Tennessee, U.S., Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909
Robert Edgar Symons
Clinton resident
Robert Edgar Symons, 79, of Clinton, died Friday, Jan. 8, 1999, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville.
Mr. Symons is survived by his wife, Aliene Symons; his son, E.L. "Buddy" Symons of Lake City; three daughters, Wanda McBee and Joyce Burnette and her husband, John, all of Kokomo, Ind., and Cheryl Childs and her husband, Charlie, of Greentown, Ind.; his brother, Charles Symons and his wife, Claira, of Winchester, Va.; and 11 grandchildren.
The funeral was held Sunday, Jan. 10, in the chapel of Cox-Martin Funeral Home in Lake City.
Burial followed at Oak Grove Cemetery in Lake City.
Elmer Houston Willis
Retired BellSouth employee
Elmer Houston Willis, 79, of Oak Ridge, died Friday, Jan. 8, 1999, at his home.
Mr. Willis was retired from the Clinton office of BellSouth Telephone Co.
He was born in Knoxville on Aug. 1, 1919, the son of Benjamin and Mary Lee Hardy Willis. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II.
Mr. Willis was a former member of Mount Sinai Baptist Church of Clinton. He later moved his membership to the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Harriman.
The family described him as a loving and caring person to all, his wife, children and grandchildren.
Mr. Willis is survived by his wife, Helen Miller Willis; his son, Elmer Houston Willis Jr.; three daughters, Laura Ann Dye and her husband, Robert "Butch" Dye, Velvet Miller and her husband, Bobby Miller, and Yvonnia Williams and her husband, Lane Williams; his stepchildren, Carolyn and Bill Dunn, Phyllis Moore, Charles and Edna Moore and Bobby Miller; and by 23 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, his first wife, Josie Brown Willis, two sisters, Thelma and Mary Ellen, and three brothers, Walter, Hary and Joe Willis, died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Clinton with the Rev. William Caldwell, the Rev. O.W. Willis Jr. and the Rev. Robert Mann officiating.
Burial will follow at the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight, Jan. 12, at Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton.
Edith Myrtle Harden
Calvary Baptist member
Edith Myrtle Harden, 77, of Oak Ridge, died Sunday, Jan. 10, 1999, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mrs. Harden was a homemaker and a member of Calvary Baptist Church.
She was born in Philadelphia, Pa., on Oct. 12, 1921, the daughter of William Harry and Elizabeth Boger Thorne.
She and her husband, Russell H. Harden Jr., who survives her, were formerly of Merchantville, N.J., where she was a member of St. Paul's Bible Church. In July 1981, after her husband's retirement, the couple moved to Orlando, Fla. In June 1989, they moved to Oak Ridge to be near their son.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Harden is survived by her son, Russell H. Harden III and his wife, Caroline, of Oak Ridge; two daughters, Donna Cramer and her husband, David, of Chulota, Fla., and Janice Gibson and her husband, David, of Haddon Heights, N.J.; and her brother, Thomas Thorne and his wife, Ruth, of Medford, N.J.
She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Cindy Winner and her husband, Bill, of Hickory Corners, Mich., Dawn McIntyre and her husband, Charles, of Worth, Ill., Brian Cramer of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Tracy Webster and her husband, Dana, Russell R. Harden and his wife, Rachel, all of Oak Ridge, Kristen Harden of Chesapeake, Md., and David Gibson III of Haddon Heights; and by seven great-grandchildren, Lindsay Winner, Matthew Winner, Brandon Winner, Rachel Webster, Mark Webster, Jeff Webster and Rose McIntyre.
The funeral will be held at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, in the chapel of Weatherford Mortuary with the Rev. Steve McDonald officiating.
A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, at the Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, Knoxville.
The family will receive friends from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the mortuary.
Richard Knight
Tennessee newspaper publisher
Richard Knight, 76, a Tennessee newspaper publisher and owner for four decades, died Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, at his home in Oak Ridge.
Mr. Knight and his wife, Louise Blanks Knight, who met and married in Oak Ridge during World War II, owned the Livingston Enterprise for 41 years, from 1959 to 2000.
The couple also owned the Jackson County Sentinel, which they purchased in 1964.
Mr. Knight started his newspaper career at age 9 when he hawked newspapers on the corner in his native Texas. In the 1950s, Mr. Knight started working in the production department of the Cannon Courier, and he went on to work at The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro and The Tennessean in Nashville. He served four years in the U.S. Navy before buying the Livingston weekly.
Mr. Knight and his wife were married for 59 years. They met in Oak Ridge, where both their families moved to work on the Manhattan Project during World War II. His wife worked for Tennessee Eastman, and Mr. Knight worked for Roane-Anderson Co.
The couple married in October 1944, after eloping to Georgia and spending "our honeymoon on a Greyhound," his wife said.
They returned to Oak Ridge in 2000.
Mr. Knight was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 2002. He was a member of the Church of Christ.
He was active in the Tennessee Press Association for the span of his newspaper career, and he served as president of the state newspaper group from 1981 to 1982. He served on the TPA board of directors and was honored for his 11 years of service, from 1973 to 1983, and also served on the Tennessee Press Service board of directors.
According to his family, Mr. Knight was particularly proud of the statewide awards his paper won for Public Service in 1987, as an advocate for schools in Overton County, and for the Best Single Editorial in 1987. The paper also won statewide awards for advertising campaign in 1969 and best single advertisement in 1981 and 1985.
He was honored twice by the Tennessee School Boards Association with the School Bell award.
He was honored for his support of conservation, including the Heath Cooper Rigdon Conservation Writing Award in 1977 and the Conservation Promotion Award from the Tennessee Association of County Conservation Districts in 1982.
His family said he was active in his community in a variety of fields from support for 4-H programs to planning and zoning.
Mr. Knight helped develop and create the first industrial park in Overton County, was a staunch advocate for new school facilities, served as the local Red Cross contact for decades and campaigned for the county's first nursing home in the early 1960s with an exposé of existing facilities.
He served as a member of Livingston's planning commission and board of zoning appeals for nearly four decades, including serving as the planning commission chairman.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Knight is survived two daughters, Carolyn Swindle and her husband, David, of Leesburg, Va., formerly of Oak Ridge, and Ann Lindsay and husband, John, of Midlothian, Va.; four grandchildren, Jeff Lindsay and wife, Cathy, of Midlothian, Rebecca Lindsay of Pennsylvania, Mary Louise and Steve Nicklas, and Caroline Swindle, all of Fairfax, Va.; and by two great-grandchildren, Amanda Lindsay and Jessica Lindsay, both of Midlothian.
The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004, at Martin Oak Ridge Funeral Home.
The family requests that any memorials be in the form of contributions to the American Cancer Society, 871 North Weisgarber Road, Knoxville, TN 37909.
The family will receive friends from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Ted Edward Phillips Sr.
Retired mining inspector, NASCAR fan
Ted Edward Phillips Sr., 50, of Lake City, died Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge.
Born Aug. 4, 1952, in Anderson County, he was the son of Burley and Lina Phillips, both now deceased.
Mr. Phillips was a member of Grace Fellowship Baptist Church in Lake City and a retired federal mining inspector with the Civil Service Mine Safety Health Administration in LaFollette.
His family described him as a loving father and grandfather and an avid NASCAR fan who loved watching and attending the races.
Mr. Phillips is survived by his wife, Barbara Lane Phillips; five daughters, Angela McClure and her husband, Jim, of Andersonville, Kristi Phillips of Lake City, and Amanda Phillips, Kimberly Phillips and Valerie Phillips, all of Clinton; his son, Ted Phillips Jr. and his wife, Kristy, of Monterey; his children's mother, Viola Phillips of Clinton; two grandchildren, Samantha McClure and Jacob Phillips; three sisters, Ruby Phillips of Lake City, Margaret Edwards of St. Petersburg, Fla. and Bernice Patterson of LaFollette; two brothers, Gene Phillips and his wife, Linda, of Oliver Springs and Burley Phillips and his wife, Lisa, of Lenoir City; and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Phillips was preceded in death by two other brothers, Alvin and Billy Phillips, and two other sisters, Inex Worley and Helen Lemmons.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, in the chapel of Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton with the Rev. Rick Teague, the Rev. Verlin Langford and the Rev. Clifford Fraker officiating.
Burial will follow at Anderson Memorial Gardens, 640 Oliver Springs Highway, Clinton.
Ruth Bootze Menchhofer
Member of Grace Lutheran Church
Ruth Bootze Menchhofer, 82, of Oak Ridge, died Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003, at her home.
Born Aug. 1, 1920, in Midway, Ky., she was the daughter of Noble Craig Bootze and Lulie Gravett Bootze, who are deceased.
Mrs. Menchhofer was a retired social worker with the city of Oak Ridge and a member of Grace Lutheran Church. Her children said she was very community-oriented and took an active part in many area groups and activities, but her major focus was her children and grandchildren.
She was the widow of Herman Luther Menchhofer, who died July 3, 1972.
Mrs. Menchhofer is survived by her children, Bob Menchhofer and his wife, Nancy, of St. Louis, Mo., Carolyn Berryman and her husband, Roy, of Bristol, Tenn., Ann O'Neill and her husband, Tim, of Santa Maria, Calif., Doug Menchhofer and his wife, Isabel, of Falls Church, Va., and Paul Menchhofer of Clinton; and six grandchildren, Kelly Menchhofer of St. Louis, Amy Menchhofer of Madrid, Spain, Erin O'Neill and Patrick O'Neill, both of Santa Maria, Calif., and Alex Menchhofer and Christian Menchhofer, both of Falls Church.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, at Grace Lutheran Church with the Rev. Stephen Damos officiating. A reception will follow immediately thereafter.
The family asks that any memorials be in the form of contributions to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 672648, Marietta, GA 30006; the American Cancer Society, c/o Lee Costanzo, 103 Case Lane, Oak Ridge, TN 37830; or the Food Pantry at Grace Lutheran Church, 131 W. Gettysburg, Oak Ridge, TN 37830.
The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Grace Lutheran Church.
Weatherford Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Pauline 'Polly' Butcher Brown
Owned Polly's Beauty Salon in Oliver Springs
Pauline "Polly" Butcher Brown, 82, died Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003, at St. Mary's Residential Hospice in Knoxville.
A longtime resident of Oliver Springs, she spent her last three years living at the Oak Ridge Retirement Center.
She was born March 31, 1920, the daughter of Dr. J.W. and Sally Butcher. She lived in Clinton until her marriage to Thaxton Hayes Brown Sr. The couple had been married for 58 years at the time of his death.
Mrs. Brown owned and operated Polly's Beauty Salon in Oliver Springs for many years. She was a member First Baptist Church in Oliver Springs, where she served as a Sunday School teacher in the primary department for many years.
Her family said she was a lover of flowers and knitting. She spent much time working with her plants and making many baby blankets and other gifts for her friends and relatives.
She is survived by her daughter, Sandra B. Ange and her husband, Dr. David Ange, of Knoxville; her son, Thaxton H. Brown Jr. and his wife, Sherry, of Oliver Springs; seven grandchildren, T.H. "Buster" Brown III of Oak Ridge, Dr. W. Scott Kimmerly of Atlanta, Ga., Andrew David Hayes Ange of Knoxville, Tracy B. Crisp and her husband, Tim, and Tara B. Buck and her husband, Alan, all of Oliver Springs, Carman Bradford of Lenoir City, and Melissa A. Ryan and her husband, Andrew, of Memphis; and seven great-grandchildren, Kayla Crisp, Logan Crisp, Brandon Buck and Lindsay Buck, all of Oliver Springs, Alex Brown of Oak Ridge, Kersten Bradford of Lenoir City and Lucy Ryan of Memphis.
She is also survived by three sisters-in-law, Maxine B. Harvey and her husband, C.S. Harvey Jr., Dorthea S. Brown and Zola C. Brown, all of Oliver Springs; and by several nieces and nephews.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Crystal "Pete" Stanley and Billie June Daverman and an aunt, Beatrice Woodruff.
The funeral will be at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, in the chapel of Sharp Funeral Home in Oliver Springs.
A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Anderson Memorial Gardens, Oliver Springs Highway.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, at the funeral home.
The family requests that any memorials be in the form of donations to St. Mary's Residential Hospice, 7447 Andersonville Highway, Knoxville, TN 37938.
