health Foundation, Department #888631, Knoxville, TN 37995-0001, or, can be made online to the Journey Health Foundation.
Mr. John David “JD” White, age 86 of Sparta passed away at 2:00am on Tuesday morning, November 14, 2023 at NHC of Sparta. JD was born December 18, 1936 in Sparta to the late Theodore Roosevelt “TR” and Ova Lee Lawson White. He was a lifelong farmer and veteran of the United States Army. In addition to his parents, he is also preceded in death by his wife Barbara White; sisters Maggie Skipper and Ruby Frances White. JD is survived by his son Bruce White & wife Sandy of Spencer; Grandson: David Bruce White, Jr. of Franklin, Ohio; Granddaughter: Miranda White of Spencer; Great-grandson: Waylon White of Spencer. JD’s wishes of cremation and a private burial at Fraser’s Chapel are being honored with services entrusted to Hunter Funeral Home.
Graveside Services for Mr. Gerald Bryant Handy, age 64, of Livingston, will be conducted 12 noon, Thursday, November 16, 2023, from the Antioch Cemetery. Gerald passed from this life on Sunday, November 12, 2023, from his home in Livingston. He was born in Overton County on December 13, 1958, to the late Donald and Mildred Faye Winningham Handy. Gerald loved his family, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed fishing, hunting ginseng, watching westerns and a good dip of snuff. Gerald leaves behind his daughters, Amber Handy of Monroe, and April Powell and husband Shane of Owensboro, KY; grandchildren, Kade Powell, O’Conner Everley, Cullen Handy- Winningham, Abigale Powell, and Easton Powell; mother of his children, Marietta Handy of Monroe; brothers, James Handy of Rickman, and Steve Handy of Livingston; sister, Sharon Murphy of Livingston. In addition to his parents, Gerald was preceded in death by his sisters, Mildred Ann Handy, Debbie Fields, Sabra Wilson, brothers, Billy Ray Handy, Tommy Handy, Johnny Michael Handy, Gary Handy, and Roger Dale Handy. The family will welcome friends at the graveside.
Funeral Services for Ollie Grace Norrod, age 83, of Monterey, will be conducted on Friday, November 17, 2023, at 11:00 AM from The Chapel of Goff Funeral Home. Interment will follow in the Welch Memorial Cemetery. Mrs. Norrod was born on Tuesday, April 9, 1940, in Monterey, to the late William Jefferson and Mattie Bumbalough Buckner. Mrs. Norrod passed away on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at Bethesda Health Care Center. Mrs. Norrod was a retired CNA working with Putnam County Health Department with 20 years of service. She also worked with LBJ&C Head Start in Monterey. She attended Monterey Church of the Nazarene. She is survived by, 2 daughters and sons-in-law, Cindy and Arland Lafever of Crossville, Carla and Emmett Crawford of Monterey; 3 sons and 2 daughters-in-law, Ronnie and Dora Simpson of Cookeville, Steven and Sondra Simpson of Monterey, Steve Norrod of Oak Ridge; 13 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren; 3 great great grandchildren; and 1 sister and brother-in-law, Jessie and Billy Tummond of Eagle Lake, FL. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Willie Ray Norrod; sisters, Flora Cates, Mary Lou Ryerson, Ethel Trisdale, Margie Thompkison, Ruth Wilson, and infant sister, Edna Buckner; brothers, Talmadge, Willard, Clarence, Coleman, Hubert and Arnold Buckner; and special niece, Beatrice England. The family will receive friends at Goff Funeral Home on Thursday, November 16, 2023, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM.
Funeral services for Mrs. Sandra Driller, age 73 of Cookeville, will be held Saturday, November 18 at 11am at the Cookeville chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home. She passed away Saturday, November 11th. Her family will receive friends Friday evening from 4pm until 8pm again Saturday morning from 10am until service time at the funeral home.
Funeral services for Mrs. Betty Bumbalough, 86 of Cookeville, will be held Saturday, November 18th at 3pm at the Cookeville chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Boiling Springs Cemetery. Mrs. Betty died Tuesday November 14, 2023 in Bethesda Health Care. Her family will receive friends Saturday from 1pm until service time at the funeral home.
A Celebration of life for Madge “Maggie” Walker McCray, 82 of Algood, will be held on Sunday, November 19, 2023, 2-4pm, at Wilhite Baptist Church in Cookeville. She peacefully left this life behind on Thursday, November 2, 2023. She was a 5 year resident of Algood, and former longtime resident of Nashville, Tennessee. Maggie was born in Madison on November 20, 1940, the youngest child of Charles Walker and Marie Trouillas Walker. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her sister, Marie Walker Hall and brothers, Jeane Walker and Jack Walker. She is survived by her loving and cherished family. Husband, Tom McCray; Daughter, Janelle (Bob) Welch; Son, Terry (Cathy) Bowersox; 7 Grandchildren, Adam Distefano, Terry Bowersox, Jr, Daniel Bowersox, Christine Baxter, Melissa Svendson, Christopher Proudfoot and Cassie Proudfoot; 13 Great Grandchildren and 1 Great Great Grandchild. Maggie had many different rolls in her life. She was a daughter, sister, mother, wife, head of household, mentor, friend and sometimes minister and teacher. She was a single mother in a world before being a single mother was ‘cool’. It was before the world knew of all the times and trials and mountains a single mother would need to overcome just to be a mother to her children. She worked two jobs at a time just to be sure her children had what they needed. Any time she was knocked down by the problems of life and her load got heavy, she just took it as one of life’s lessons and stood up taller each time she got back up. She was knowledgeable about many things, quick witted, hardworking and tried to do her best at any challenge. She loved traveling, cooking, writing short stories, acting in local live theatre, reading or listening to books, ballroom dancing, dressing up for social events, splurging occasionally for fine dining and driving to the ocean and beaches. In the early 1980’s she lost her sight, but never missed a beat. She never complained but just made all the adjustments in her life to learn to live independently. She studied and became a Massage Therapist. She had many clients because she excelled at her profession. She also studied holistic healing. She truly was a ‘lifelong learner’. She was admired by all who knew her and witnessed her determined, strong willed spirit and resolved faith in the Lord. In 2007 she was awarded the ‘Bootstrap Award’. She fiercely loved her family and they were always her first priority. She adopted her 3 caregivers, Joyce, Amber and Lisa into her family. She always appreciated and loved them for their wonderful care for 5 years. Amber has said caring for Maggie was the biggest blessing in her life and she will always treasure every moment spent with her. Each and every person exposed to her spirit and heart walked away from her with a different attitude and perspective on life. Maggie always ended phone conversations with, “Let’s mark our place…”
Visitation with the family of George Leroy Rupert, 74 of Cookeville, will be held on Sunday, November 19, from 5-7 p.m. at Dyer Chapel of Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home. This will be a time for friends and family to gather, share memories, and celebrate the life of a man who touched so many with his humor, dedication, and love. He passed away suddenly on November 12, 2023, in Cookeville. Born on November 14, 1948, in Lancaster, PA, George lived a life filled with laughter, dedication, and a love for all things automotive. George was a man of many talents and interests. He was a former bracket race car driver, a testament to his love for speed and precision. His passion for cars extended beyond the race track, as he built specialty carburetors for race cars, showcasing his handy and intelligent nature. George was not only thorough with his work but also took on tasks wholeheartedly, a trait that was admired by many. His service to his country as an Army veteran was a source of great pride for George. His dedication and commitment were evident in all aspects of his life, from his military service to his work and his family. George was known for his sense of humor, often referred to as a jokester by those who knew him well. His laughter and light-hearted spirit will be greatly missed. George is survived by his loving wife, Kathy Lewis Rupert, and their son, Willie Rupert. He also leaves behind his sister, Mary Lapp, and her husband, Ben. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Leroy Rupert and Frances Elizabeth Borland Rupert, and his brother, Robert Rupert.
Graveside services for Jerry Carlen Crouch age 81 of Las Vegas, Nevada, and formerly of Byrdstown, will be held Monday, November 20, 2023 at 1:00 PM from Mt. Era Cemetery in Byrdstown with Bro. Patrick Cope officiating. The burial will be in Mt. Era Cemetery. He passed away peacefully on November 4, 2023 with his wife Helen by his side. He was born October 27, 1942 in Byrdstown, to Wesley Jasper Crouch and Wanda Jewell (Rich) Crouch. Jerry attended school and graduated Pickett County High School in 1960. Shortly after graduating he joined the US Navy to honorably serve his country during the Vietnam War. Jerry has lived in Las Vegas for the past 28 years. He and his wife had a successful career in real estate. During his time in Las Vegas, he enjoyed the popular past-time of gambling. Poker and sports betting were his favorites. In addition, he took a special interest in immigrants and was a huge influence in them gaining their US Citizenship. He is survived by his wife of 28 years Helen Barton, two brothers: Danny Pete Crouch (Linda) and David B. Crouch, two stepsons: Steve Sexton (Connie) and Keith Sexton (Alma), and one stepdaughter: Laura Ellen Barton. He is survived by six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother and father: Wesley Jasper Crouch and Wanda Jewell (Rich) Crouch, two brothers: James George Crouch and Jackie Wesley Crouch, and first wife: Grace Sexton Crouch.
A memorial service for Mrs. Dawn Dewana Harris Sevier, age 59 of Celina, formerly of Sparta, will be conducted 6:00pm Tuesday, November 21, 2023 from the Chapel of Hunter Funeral Home. She passed away at 1:53pm Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at Summit Medical Center. Dawn was born March 23, 1964 in Gary, Indiana to the late Donald Crockett and Patrician Ann Burden Harris. She was a former Wal-Mart Associate. Dawn loved working with her hands whether she was doing crafts or gardening with her flowers. Her other hobbies involved taking care of her pets. In addition to her parents, she is also preceded in death by her brother Mark Harris. Survivors include her husband of 17 years Gary Sevier; Son: Christoper Harris; Daughter: Casey Whitworth and husband Jesse; Grandson: Damon James. The family will receive friends after 4:00pm on the 21st at Hunter Funeral Home.
Graveside services and interment for Robbin C. Loftis, 46 of Bloomington Springs, will be held on Sunday, December 3, 2023, at 2 P.M. at the Byers Cemetery in the Center Grove community. Bro. Jimmy Anderson will officiate. Robbin C. Loftis was born September 16, 1977, in Cookeville, and he passed away on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville. The family has chosen cremation. He was the son of Kenneth Edward Loftis and the late Martha Ann Loftis. He was a brick layer. Survivors include his Father: Kenneth Edward Loftis of Bloomington Springs; Sister: Amanda Elliott-Edwards of Silver Point; and Nephews and Niece: William Elliott III, Annabelle Elliott, and Kenneth Edwards.
