Tennessee, U.S., Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909
Verna Alice Davis
Member of Vestal United Methodist Church
Verna Alice Davis died Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004, at NHC HealthCare of Oak Ridge.
Mrs. Davis moved from Knoxville to the Oak Ridge Retirement Community in 1998. She was a member of Vestal United Methodist Church in Knoxville.
She was preceded in death by her parents, W. Gus and Rachael Davis; her husband, Fred C. Davis; and by two sisters, Mae Phelps and Georgia Clark.
Mrs. Davis is survived by a sister, Kathleen Watson; two nieces, Nancy Cooper and Janice Bowles, both of Atlanta, Ga.; and by three grandnieces and one grandnephew.
According to her family, Mrs. Davis touched the lives of many people with her kind and gentle spirit.
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004, in the chapel of Berry Funeral Home on Chapman Highway in Knoxville with the Rev. John Wilson officiating.
Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Knoxville.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
John Griffith
Resident of Lake City
John Griffith, 68, of Lake City, died Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2000, at the LaFollette Medical Center.
He was born May 28, 1931 in Jackson County, Ky.
Survivors include his wife, Phyllis Griffith, of Lake City; one daughter, Dana Wigginton, of Mainville, Ohio; two sisters, Elizabeth Maloney, of Stanton, Ky., and Ann Gill, of Detroit; and four grandchildren, John Griffith, Andrew Griffith, Jennifer Wigginton and Gabriel Wigginton; several nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be at noon Saturday, Feb. 19, 2000, at the Covenant Life Worship Center in Lake City with the Rev. Tony McAfee officiating. Burial will follow at the Oak Grove Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the Cox-Martin Funeral Home in Lake City.
Minnie Lee Rutherford
LaFollette resident
Minnie Lee Rutherford, 84, of LaFollette, died Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000, at LaFollette Medical Center.
Mrs. Rutherford was born Aug. 9, 1915, in Tennessee, the daughter of Mack and Mary Clanzy Hatmaker, who are deceased. She was the widow of Henry J. Rutherford.
She was a former resident of the Vasper community in Campbell County and a member of Little Cove Creek Baptist Church of LaFollette.
Her family said she was very active in her community and enjoyed helping people by taking them to doctors' appointments and to the store.
Mrs. Rutherford is survived by her daughter, Ruby Lee Hatmaker Lester of LaFollette; her brother, Marion Hatmaker of Caryville; eight grandchildren, Steven E. Lester, Pamela A. Lees, Shannon Rutherford, Sean Rutherford, Brian Rutherford, Michelle Rutherford, Joey Rutherford and Ashley Rutherford; and by two great-grandchildren and several other relatives.
Her son, Henry Mack "Ted" Rutherford, and a sister and two brothers, Myrtle Robbins, Millard Hatmaker and Hubert Hatmaker, died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, in the chapel of Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Lake City with the Rev. Ronnie Arnold officiating.
Burial will follow at the New Vasper Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home .
Frederick Henry Eckler Jr.
Boeing executive manager
Frederick Henry "Butch" Eckler Jr., 53, of Kent, Wash., died Monday, Feb. 15, 1999, in Seattle of leukemia.
Mr. Eckler was executive manager of Boeing, where he had been employed for 32 years. He had been a resident of Kent for four months, but before moving to Kent, he lived in Knoxville for 18 months and worked at the Boeing-Oak Ridge plant.
He came to the Boeing-Oak Ridge facility in May 1997 as the general manager. Before coming to Oak Ridge, he was the program manager for the 747 Accurate Fuselage Assembly for the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group.
He was born in St. Charles, Mo., on Oct. 28, 1945, the son of Julia O. Eckler of St. Peters, Mo., and Frederic H. Eckler Sr., who is deceased.
He married Pamela J. Glisan, who survives him, on Oct. 28, 1966, in St. Charles.
Mr. Eckler had lived in Renton, Wash., for 31 years before moving to Knoxville. In Renton, he was a member of St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church, and a member and past exalted ruler of the Auburn Elks.
He was past district manager for the state of Washington and was a member of the Boeing Management Association.
Mr. Eckler enjoyed gardening, fishing, traveling, and in his youth, skiing.
In addition to his wife and his mother, he is survived by his daughter, Michelle Lynne Gross of Kent; his sister, Clara Ann Wiesendanger; and by one grandchild on the way.
The funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church in Renton. A reception will follow at Auburn Elks.
Viewing will be from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, at Marlatt Funeral Home in Kent.
A vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, at the funeral home.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to Washington State Tall Elks, P.O. Box 110760, Tacoma, WA 98411-0760; Fred Hutchinson's Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. N., P.O. Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109-1024; or to the Leukemia Society of America, 301 S. Perimeter Park Dr., Suite 117, Nashville, TN 37211-4128.
John Charles 'Jay' Kaffer
Former Bechtel OR worker
John Charles "Jay" Kaffer, 56, of Richland, Wash., died Friday, Feb. 12, 1999, at his home after what his family described as a long battle with cancer.
Mr. Kaffer was employed for 26 years with various divisions of the Bechtel Co., most recently as manager of Administrative Services with Bechtel Hanford Inc. in Richland He also worked in administrative positions in San Francisco and Oak Ridge.
He was born in Joliet, Ill., on July 22, 1942, the second of four children of John Donahoe and Isabelle Grant Kaffer, who are deceased.
Mr. Kaffer was a 1960 graduate of Joliet Catholic High School. He served two years in military service, starting in 1964 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, mapping in Ethiopia. His family said he found it an enriching experience that allowed him to visit Europe and Africa. He shared his slides and collected artifacts with his family.
He graduated from Loyola University in Chicago in 1969 with a degree in political science. He and his wife, Katherine Mary "Kay" McIsaac Kaffer, who survives him, met while he was at Loyola. They were married in Sierra Madre, Calif., on Sept. 6, 1969.
The family said Mr. Kaffer had a deep abiding faith in Jesus Christ that was the foundation for his life and the source of his peaceful acceptance of the joys and sorrows that life brings. The family was the center of his life, and they said he took great pleasure sharing with them his hobbies, such as passing on articles from The New Yorker or America, recommending books, visiting national parks, birdwatching, photography, camping, hiking in the woods, canoeing and taking in baseball games.
According to the family, his co-workers at Bechtel will miss his special sense of humor.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Kaffer is survived by four sons, John Francis "Jack" Kaffer of Chicago, Michael Joseph Kaffer and Andrew James Kaffer, both of Portland, Wash., and Joshua Peter Kaffer of Richland; his daughter, Serena "Ann" Annie of San Francisco; two sisters, Mary Bernickus of Florissant, Mo., and Katheryn Kaffer of Zuni, N.M.; his brother, James Kaffer of Sturgeon Lake, Minn.; and by several in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Services were held earlier this week in Washington. Notes can be sent to the family at 1532 Thayer Drive, Richland, WA 99352.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to Catholic Relief Services for victims of the Central American flood, World Headquarters, 209 W. Fayette St., Baltimore, MD 21201-3443. The family also requests that blood or blood products be donated in Mr. Kaffer's name to the donor's local Red Cross chapter.
Adalaide Katherine Strache
Oak Ridge resident
Adalaide Katherine Steinhauer Strache, 85, of Oak Ridge, died Monday, Feb. 16, 2004.
She was born in 1918 and grew up in Paducah, Ky., where she also met her husband, Arnold Albert Strache. They were married in 1936. She was the daughter of Henry and Madge Steinhauer of Paducah.
In 1962, she moved with her husband to Oak Ridge, where he accepted a position as a computer programmer with Union Carbide. She was active as a 4-H leader, and a member of the Homemaker Club, church choir and the Lutheran Women's Missionary League. She also served as president of the YWCA of Oak Ridge.
Mrs. Strache is survived by her children, Frederick Strache of Malibu, Calif., Irma Strache Pinkerton of Hixson, and Jennie Strache Hiers of Jacksonville, Fla.; and by six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be at noon CST Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the chapel of Roth's Funeral Home in Paducah.
Burial will follow in Oak Grove Cemetery in Paducah.
The family requests that any memorials be in the form of contributions to Faith Lutheran Church, 1300 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830.
The family will receive friends beginning at 11 a.m. CST Wednesday at Roth's Funeral Home.
Lane Funeral Home Coulter Chapel in Chattanooga is in charge of arrangements.
Pauline S. Schorn
Clinton resident
Pauline S. Schorn, 87, of Clinton, died Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004, at Windwood Health and Rehab Center in Clinton.
Born Jan. 22, 1917, in Lauderdale County in Alabama, she was the daughter of Henry George Stumpe and Mary P. Peters.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Victor Schorn; a brother and sister-in-law, Frank and Florence Stumpe; two brothers, August Stumpe and George Stumpe; a brother and sister-in-law, Ambrose and Flora Peters; a sister-in-law, Beatrice Stumpe, wife of Henry Stumpe; and by a grandson.
Mrs. Schorn is survived by two daughters, Mary Schorn of Oak Ridge and Virginia Chandler and husband, Steve, of Anderson County; two sons, John Schorn and wife, Ethel, of Knox County and Charles Schorn and wife, Desiree, of Dallas, Texas; two brothers, Henry Stumpe and Harold Peters and wife, Helen, all of Florence, Ala.; a sister-in-law, Doris Bates, wife of the late George Stumpe, of Haddon Heights, N.J.
A funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004, at St. Therese Catholic Church in Clinton with the Rev. Gerard Finucane officiating.
Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
The family requests that any memorials be in the form of contributions to the American Diabetes Association, Always and Forever Memorial and Honor Program, Attn: ADA Web, P.O. Box 2680, North Canton, OH 44720, or to St. Therese Catholic Church Building Fund, 701 S. Charles G. Seivers Blvd., Clinton, TN 37716.
The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton.
Louise Bresee Cowger
Oak Ridge resident
Louise Bresee Cowger of Oak Ridge died Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004.
Born Sarah Louise Bresee on March 20, 1905, on the family farm near Etna, Ill., she was the daughter of Byrd Elma and Bertha Bresee. Mrs. Cowger attended the University of Illinois and graduated in 1928. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and in 1925 was one of two founding members of Torch, the University of Illinois Junior Women's Honorary Society. She was involved with many other organizations and societies while at the university. On Aug. 4, 1928, she married Lawrence J. Shappert.
During World War II, Mrs. Cowger managed the Pi Beta Phi central office, which was then located in Decatur, Ill. In 1944, she took a job with the Ordnance Works in Decatur that was to build tanks in support of the war effort. Following the war, Mrs. Cowger sold real estate. Mr. Shappert died in 1969.
In 1979, she married Charles Carr Cowger. The couple wintered in Lake Placid, Fla., and lived in Belvidere, Ill., until 1984, when they moved to Champaign, Ill. Mr. Cowger died in March 2001.
In addition to her parents and husbands, she was preceded in death by three brothers, John Bresee, Paul Bresee and Howard Bresee, and by a sister, Ruth Bressee Ashbrook.
Mrs. Cowger is survived by her son, Lawrence B. Shappert, of Oak Ridge; four grandchildren and their spouses, Susan and Tony Saliba of Beavercreek, Ohio, Rebecca and David Luther of Bristol, Stephen and Rhonda Shappert of Commercial Point, Ohio, and Christopher and Kristen Shappert of Suwanee, Ga.; nine great-grandchildren, Joey Saliba, Justin Saliba and Alaina Saliba, all of Beavercreek, Brendan Luther, Erin Luther and Sarah Luther, all of Bristol, and Julia Shappert, Anna Shappert and Maria Shappert, all of Commercial Point; and by several nieces and nephews.
According to her family, Mrs. Cowger had a close relationship with the families of Mr. Cowger's children, including Reeta Cowger Beecham of Pelham, Ala., Sereta and David Cummins of Shelby, S.C., Charles and Jan Cowger of Columbia, Mo., and Bill and Gail Cowger of Troy, Mich.
Dorothy White Grover of Mattoon, Ill., was a special childhood friend.
A private family visitation was Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004, at Morgan Funeral Home in Savoy, Ill.
Burial was at Mount Hope Cemetery in Champaign.
A memorial service was Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004, at First Presbyterian Church of Champaign with the Rev. Eric Snyder officiating.
The family requests that any memorials be in the form of contributions to First Presbyterian Church, Youth Mission Trips, 302 W. Church St., Champaign, IL 61821.
