Tennessee, U.S., Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909
Thelma D. Gardner
A member of Robertsville Baptist Church
Thelma D. Gardner, 83, of Oak Ridge, died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003, at her home.
Born April 13, 1919, in Athens, Ala., she was the daughter of Millard Cleo Davis and Annie Luella Davis, both now deceased.
She was the widow of Cecil R. Gardner.
Mrs. Gardner had been a resident of Oak Ridge since June 18, 1945. She had worked at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant and the Oak Ridge K-25 site and had also been an employee at Williams Drug Store.
She retired from Allied Chemical in Knoxville where she was a production worker. She was a member of Robertsville Baptist Church.
Mrs. Gardner is survived by her daughter, Martha Burchfield of Shelbyville, formerly of Oak Ridge; two granddaughters, Robin Burchfield of Rogersville, Ala., and Teresa Speed and her husband, Robert, of Cocoa Beach, Fla.; a grandson, Randy Fowler and his wife, Brenda, of Coalfield; two great-granddaughters, Lyndsey Fowler and Kelsey Fowler, both of Coalfield; three sisters, Faye Carrington of Scottsboro, Ala., Helen Turner of Fairmount, Ga., and Nancy Ricketts of Pulaski; and a brother, Bill Davis of Tanner, Ala.
In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by her son, Charles Thornton; another daughter, Judy Fowler; and two other brothers, Bobby Davis and Jimmy Davis.
The funeral will be held at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, in the chapel of Weatherford Mortuary with the Rev. Michael Prince and the Rev. Howard Huling officiating.
A graveside service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, at Oliver Springs Cemetery.
The family asks that any memorials be in the form of gifts to Covenant Hospice, 700 S. Illinois Ave., Oak Ridge, TN 37830.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the mortuary.
Ian Walker Carroll
Oliver Springs child
Ian Walker Carroll, 5, a resident of Oliver Springs, died Friday, Jan. 3, 2002, at Roane Medical Center.
Born Dec. 29, 1997, in Oak Ridge, he was the son of Timothy Dale Carroll and Haylee Carroll of Oliver Springs.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Gage Timothy Carroll of Oliver Springs; his maternal grandparents, Steve and Shirley McKinney of Harriman; and his paternal grandparents, Tim and Marie Carroll, also of Harriman.
Ian is also survived by his maternal great-grandparents, Dorothy McKinney of Harriman and Marie McCreary of Oliver Springs; his paternal great-grandparents, Harold and Mildred Braden of Coalfield; and his aunts and uncles, Charity Carroll, Joshua Carroll, Mallory McKinney and Hayden McKinney.
The funeral will be held at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, in the chapel of Sharp Funeral Home in Oliver Springs with the Rev. Waylan Payne officiating.
A graveside service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, at Crawford Cemetery in the Wheat community.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 Monday night at the funeral home.
The family asks that, in addition to flowers, memorials be made to East Tennessee Children's Rehabilitation Center, 8042 Gleason Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919.
Clair Wilson Schersten
Former ORNL chemist
Clair Wilson Schersten, 81, of St. Albans, W.Va., died Wednesday, Dec. 29, 1999, at his home after a short illness.
Mr. Schersten had worked as a chemist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory beginning in 1944 with the Manhattan Project. He later worked for Union Carbide, both in Oak Ridge and in South Charleston, W.Va., transferring to the Technical Center there in 1961.
A native of Rock Island, Ill., he was a 1939 graduate of Augustana College there.
He was a charter member of Grace Lutheran Church of Oak Ridge. He was active in Grace Lutheran Church in St. Albans, committees of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod and the Lutheran Laity Movement. He was also involved in the St. Albans Walk Against Hunger, Red Cross blood drives, Boy Scout fund-raising, the Augustana College Alumni Association and the Mountain State Wheelers Cycling Club.
Mr. Schersten is survived by his wife, Marion Mirfield Schersten; his daughter, Carol Schersten LaHurd of Hickory, N.C.; two sons, Tom Wilson Schersten of Randolph, Vt., and Mark Mirfield Schersten of Adrian, Mich.; his brother, Howard Schersten of Palatine, Ill.; and nine grandchildren.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to the Albert F. and Mary W. Schersten Scholarship Fund, c/o Augustana College, 639-38th St., Rock Island, IL 61201-2296.
Jack L. Bailey
Air Force WWII vet, retired from ORNL
Jack L. Bailey, 79, of Oak Ridge, died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville.
Born Jan. 9, 1923, in Charleston, W.Va., he was the son of Elbin Dan Bailey and Frances Polsley Bailey.
Mr. Bailey served during World War II with the U.S. 8th Air Force, 100th Bomb Unit, which was known as the Bloody 100th. While he was based in England, he was shot down on his 6th mission while flying a B-17 and captured by the Germans. He was incarcerated in a German prisoner of war camp from Feb. 19, 1944, until liberated in April 1945.
In 1985, he retired from Union Carbide Nuclear Division as a machine shop supervisor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Mr. Bailey was a member of First United Methodist Church, Faith Masonic Lodge No. 756, the York Rite and the Smoky Mountain Chapter of former POWs. His family said he enjoyed many activities, including fishing, hunting, woodworking, boating, golfing and bowling.
He and his wife, Mary Frances Crawford Bailey, who survives him, had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Nov. 6, 2002.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Jack L. Bailey Jr. and his wife, Patricia, of Tampa, Fla.; his daughter, Judy Shaver and her husband, Jim, of Clinton; his brother, Col. Thomas F. Bailey and his wife, Maxine, of Milwaukee, Wis.; a half-brother, Brooks Raynes of Nitro, W.Va.; and three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, Kenneth Self, his wife, Carol, and their daughter, Madison, of Norris, Kathy Price, her husband, Todd, and their son, Charlie, of Atlanta, Ga., and Darrell Bailey of Dallas, Texas.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by another half-brother, Forest Raynes, in 1984.
Members of Faith Masonic Lodge No. 756 will conduct a Masonic service at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at Weatherford Mortuary.
A memorial service will follow at 8:15 p.m., with the Rev. Bill Mooney officiating.
A private burial will take place at a later date.
Memorials may be made to the Memorial Fund at First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 4669, Oak Ridge, TN 37831.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 Monday night at Weatherford Mortuary in Oak Ridge.
W.D. 'Bill' Sisson Jr.
Retired from Y-12 Plant
W.D. "Bill" Sisson Jr., 72, of Oak Ridge, died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mr. Sisson had lived in Oak Ridge for the past 33 years. He retired in 1985 after 37 years of service in the Metal Prep Division of the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant.
He was born in Anderson County on June 6, 1927.
Mr. Sisson was a member of Central Baptist Church. His family said he had several special interests and hobbies, but sports and auto mechanics were his favorite pastimes.
In 1946 and 1947, he was the football and basketball coach at Coalfield High School.
Mr. Sisson is survived by his wife, Patsy Jackson Sisson; his mother, Beulah Marie Sisson of Coalfield; his daughter, Mylissa Buttram and her husband, Ray, of Oak Ridge; and four sons, Kim Sisson and his wife, Karen, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Reginald Sisson, Daniel Sisson and his wife, Margaret, and Jeff Sisson and his wife, Barbara, all of Oak Ridge.
He is also survived by six grandchildren, Kristin Craze, Natalie Craze, Dustin Sisson, Grant Sisson, Mycle McConnehey and Sarah Garrett; his sister, Ruth Huddleston of Coalfield; and four brothers, Warren Sisson and his wife, Janice, of Oak Ridge, Harry Sisson and his wife, Marilyn, of Marietta, Ga., Quinten Sisson and his wife, Marcina, of Dayton, Tenn., and Perry Sisson and his wife, Penny, of Dalton, Ga.
His father, William David Sisson Sr., and another brother, Ronnie Sisson, died earlier.
A memorial service will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, 2000, at Central Baptist Church with the Rev. Bob Gray, the Rev. Billy Edmonds and the Rev. Mack Smith officiating.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to The Caring Center of Central Baptist Church, 130 Providence Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37830.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the church.
Sharp Funeral Home in Oliver Springs is handling arrangements.
Bill Patterson
Briceville resident
Bill Patterson, 86, of Briceville, died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2000, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mr. Patterson is survived by five sons, Harvey Patterson and his wife, Lois, Arvil Patterson and his wife, Norma, C.L. Patterson and his wife, Faye, Granvile Patterson and his wife, Martha, and Johnny Patterson and his wife, Ruth; four daughters, Mable Cooper, Bonnie Kennedy, Daisie Turner and her husband, Howard, and Mary Roberts and her husband, Floyd; his brother, Sammy Patterson; and his sister, Cynthia Lowe.
The funeral was to be held at 11 this morning, Jan. 6, in the chapel of Cox-Martin Funeral Home in Lake City with the Rev. Johnny Randolph and the Rev. David White officiating.
Burial was to follow at Patterson Cemetery in the New River community.
