Tennessee, U.S., Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909
Orville Franklin Watson
Retired DOE courier
Orville Franklin Watson, 85, of Oak Ridge, died Saturday, March 18, 2000, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mr. Watson moved from Knoxville to Oak Ridge in 1947. He had retired in 1980 as a courier with the Department of Energy.
He was born in Sevier County on Feb. 19, 1915, the son of Otis and Elizabeth Williams Watson. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.
Mr. Watson was a member of Robertsville Baptist Church. His family described him as a sports enthusiast who also enjoyed working in his yard and working crossword puzzles.
He is survived by his wife, Kathleen "Teen" Davis Watson; his daughter, Nancy Cooper of Atlanta, Ga.; his granddaughter, Ainsley Cooper of Atlanta; his sister, Blanche Weaver of Atlanta; and by several nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be held at 8 tonight, March 20, in the chapel of Weatherford Mortuary with the Rev. Michael Prince officiating.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 21, at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to the National Kidney Foundation of East Tennessee, 4450 Walker Blvd., Suite 2, Knoxville, TN 37917-1523; or to Robertsville Baptist Church, 251 Robertsville Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37830.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 tonight at the mortuary.
Norma Jean Conniff
MMC employee
Norma Jean Conniff, 61, of Clinton, died Saturday, March 18, 2000, at her home.
Mrs. Conniff was an account representative with Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
She was the daughter of Cas B. and Bessie White Seivers, who are deceased, and she was the widow of Alvin Conniff.
Mrs. Conniff was a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Clinton.
She is survived by her daughter, Marlene Bainum and her husband, Larry, of Clinton; her grandchildren, Averil Conniff, Travis Bainum, Shella Bainum and Marty Bainum; two sisters, Evelyn King of Clinton and Laura Brooks of Knoxville; her brother, Henry Seivers and his wife, Boots, of Clinton; and by several nieces and nephews.
In addition to her husband and parents, her son, Marty Coniff, died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, in the chapel of Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton with the Rev. David Hanes and the Rev. Hershel Barrington officiating.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 22, at Woodhaven Memorial Gardens in Claxton.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Oscar Leeman Williams
Solway resident
Oscar Leeman Williams, 75, of the Solway community, died Friday, March 17, 2000, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mr. Williams is survived by his wife, Lucy Soard Williams; his son, Arthur Wayne Williams and his wife, Alice, of Karns; and his sister, Mable Arnold of Dandridge.
The funeral was held Sunday, March 19, at Solway Missionary Baptist Church with the Rev. Ray Buchanan and the Rev. Bill Dean officiating.
Burial followed at Woodhaven Memorial Gardens in Claxton.
Weatherford Mortuary handled arrangements.
Martha Edgar Miracle
Former Oak Ridge resident
Martha Edgar Miracle, formerly of Oak Ridge, died Thursday, March 16, 2000, at the Memphis Jewish Home of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Mrs. Miracle was a homemaker and the widow of Virgil "Deek" Miracle, who had retired from the Engineering Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
She is survived by two daughters, Judy M. Barnhardt and Debbie M. Belote, both of Memphis; and by four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A graveside service was to be conducted at 11 this morning, March 20, at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
The family requests that any memorials be in the form of donations to the Memphis Jewish Home, 36 Bazeberry Road, Cordova, TN 38018-7754; or to the Alzheimer's Foundation, East Tennessee Chapter, 600 Henley St., Suite 50, Knoxville, TN 37902.
McCarty-Martin Oak Ridge Funeral Home handled arrangements.
Lt. Col. Charles E. Murphy
Former Oak Ridge resident
Lt. Col. Charles E. Murphy, 85, died Monday, March 17, 2003, in Marietta, Ga.
He was born Nov. 11, 1917 in Baltimore, Md. He attended and graduated from McDonogh military School while on scholarship. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Tennessee in 1941 while on scholarship. He was a Kappa Sigma Alumni.
He married Charlotte Wellman Wilson the day after graduation and they moved to Hollywood, Calif. He worked for Lockheed Martin. His wife died earlier.
After Pearl Harbor, he requested active duty and served in World War II from 1942 to 1946. He served with 1st Infantry three-and-half years in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Africa; Normandy Invasion, Northern France, Germany and throughout Europe. He received two silver stars, two bronze stars, a Purple Heart, and eight battle stars on his campaign ribbon. He was discharged from active duty on Jan. 24, 1946. He remained in the reserves until his retirement at age 70 as lieutenant colonel.
In 1946, he returned to Knoxville and moved to Oak Ridge where he lived at 101 Maple Lane for over 50 years. He worked for Union Carbide Nuclear Division as an engineer for the Y-12 Plant, the K-25 site, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
He was an accomplished horseman, dressage judge, technical delegate, and he foxhunted with the East Tennessee Valley Fox Hunt. He was active in Oak Ridge Playhouse. He was involved with the Sea Scouts and Power Squadron. He loved to garden, paint, and write short stories.
He is survived by two daughters, Karen Murphy-Daniels of DuPont, Wash. and Celia M. Parks of Atlanta; a son, Stephen W. Murphy of Ohio and his grandchildren, Scott Murphy of Chicago and Julie Landesco of Boston.
A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23, in the small chapel at First United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge.
The funeral with military rites will be at 10 a.m. Monday, March 24, in Knoxville.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m. in the church parlor.
The family requests that any memorials be in the form of gifts to the Lt. Colonel Charles E. Murphy Scholarship Fund, Society of the First Infantry Division, 1933 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422-1422.
Labelle Florence Potts
Former Oak Ridge resident
Labelle Florence Potts, 89, of Clinton, died Monday, March 19, 2001, at NHC HealthCare of Oak Ridge.
Born Jan. 5, 1912, in Rossville, Ga., she was the daughter of Nathan Garland and Dora Lane.
Before moving to Oak Ridge in 1945, Mrs. Potts worked at Dixie Mercerizing in Chattanooga.
She was the widow of Coke Lester Potts, who was employed in Oak Ridge with Union Carbide Nuclear Division. After his retirement in 1970, the couple moved to Altoona, Fla. In 1990, they returned to Tennessee to live in Clinton.
Mrs. Potts was a member of Ridgedale Baptist Church in Chattanooga. She was a member of the Loyal Order of Moose in Oak Ridge and in Eustis, Fla., and a member of the Oak Ridge chapter of the Order of Eastern Star.
She is survived by her daughters, Deborah Newton of Umatilla, Fla., Loretta Scott and her husband, Donald S. Scott, of Oak Ridge and Charlene Phillips and her husband, Frank W. Phillips, of Clinton; her grandsons, Lester Phillips and his wife, Nancy Phillips, of Morristown, Paul Holt and Gary Scott and his wife, Linda Scott, all of Knoxville, Neil Phillips of Clinton, David Scott and his wife, Tammy Scott, of Old Hickory and Kenneth Holt and his wife, Jessica Holt, of Oak Ridge; and by her great-granddaughters, Alecia Phillips and Heather Phillips, both of Clinton, and Lauren Phillips and Alissa Phillips, both of Morristown.
In addition to her husband and her parents, Mrs. Potts was preceded in death by her brothers, Lee Roy Lane, Finley Lane and Jim Lane.
A graveside service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 22, at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
The family requests that any memorials be in the form of donations to the Missionary Fund at Riverview Baptist Church, Old Blacks Ferry Road, Clinton, TN 37716.
Martin Oak Ridge Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Gladys Cotton East
Oak Ridge resident
Gladys Cotton East, 77, of Oak Ridge, died Monday, March 19, 2001, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mrs. East was born July 17, 1923, in Daviston, Ala. She was the daughter of Thomas and Annie Lou Cotton, who are deceased.
She is survived by her husband, Quinton T. East; her sons, Tony D. East of Oak Ridge and Thomas Craig East of Lexington, Ky.; her daughter, Anice Quinelle East of Knoxville; her sister, Demerle Ousley of Lanett, Ala.; her brother, Edsel Cotton of Alexander City, Ala.; two grandchildren, Carol Lerner of Dearborn, Mich., and Julie Ostrye of Pensacola, Fla.; and by five great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two other brothers, Roy Cotton and James Cotton, and a granddaughter, Susan Stone of Knoxville.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 21, in the chapel of Martin Oak Ridge Funeral Home.
Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 tonight, March 20, at the funeral home.
