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.
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Obituaries For Tuesday, May 4
A Celebration Of Life Service for Roy Adam Henry, Age 50, Of Monterey, Will Be Held On Wednesday, May, 5, 2021, At 11:00 AM From The Chapel Of Goff Funeral Home In Monterey. Rev Tony Phipps Will Officiate And Burial Will Follow In The Welch Memorial Cemetery. He passed Away In The Night Peacefully In His Home With His Sons After A Day Of Visiting And Sharing Memories With His Family. Adam Was Born January 23, 1971, In Monterey, Tennessee, To The Late Harlan And Patty Welch Henry. Adam First Learned His Trade As A Brick Mason From Family Members, Gary Welch And Donald “Duck” Tinch. He Was An Exciting, Fun, And Fearless Man With A Long List Of Adventures That Make The Dukes Of Hazzard Look Like Taxi Drivers. He Loved All Animals, With A Special Fondness Of Dogs. He Was An Avid Fan Of Rock Music And MOPAR Cars. He Enjoyed Spending His Time Most In The Presence Of His Family And Friends. Adam Will Be Remembered As A Loyal, Loving, Selfless Person. He Will Be Greatly Missed By All Who Truly Knew Him. The Family Will Receive Friends For Visitation On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, From 5:00 PM Until 7:00 PM And On Wednesday, May 5, 2021, From 10:00 AM Until The Time Of Services At 11:00 AM
Funeral services for Mrs. Patricia “Pat” Rodgers, age 86 of Cookeville, will be held Wednesday May 5 at 12 noon in the chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home. Interment will follow in Paran Cemetery. Mrs. Rodgers passed away suddenly Saturday, May 1, 2021 at her home. Pat and her late husband Raymond owned and operated Rodgers Carpets in Cookeville for over 43 years. She was an active member of Cookeville First United Methodist Church, serving as a Sunday school and Vacation Bible School teacher and in the church’s God’s Grace Food Pantry ministry. She was also active in her community, volunteering as a Boy and Girl Scout leader, a reading buddy at Jere Whitson Elementary and as a member of the Cookeville Regional Medical Center Auxiliary. Most importantly Pat loved her family who survives her, son and daughter-in-law, Dr. J. Mark Rodgers and Paula Rodgers; daughter and son-in-law, Dana and David Bailey, all of Cookeville. In lieu of flowers, Pat requested donations be made to the Cookeville First United Methodist Church, God’s Grace Food Pantry Fund, 165 E Broad Street, Cookeville, TN 38501. Mrs. Rodgers family will receive friends Tuesday from 5 till 7 pm and Wednesday from 10 am til service time at the funeral home.
Funeral services for Mr. Ulysses Grant Culley, Sr., age 94 of Sparta, will be conducted 12:00pm Wednesday, May 5, 2021 from the Chapel of Hunter Funeral Home. Burial with full military honors by the Veterans’ Honor Guard will follow in Oak Lawn Cemetery. A fixture of White County sports passed away at 11:54 am on Saturday May 1, 2021 at his residence. Mr. Culley was born October 8, 1926 in the Bon Air community of White County. He was a retired custodian for Caney Fork Electric, where he also assisted on emergency calls. Ulysses proudly served his country in the United States Army. Above all, he is widely known and beloved by the White County sports community. Ulysses started playing baseball, his first love, in the 1940s and was fortunate to coach his sons throughout the 60s and 70s. In the 60s, he also began umpiring baseball games for the White County youth. Ulysses loved to coach and encourage young kids in any sport, with any skill level, treating them as if they were the star of the team. His importance to the community was commemorated on March 17, 2016 when the White County High School Baseball field was dedicated as The Ulysses Culley Field. Chris Brewington, Lynn Brewington, Braden Brewington, Trenton Brewington, Trey Brewington, Ladainian Culley, Zedekiah Culley, Donnie Haley, Clay Leftwich, Jr. and Sam Dibrell will serve as pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 10:00am until service time Wednesday at Hunter Funeral Home. Morris Irby and Diantha McLeod will officiate.
Funeral Services for Nancy Pearl Rice Johnson, 78 of Sparta, will be held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at Oak Lawn Funeral Home with Brother Rudy Oakes and Brother Kenneth Kirby officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Lawn Memorial Cemetery. She passed away on Saturday, May 1, 2021, at Standing Stone Care & Rehabilitation Center in Monterey, Tennessee. She was born January 17, 1943 in Putnam County to Logan Rice and Alice Judd Rice. Survivors include Son Bobby Johnson. She was retired from Mallory Timers. She was a faithful member of the Sparta First Free Will Baptist Church for many years where she also served as church pianist and sang in the Church Trio. She enjoyed the outdoors and spending time with family. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, and friend. The family will welcome friends from 11:00 AM until time of the service at the funeral home. Pallbearers to serve are Harold Williams, Paul Williams, Stacy Rice, Corey Austin, Kenneth Maxwell, and Raymond Anderson..
A Memorial Service for Mrs. Cynthia Lou Ray, age 55 of Alpine, Overton Co., will be held on Wednesday, May 5 at 3 PM from the chapel of the Hall Funeral Home of Livingston. Miss Ray passed away on Saturday, May 1 at the Livingston Regional Hospital. Cynthia loved her children, grandchildren, and her brother very much. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She is survived by her children, Chris Sells, and Amy Sells. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Wednesday starting at 12 noon till service time at 3 PM.
Funeral services for Mrs. Charlene Dickinson will be held Thursday, May 6th at 11:00 a.m. at Cookeville First United Methodist Church. Rev. Rob Wheeler will officiate. Interment will follow at Crest Lawn Cemetery. Born to Charles and Bertha White in Fort Worth, Texas in 1938, Charlene Dixon White was their firstborn child. She married William Calvin Dickinson on September 12, 1960. She was very fond of her brother and sister-in-law George and Phyllis Dickinson, and their children Daniel and Cindy Dickinson. Daniel later married his wife Roxanne, who gave birth to two boys Maxwell and Isaac. Cindy married Will Garrison and they have two daughters Lucy and Rose. Charlene’s brother Tommy and her parents preceded her in death. Charlene Dickinson departed this life on April 30, 2021. Calvin and Charlene met at Baylor University, fell in love and married. She graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and continued her education with a Master’s degree in Social Work. Calvin and Charlene relocated to Murfreesboro, North Carolina in 1962 where Calvin began teaching History. While completing her Master’s degree, Charlene served as a social worker in the Tarheel State. In 1971, after Calvin completed his Ph.D. at UNC Chapel Hill, the Dickinsons moved to Cookeville where he accepted a tenure track position at Tennessee Tech. Charlene briefly taught introductory classes in Sociology. After two years at Tech, she resigned her position to pursue her love of cooking via the culinary arts. She owned and operated two restaurants and a highly successful catering service. Her first establishment was the Backdoor Restaurant. The next was The Cellar with its accompanying watering hole, The Vault. Her catering career provided food for numerous weddings, receptions, special occasions, fund-raisers and many more events for over thirty years. Visitation will be held Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until service time at the church.
Funeral services for Gwendolyn Ann Dycus Johnson (Gwen), 82 of Sparta, will be conducted 1:00pm Thursday, May 6 from the Chapel of Hunter Funeral Home with burial in Frasier’s Chapel Cemetery. Mrs. Johnson passed away peacefully at her home on May 3 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s/ dementia. She graduated from WCHS in 1958, and never lost her Warrior pride. Until her health condition made it impossible, Gwen loved to attend Warrior basketball games with her husband Roy. Gwendolyn took after her mother, Goldie Dycus, in her fantastic work ethic and exceptional customer service. After high school, she attended Draughn’s Business College and began a long and successful career in business. Gwen worked at Jim Brady Chevrolet, Rock City Packaging, and Chapel Dairy company, before opening The Fashion Shoppe in Livingston. She is remembered fondly by her customers and friends for her fun, outgoing personality. Other business ventures included real estate sales and ownership of Livingston Funeral Home and The Antique Shop in Sparta. Surviving family includes daughter, Jongee (John) Cheek. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 4-7:00pm at Hunter Funeral Home.
Funeral services for Gladys Lee Haney, 84 of the Step Rock community of Jackson County, will be held on Thursday, May 6 at 2 P.M. at Anderson Upper Cumberland Funeral Home. Burial will follow in the Dodson Branch Cemetery. Mrs Haney passed away on Monday, May 3 at her residence. She was born November 16, 1936, in Jackson County, to the late Jay Stafford and Ethel Scott Stafford. She was married to the late Harold Gene Haney. She was a homemaker, and attended the Cummins Mill Baptist Church. She is survived by her children, Billy Sherril Haney of Cookeville, Carolyn Haney of Cookeville, and Patricia Denson of Gainesboro. The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 4 P.M. – 8 P.M., and Thursday from 10 A.M. until time of services.
Funeral Services for Mr. Sanford “Sam” Matthews, age 81, of Allons, will be conducted 2 p.m., Thursday, May 6 from the chapel of Speck Funeral Home. Bro. Nolan Cantrell will officiate. Burial to follow in the Okolona Cemetery. Mr. Matthews passed from this life on Sunday evening, May 2 from the Overton County Health & Rehab. Baptist in faith, and a carpenter by trade. Sam was a member of the Mountain Cur Club of Jamestown. He enjoyed raising and training cur dogs. He also worked with Mules, winning State Championships. Sam leaves behind his sons, Thomas Matthews of Rockwood, TN, and David Matthews of Birmingham, AL. The family will welcome friends on Thursday from 12 noon until time of services at Speck Funeral Home.
Funeral Services for Savannah Faith Buckley, 19 of Cookeville, will be held Friday, May 7 beginning at 11:00am from the chapel of Crest Lawn Funeral Home with Bro. Robert Haynes and Bro. Bobby Lee Hale officiating. Interment will follow in Mt. Zion Cemetery at 1635 Mt. Zion Road, McMinnville. Miss Buckley passed from this life Monday, May 3. Savannah was a loving daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and friend. She loved the Lord with all of her heart, was a shining example of a Christian and she was a member of the Bangham Heights Baptist Church. Savannah would go out of her way to make others smile and loved to make those around her happy. Savannah is survived by her mother, Tenessa (Shane) Self; father, Scott (Amanda) Buckley; and three siblings, Adyson Self, Caleb Buckley, and Candace Smith. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Camp Sandy Stone thru the Stone Association of Southern Baptist, or Child Evangelism Fellowship at P.O. Box 348, Warrenton, MO 63383, or Baptist Collegiate Ministry, at Cookeville BCM. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Thursday, May 6, 2021 from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm, and again Friday from 9:00 am until the time of service at 11:00 am.
Services for William “Fred” Birdwell, 74 of Cookeville, will be held Saturday, May 8th at 11AM at Anderson Upper Cumberland Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Union Hill/Flatt Cemetery in Bloomington Springs. Bro. Jimmy Anderson and Minister Kevin Daughrity will officiate the services. Mr. Birdwell passed away at home on Sunday, May 2 in Cookeville, after a battle with lung cancer. He was born May 15, 1946, in Jackson County to the late Velma and Odes Birdwell. Mr. Birdwell was a retired carpenter. He loved his family and enjoyed spending time on his farm and raising cattle. His surviving family includes his wife of 45 years, Pauline Foulks Birdwell; children, Sarah (Eric) Murphy of Avon, IN, Lynn (Hope) Eddington of Gainesboro, Beth (Jeff) Peterson of Oakfield, Michael Eddington of Cookeville, Shane Birdwell of Paris, TN, and Andrea (Casey) Fox of Cookeville. Visitations will be held 4:00PM-8:00PM Friday, May 7th and Saturday, May 8th 9:00AM until the time of services at 11 AM.
Funeral services for Teresa Joann Henry, 50 of Gainesboro, will be held on Saturday, May 8 at 1 P.M. at Anderson Upper Cumberland Funeral Home. The family has chosen cremation. Miss Henry passed away on Saturday, May 1 at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. She was born July 10, 1970, in Gainesboro, to the late Troy Eugene Gentry and Mary Ann Hagan Gentry. She was an automotive factory worker, and a Christian. Survivors include her children, Eric Henry of Cookeville, and Makensei Nicole Henry of Gainesboro. The family will receive friends on Friday, May 7 from 3 P.M. – 7 P.M., and Saturday, May 8, 2021, from 10 A.M. until time of services.
Memorial services for Tommy Knight, 58 of the Dodson Branch community of Jackson County, will be held on Saturday, May 8 at Anderson Upper Cumberland Funeral Home at 4PM. Mr. Knight passed away Tuesday, April 20 at his residence. He was born January 1, 1963, in Cookeville, to the late Birdle Knight and Billie Jane Thornton Knight. He was a construction worker by trade. He is survived by his daughter, Misty Rittenberry of Cookeville. The family will receive friends on Saturday, May 8 at the funeral home from 2 P.M. – 4 P.M.
A memorial service for Hollena “Holly” Arlene West, 47 of Cookeville, will be held Saturday evening, May 8 at 10:00 PM at the Dyer Chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home. Mrs. West died Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at her home due to a house fire. Holly graduated with an associate degree in marketing and fashion design. She was a homemaker who enjoyed talking politics, music, art, outdoor activities and especially being with her children. She had many online friends, she was in contact with daily. Survivors include husband of 25 years (Married December 16, 1995) Kenneth West; and sons, Tanner and Gavin West all of Cookeville. The family will receive friends Saturday 8 PM until service time at the funeral home.
