Obituaries

Clarence Edward McGee, 81, of Manchester, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022  at Unity Medical E/R.  He was born in Nashville, Tn.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Lynda Saunders McGee of Manchester; his children, Stephanie (William David, III) Sandefur of Murfreesboro, Paula McGee-De Moe (Douglas) of San Diego, Rebecca McGee of Smyrna and Jonathan (Kasey) McGee of Woodbury.  Also surviving are 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Silas Roy and Ruby Smith McGee and by his son, Joel Andrew McGee.

A member of the Summitville church of Christ, Bro. McGee was a church of Christ minister, a truck driver and a sheet metal worker with AVCO.  He loved his family and spending time with his grandchildren. Clarence was very knowledgeable in life and enjoyed teaching others.

Funeral services will be 2:00 pm Friday, October 28, 2022 Leoni church of Christ. Interment will follow in the Leoni Cemetery. 

Visitation with his family will be from 4 pm to 8 pm Thursday, October 27, 2022 at Woodbury Funeral Home, 615-563-2311. 

To leave condolences and memories for his family, please visit www.woodburyfuneralhome.net

Anna Christine Hancock-Knox, age 93, of Woodbury passed away Monday, October 24, 2022 at Woodbury Health & Rehab.  She was born on June 12, 1929 to her parents, Foster & Callie Gannon Young in Cannon County.

Survivors include her husband, Clyde Knox of Woodbury; Sons, Mickey Hanlon (Beverly) Hancock of St. Petersburg, FL & Steve Harlon Hancock of Tullahoma; Grandchildren, Christopher (Christine) Hancock, Jamie (Ambre) Hancock, Stephanie (Justin) Rezac, & Adam (Jessica) Hancock.  Also surviving are 10 great grandchildren, many nieces, and one nephew.

Mrs. Christine was preceded in death by her husband, John Turney Hancock; daughter-in-law, Darlene Hancock; and her siblings, Mazel & Nolan Warren and Paul & Billie Young.

She was a member of the Baptist Church and enjoyed every day living and spending time with her family.  She was one of the last generations who loved her family and loved the Lord.

Funeral Services will be at 11 AM Friday, October 28, 2022 in the Chapel of Woodbury Funeral Home with Bro. Herb Alsup officiating.  Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery.  The family will receive friends for her visitation from 5 PM to 7 PM Thursday, October 27, 2022 at Woodbury Funeral Home.

Woodbury Funeral Home, 615.563.2311, www.woodburyfuneralhome.net

James Kelly Ferrell, age 50, of Woodbury passed away Friday, October 21, 2022 at Unity Medical.  He was born on October 15, 1972 in Cannon County.

Survivors include his mother & step-father, Peggy & Earl James of Woodbury; Sisters, Melissa Ferrell (Todd) Kimbrel of Selinsgrove, PA & Barbara (Kevin) Jones of McMinnville; Grandmother, Inellon Ferrell of Woodbury; Aunts, Betty Couch of Woodbury, Mary Ann Britnell of Woodbury, Elaine Hockett of Beech Grove, & Judy Schaub of Murfreesboro; Uncles, Robert (Tina) Fletcher of Auburntown & Jeff (Timpia) Fletcher of Morrison; Special Niece, Hannah Ferrell of Selinsgrove, PA; and Nephew, A.J. Jones of McMinnville.

Several cousins and many friends also survive.

He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Willie Ferrell.

Kelly was a member of the Pleasant View Baptist Church and was a glass fitter at All Glass.  He loved raising his chickens and roosters and could build anything.

Funeral Services will be at 2 PM Tuesday, October 25, 2022 in the Chapel of Woodbury Funeral Home with Bro. Larry Thomas officiating.  Interment will follow at Gunter Grizzle Cemetery.

The family will receive friends for the visitation from 4 PM to 8 PM Monday, October 24, 2022 and from 12 Noon until time of the service Tuesday.

Pallbearers will include Jason Couch, Ricky Warren, Tim Mooneyham, Justin Lowery, T.J. Duncan, Albert Pina, Leighton Wilder, Jimmy Simmons, & Stephen Wooten.

Woodbury Funeral Home, 615.563.2311, www.woodburyfuneralhome.net

Mildred Womack Ferrell, 76, passed away  Friday, Oct. 21, 2022 at St. Thomas Rutherford.  She was born in Cannon Co., to her parents, John Wiley Womack and Dorothy Keaton Womack.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Beth & Anthony Prater of Woodbury; siblings, Julie (Jerry) Parsley, Margaret (Thomas) Melton and Ricky Womack all of Woodbury, Billy Womack of Murfreesboro; brother-in-law, Mike Sellars of Manchester and sister-in-law, Patricia Womack of Woodbury. Several nieces and nephews and their families also survive.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, John “J.M.” Ferrell and her siblings, John Wiley Womack, II and Dorothy Jean Sellars.

Mildred was retired from American General Life Insurance Company and was a member of the Iconium church of Christ.  She got the most joy out of gardening and helping others.

Funeral services will be 2:00 pm Sunday, October 23, 2022 in the Chapel of Woodbury Funeral Home with Bro. Bobby Hale and Bro. Garland Robinson officiating.  Interment will follow in Riverside Cemetery. Nephew will serve as pallbearers.

Visitation with her family will be Sunday, October 23, 2022 from 11:00 until her time of service.

Woodbury Funeral Home, 615-563-2311.  To leave condolences and memories for her family, please visit www.woodburyfuneralhome.net

Ms. Diane Elaine McGill, 74, of Woodbury, Tennessee passed away on Saturday, October 15, 2022. She was born in Zanesville, Ohio on Thursday, March 18, 1948. Preceding her in death were her parents, Joseph E. Mitchell and Madeline Denbo, and her brother, Randy Mitchell.

She is survived by her daughter, Kelly (Charles) McGill-Hendon; grandson, Adam (Kyla Henry) McGill; darling cats, Checkers, Iris, Oliver, Ling, Ping, and Whiskers; dog, Sweet Pea; and horses, Anya, Gandy, Jack, and Dolly.

Diane was a woman you could learn a thing or two from. She kept herself busy and maintained her child-like mischievous nature throughout her life. Something else that she maintained was her hobbies. Her grandmother taught her how to sew, and Diane fell in love with it. She loved to quilt and hand sew bears, bonnets, clothes, and you name it! The dream was to pass on that same passion and excitement to Kelly, so she bought Kelly her first sewing machine when she turned 10 years old.

At that time, Diane owned an art shop in South Lyon, Michigan, and she was teaching budding artisans while also working as a traveling artist. One of her main events was the Ann Arbor Art Show, which happened to be just up the road. Being a master craftsman offered Diane the vision to see what mattered most in life and take the time to nurture it. She took pleasure in gardening and baking, and when she wasn’t doing her hobbies, she was renovating.

Closing up the shop, Diane bought a summer lake house to be her and Kelly’s home. Since it was meant as a summer house, the pipes would freeze every winter. Diane spent countless hours winterizing and remodeling the house while also keeping up with Kelly’s sewing lessons of course. They enjoyed a more Bohemian lifestyle. Once the Great Blizzard of 1978 hit Michigan, Diane decided it was time to pack up and move to Fort Myers, Florida.

There, she and Kelly lived in a camper on the beach. Diane afforded Kelly something much more important in her mind, and that was a childhood filled with love, learning, laughter, and adventure. They made many fond memories together before Diane decided to pursue another avenue of her interests. She enrolled in Edison Community College (now Florida SouthWestern State College) in Fort Myers, Florida and earned her 2-year degree. From there, she went on to get her Bachelors in Criminal Justice from the University of Florida.

Then, Diane got accepted to Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Finally, Diane reached the culmination of everything she had been working toward when she graduated in 1987 and was admitted to the Florida Bar on May 14, 1987, finishing everything right before Kelly graduated from high school. Right out of school, Diane began working for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. However, she had plans for something bigger, better, and, of course, busier.

Having an entrepreneurial spirit, Diane returned to Fort Myers and opened her own law practice. Unable to say no to another iron in the fire, she specialized in Corporate, Family, Probate, Wills & Trusts, and Real Estate law. They say “jack of all trades, master of none,” but that was far from the truth for Diane. She was known to be quite the legal genius and a very successful litigator.

Yet, out of all of her accomplishments, Diane’s crowning jewel was placed in November 1998 when Adam was born. He must have thought Diane was quite the award as well because he called her “Grammy.” They were two peas in a pod when it came to creativity. He had the same creative spirit and found the same thrill from having too many irons on the fire. Diane and Adam were sure to always have projects going.

When Diane decided it was time to retire, she decided it was also time to leave Florida and go back to simpler times. She rode horses well up into her young adult years, and the mountains were calling her name. So, she and Kelly started looking for land in East Tennessee. Somehow, she and Kelly came across an ad on Craigslist for land in the Short Mountain community. Luckily, they realized that was probably a scam, but it brought their search to Woodbury. The Hollow Springs community became the place they called home, and after being in the public for so many years, Diane became a homebody.

She loved her cats. They fit her personality well and were just as mischievous. Adam got the family calling them “Grammy’s little darlings.” Ling and Ping were her Siamese cuddle buddies. For the last 10 years of her life, she got to experience those little things that mattered so much to her.

Diane got back to sewing and quilting, and though the lessons paid off with Kelly, she found more success when Adam brought Kyla home. Diane was also overjoyed to see Kelly marry Charles in September 2020. The family grew exponentially with Charles, and Diane quilted some of his grandchildren their own blanket.

As she neared the end of her life journey, Diane got Kelly on the hunt for land again. Kelly came across Gilley Hill Cemetery with 2 geese guarding the entrance, and the beauty she told Diane about pleased her soul. Though Diane never got to see it, she’ll get to rest out in the country in a place that felt like home.

The family will hold private memorial services. Loretta Rhoades will officiate. Interment will be in Gilley Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Gentle Barn (https://www.gentlebarn.org/donate/). 

Sandra Vinson, age 82, of Murfreesboro, TN, passed away Saturday, October 15, 2022, at Woodbury Health and Rehabilitation Center. Shewas born to her parents, Carlos and Myrtis Hagewood Vinson, on June 2, 1940,in Warren County, TN. She was the first child delivered by Julius P. Dietrich at Faulkner’s Springs Hospital in McMinnville, TN.

She is survived by her sisterMarjorie Faye Williams; brother Michael Brown Vinson; niece Samantha Faye Petit (John Claude), all of Warren County; nephew Larry Vinson Jr., of Cannon County; great nephew Ryan Vinson (Amanda), of Baxter, TN; and great niece Heather Michelle Butner (Kendall), of Virginia.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sisters Norma Ann Vinson and Cynthia Vinson; her brother Larry Vinson Sr; and twin nephews Ricky and Randy Vinson.

She was a loyal member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Woodbury, where she made many friends. Sandra showed her unselfishness through her loving, caring personality. Sandrawas a woman who not only cared for her family and friends, but also cared for all animals, especially her dogs, on whom she bestowed human names. She loved to go antiquing, spend as much time as possible in her garden, and she particularly loved anything with a needle and thread, such as quilting and her beautiful cross-stich artwork. She always looked after those she loved. Taking on the role of the matriarch when her mother passed, she was well revered by her family and was often referred to as having a “crass-with-class” attitude.

Sandra was a certified public accountant/CPA and spent many years assisting a variety of businesses with their finances. She was always reliable, efficient, and on top of her work. Throughout the Greater Middle Tennessee area—and beyond—she was held in the highest of esteem for her impeccable work ethic as a CPA.

Sandra will be greatly missed.

Funeral Services will be held at 12 PM Friday October 21st, 2022 in the chapel of the Woodbury Funeral Home with Pastor Dennis Clark officiating. Interment will follow at Blues Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends for her visitation from 2 PM to 8 PM Thursday October 20th and 9 AM to 12 PM October 21st 2022 at the Woodbury Funeral Home.

Gradyn Elijah “Earl” Harvey age 4, of Alexandria went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday afternoon, October 12, 2022 at Monroe Carell Jr. Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital following a tragic accident.

Eli was born July 22, 2018 in Chattanooga.  Eli was preceded in death by paternal grandfather, Tommy Harvey; maternal great-grandfather, Ray Donald Webb; paternal great-grandparents, Joe Thomas and Alene Harvey and Bro. Grady and Athlene McGinnis.

He attended the Helton Creek The Baptist Church with his family.  Eli was in Pre-K at DeKalb West School.  He enjoyed riding the tractor with his daddy and going to check on the cows.  He loved making friends and never met a stranger.  Eli may have been little, but in 4 short years he made such an impact with his smile, personality and love.  He was a giant in a little body, his heart was truly bigger than he was.  He was a gift to his family and community and our lives are forever changed because of the last 4 years with Eli.

He leaves to cherish so many wonderful memories, his parents, Chad and Kayla Harvey of Alexandria; brother, Jack Harvey and sister, Haddeigh Grace Harvey both of Alexandria; soon arriving sister, Parker Kayte Harvey; maternal grandparents, Jenny Mathis (Mike Redmon) of Dowelltown; Michael and Tara Hale of Smithville; Scott and Myra Sircy of Carthage; paternal grandmother, Miranda Harvey of Alexandria; maternal great-grandparents, Gary and Judy Mathis of Liberty, Nelson and Vicky Sandlin of Liberty and Betty Webb of Smithville; aunts and uncles, Samantha (Brey) Dedmon, Jaley Hale (Trevor Shim), Maddox Hale, Kevin (Angela) Harvey, Randal (Tara) Harvey and Rachel (Beau) Beechboard; cousins, Ridge Dedmon, Kailey Havey, Wyatt Harvey, Chloe Beth Beechboard and a host of other family and friends.

Funeral services celebrating his life will be 2:PM Sunday, October 16, 2022, at DeKalb Funeral Chapel with Bros. Frank Randolph and Gary Glover officiating and burial will follow in Hillview Cemetery with Bro. Eric Wood officiating.  Visitation will be Saturday 1:PM until 8:PM and Sunday 10:AM until the time of the service at 2:PM.

In memory of Eli, donations can be made to an account that has been set up for his siblings at FirstBank or to the church of your choice in his memory.  The greatest tribute or memorial you could give Eli, is to make friends and love like Eli loved.

DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.  

Mr. William “Ralph” Coley, 87, of Readyville, Tennessee passed away on Thursday, October 6, 2022. He was born in Altus, Arkansas on Tuesday, July 2, 1935 to the late William Lewis and Nellie Little Coley. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Ray Coley, Roger Coley, and Aaron Hue, and sister, LaJean Kay.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Regina Coley of Readyville; sons, Keith (Angel) Coley of North Carolina, Kent (Ana) Coley of Columbia, and Brian (Viviane) Coley of College Grove; 7 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren.

Being born at the tail end of the Great Depression, Ralph came a few years after one of the worst droughts in Arkansas’s history and a couple years before one of the worst floods in Arkansas’s history. Roads had deteriorated due to the drastic changes in weather, causing people to become isolated. Like many during that time period, Ralph was raised to believe in God’s providence and plan, and apparently, God had quite the plan for the Coley family. While some were unable to even travel within Arkansas, the Coley’s packed up and moved to Oklahoma.

Why Oklahoma? Only God knows why. During that time, there was a mass exodus out of Oklahoma due to the aftermath from the destruction of the Dust Bowl, but that was where the Coleys decided to call home. Ralph knew when it came to your circumstances, you could take it or leave it, and that fit him well. There was no gray to him; it was black and white. You either liked him or you didn’t, but that may have also been derived from his time in the military.

Seeing schools deteriorate in Arkansas and destroyed in Oklahoma, Ralph made sure he graduated from high school before joining the Air Force. This put him joining at the age of 18 just after the Korean War. After the uncertainty in the world caused by WWII and the Cold War, air defenses were being built up in Alaska. Ralph received his orders for a Hazardous Duty assignment at one of the Air Force Cases. He remained there for over 4 years before being discharged and managed to miss getting sent to Vietnam.

From there, Ralph earned his Master’s Degree and became a business teacher in the public high schools of Missouri. He taught marketing, business law, typing, short hand, and anything else business-related. It was during his time teaching that he met Regina for the first time. He was her high school business teacher. Later on in life, they reconnected and were married on August 27, 1969, and they made quite the pair.

One of Ralph’s passions in life was music, especially at church. He had deep roots in praising God through the good times and the bad. Turned out, Regina had similar roots and was a talented pianist. So, he would lead music, she would play the piano, and they would sing together. Wherever they planted their roots together, they were active in the church, and sometimes churches. Ralph on several occasions was asked to come and be a music director at churches in Missouri even though he was only part time. He traveled to various congregations in Missouri and Tennessee leading music. Anytime there was a revival, Ralph and Regina were sure to be in the thick of it.

Once Ralph retired, they settled in Tennessee. He still had a teacher’s heart, so he began doing substitute teaching and continued that for several years. It was then that he stumbled across the joys of teaching elementary school students. When Ralph wasn’t at church or school, he enjoyed sitting down to watch college sports, especially football and basketball. His family quickly learned not to even try to get his attention during a game.

Later in life, Ralph’s health deteriorated, and the college games didn’t attract his attention the same anymore. For his final years, he came to call home the Tennessee State Veterans’ Home. It was there that he decided to flip roles with the younger generations as his memory started to fail. Though he was back to being a student again, the greatest teachers learn from their students, and the nurses truly cared for him. Ralph centered his entire life around faith and family, and that is what he held true to until the day he went on to be with the Lord. With his life, he leaves a legacy of touched lives and saved souls through doctrine and song.

The family will hold private graveside services.

Share memories and condolences at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337 Because every life has a story

Mr. Garry “Grumpy” Lee Foulk, 74, of Bradyville, Tennessee passed away on Wednesday, October 5, 2022. He was born to the late Leland “Fuzzy” and Elsie Clark Foulk in Jamestown, New York on Thursday, July 29, 1948. In addition to his parents,

He is survived by his children, Trent Rublee and Travis Foulk both of Woodbury, Christopher Foulk of Pittsburgh, PA, Nicole (Richard) Chambers of Melbourne, FL, and Lisa (Christopher) Dieter of New York; grandchildren, Haylee Jade Foulk, Zaiden Foulk, Christilyn Foulk, Hannah Jo Foulk, Megan Pezon, Derrick Pezon, Raven Brooke Waterhouse, Nicholas Kirby, and Ashley Chambers; great grandchildren, Watson Levi Waterhouse and Amity Foulk; brother, Steve (Linda) Foulk of Kannapolis, NC; cousins, Larry Foulk of Buffalo, NY and Sandra Luepke of California; close friend, Barbara Davis of Bradyville, TN; and loyal companion, Mia, his miniature husky.

There were a few things that seemed to run in the Foulk family. One of those was a tradition of military service. Garry’s father and uncles were WWII veterans, and that sense of duty and patriotism ran deep in Garry’s veins. He dropped out of Falconer Junior-Senior High School at the age of 17 to join the Marine Corps. It was in Da Nang, Vietnam that he earned his GED while serving as a helicopter gunner. His honorable service made him the deserving recipient of a Purple Heart.

Another thing that ran in the family was unique nicknames. After his service in Vietnam, Garry maintained his serious demeanor and viewpoint on service and duty. Rather than being called “Fuzzy” like his dad, Garry took on the nickname “Grumpy.” Though he wasn’t always grumpy, it was just a funny observation that stuck. He was serious about whatever he did, and Grumpy was known to be a jack-of-all trades on everything except carpentry. If he had his pick though, Grumpy kept himself around fast cars.

An enjoyment of fast cars, especially in NASCAR races, was something else that ran in the family. Grumpy’s mom, Elsie, watched NASCAR, and it sweetened the pot when her baby boy got on one of the pit crews. For 10 years, Grumpy worked on a NASCAR pit crew. Over those years, he collected countless NASCAR memorabilia — a fender, hood, gas can, and even Bobby Labonte’s seat. Much of the work Grumpy did with NASCAR was on the chassis, but there weren’t any chassis in his memorabilia (at least not that his family knows of).

Grumpy’s job boiled down to doing whatever NASCAR asked, so he knew all about every aspect of the cars. This served him well when he went to work at Fast Track Racing and Mile 17. They even had him teaching new recruits how to drive, and the best perk to the job? Grumpy could ride whenever and even got Travis a free ride. But out of all of the race venues, Charlotte Motor Speedway won his heart for favorite racing spot and was the one he talked about the most. At one point, he lived just 12-15 minutes away from the track, so he made many fond memories there.

After retiring, Grumpy couldn’t give up cars and racing. His family knew better than to bother him if the race was on. The only ones who could have maybe gotten away with it were his grandchildren. Grumpy wasn’t so grumpy around them because he loved and adored them. They all grew up around him, and he taught them about cars to carry on that tradition.

Grumpy or not, he knew the most important tradition of all was family, and he strived to bring everyone together. And the best way to bring people together? Food. Now, Grumpy was no slouch when it came to cooking. He loved to cook and barbeque, but the dish that made him famous with his loved ones was his grilled chicken marinated in Italian dressing. His cooking also made him pretty popular with his pets.

If Grumpy hadn’t found his calling as a lifetime mechanic, then he could have easily became a dog trainer. His military training must have kicked in because he knew how to get them to receive and carry out orders. He went above and beyond the basic commands. Before his dog, Shelby, passed away, he could tell her to go wake up Trent, and she knew exactly what to do.

When Grumpy wasn’t working, cooking, or spending time with family, he liked to keep himself busy with projects. Later in his life, he had gotten boat happy, but his luck with those paled in comparison to his luck with cars. He had 2 or 3 but none of them would float. Grumpy didn’t mind too much because he had his loyal companion Mia, his miniature husky, glued to his side.

The family will hold private services at a later date.

Share memories and condolences at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337 Because every life has a story

Deborah Lynn Holbrooks Derrick, age 66, of Woodbury passed away Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at her home.  She was born to her parents, James P. Holbrooks & Annette Pitts Holbrooks on July 6, 1956 in Chamblee, Georgia.

Survivors include her husband of 48 years, David Derrick of Woodbury; Children, Julie (Jeremy) Hedges of Buford, Georgia and Chris (Dara) Derrick of Woodbury; Siblings, Wendall Holbrooks of Cumming, Georgia, Rachel Garrard of Martin, Georgia, Alex Holbrooks of Gainesville, Georgia, & Michael Holbrooks of Gainesville, Georgia.  Also surviving are 9 grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Johnny & Randall Holbrooks.

Deborah was a homemaker and loved to spend time with her family and her grandchildren.  She will be greatly missed by her family.

A private memorial service will be held October 22, 2022.