Tennessee, U.S., Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909
William Lake Blankenship
Retired ironworker; Lion of Year
William Lake Blankenship, 83, of Oliver Springs, died Monday, Feb. 9, 1998, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mr. Blankenship had worked as a coal miner in the Fork Mountain area of Anderson County and later worked as an ironworker, retiring in 1979. He was a member of Ironworkers Local No. 384.
Mr. Blankenship was born in Unicoi County on June 30, 1914. He was a tenor in the Blankenship Family Quartet during the 1940s and 1950s.
A member of Beech Park Baptist Church of Oliver Springs for 31 years, he served as the church trustee for 22 years and later became trustee emeritus.
He also served the church as choir director, superintendent of the Sunday school, director of the Training Union and as a Sunday school teacher. Mr. Blankenship established the Lake Blankenship Christmas Fund for needy families, which is presented through Beech Park Baptist Church.
He was also active in the Oliver Springs Lions Club and held several offices. In 1990, he was voted Tennessee Lion of the Year. Mr. Blankenship was well-known for loving to grow flowers and for always having a joke for all occasions, his family said.
He is survived by his wife, Zelma Phillips Blankenship; his daughter, Barbara Ann Blankenship of Knoxville; two sisters, Gertrude Smith of Greeneville and Myrtle Dickerson of Johnson City; four brothers, J.C. Watts, Floyd "Cotton" Watts and Merle "Tince" Watts, all of Greeneville, and Clarence Watts of Irving, Texas; an uncle, Arvil Blankenship of Erwin; and by several nieces and nephews.
His mother, Ruhamie Blankenship Watts, and another brother, Glenn Watts, died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, in the chapel of Sharp Funeral Home in Oliver Springs with the Rev. Gary Smith and the Rev. Steve McDonald officiating.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 13, at Anderson Memorial Gardens, Oliver Springs Highway, Clinton.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
The Rev. Taylor McCreary
Minister, retired electrician
The Rev. Taylor L. McCreary, 86, of Overlook Lane, Clinton, died Monday, Feb. 9, 1998, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mr. McCreary was a minister of the Southern Baptist Church who served as pastor of several churches, including Briceville First Baptist, Bishopville Baptist, Red Hill Baptist, Willowbrook Baptist, Newcomb Baptist, Cedar Bluff Baptist and Indian Creek Baptist churches.
He was retired as an electrician at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant for Union Carbide Nuclear Division.
Mr. McCreary was a member of Alpha Masonic Lodge No. 376 F&AM in Clinton and of the Clinton Order of Eastern Star. He was also a 50-year-member of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
He was the son of Taylor and Gracie McCreary.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Evelyn Smith McCreary; four daughters, Mickey Basham of Morristown, Dorotha J. Salmon and Donna S. Mallory and her husband, Victor L. Mallory, all of Dayton, Ohio, and Dorcas I. Ridlon and her husband, Lewis L. Ridlon, of Clinton; five grandchildren, Pamela J. Salmon, Robin B. Taylor, Denise V. Cloud, Jeana I. Krank and Michael A. Lowe; and by 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.
He is also survived by a sister, Hazel I. McCreary of Clinton; two brothers, Bernard L. McCreary of Richmond, Ky., and George L. McCreary of Mishawaka, Ind.; a brother-in-law, Joseph F. Geraud of Andersonville; and several nieces and nephews.
His parents, two sisters, Hallie Brown and Helen Geraud, two brothers, Fredrick E. McCreary and John R. McCreary, a granddaughter, Julia Sue Garrett, and a son-in-law, Ray G. Basham, all died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, in the chapel of Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton with the Rev. George DeLozier and the Rev. Ralph Cordell officiating. Masonic and Eastern Star services will be conducted prior to the funeral service.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 13, at McCarty Woodhaven Memorial Garden in Claxton.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to the Clinton Baptist Association, 400 Market St., Clinton, TN 37716.
Ernest G. Vann
Retired Y-12 machinist
Ernest G. Vann, 92, of Oak Ridge, died Thursday, Feb. 26, 1998, at Fort Sanders Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville.
Mr. Vann was retired as a machinist at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. He was a member of the International Machinists Union.
He was born in Knox County and was a member of First Baptist Church in Oak Ridge.
Mr. Vann is survived by Sam; his daughter, Nancye Kinley of Powell; two sons, Tracy Vann of Oak Ridge and Ernest Vann Jr. of Knoxville; two sisters, Lila Bean of Whitley City, Ky., and Ellen Robinson of Cincinnati, Ohio; and two brothers, Paul Vann of Jellico and Ed Vann of LaFollette.
He is also survived by his grandchildren, Victor Vann, John Vann, Kimberly Cox, Amye White, Jennifer Beatty, Scott Beatty, Ernest Vann, Cris Vann and Mike Kinley; and by 11 great-grandchildren.
His wife, Dora Howard Vann, died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at First Baptist Church with the Rev. Larry Dipboye officiating.
Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the church.
McCarty-Martin Oak Ridge Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Curtis Warner Byrnes
Oak Ridge resident
Curtis Warner Byrnes, 84, of Oak Ridge, died Saturday, March 21, 1998, at Briarcliff Health Care Center.
Mr. Byrnes is survived by his wife, Helen E. Byrnes of Oak Ridge; and two daughters, Barbara Reagan of Oak Ridge and Joy Sterling of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, Canada.
S.W. Smith & Son Funeral Home in Parrsboro is handling arrangements. Burial will be at St. George's cemetery in Parrsboro.
Weatherford Mortuary handled local arrangements.
Rosa Stone Rutherford
Longtime Oliver Springs resident
Rosa Stone Rutherford, 95, of Oliver Springs, died Monday, Jan. 19, 1998, at the home of her daughter in Oliver Springs.
Mrs. Rutherford had lived in Oliver Springs for the past 64 years. She was a homemaker and member of New Fairview Baptist Church.
She was born Oct. 24, 1902, in Campbell County, the daughter of Joel Stone and Susan Jenkins Stone.
Mrs. Rutherford is survived by her husband, Everett Rutherford; two daughters, June Rather and her husband, Richard, of Oliver Springs, and Irene Frost and her husband, Ed, of Kingston; a daughter-in-law, Ruth Rutherford of Oliver Springs; a sister-in-law, Elmo Rutherford of LaFollette; and by 18 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren.
A son, Clyde Rutherford, died earlier. Two sisters, Josie Shelton and Mary Hollifield, and seven brothers, Price Rutherford, Bruce Rutherford, Oren Rutherford, Jim Rutherford, Jerome Rutherford, Lewis Rutherford and Fess Stone, also died earlier.
The funeral will be at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, in the chapel of Sharp Funeral Home in Oliver Springs with the Rev. Kenneth Stubbs officiating.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at Anderson Memorial Gardens, Oliver Springs Highway, Clinton.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Willie Johnson Wilson
New Salem Baptist member
Willie Johnson Wilson, 82, of Clinton, died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mrs. Wilson was a member of New Salem Baptist Church in Clinton and an active member of the church's Willing Workers Sunday School Class.
She was a homemaker. The family said she had devoted her life to cooking, gardening and serving the Lord and nurturing her family and others.
She was the daughter of William and Laura Johnson.
Mrs. Wilson is survived by two daughters, Jodi Allen and her husband, Byron, and Jacque Douglas and her husband, Jimmy; and a son, David J. Wilson and his wife, Judy, all of Oak Ridge.
She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Dr. James Cates and William Cates, both of Livingston, Michael Cates of Cookeville, Chris Cates of San Clemente, Calif., Christopher Douglas of Bozeman, Mont., and Jonathan Ryan and Stephen Wilson, both of Oak Ridge; 10 great-grandchildren; a brother-in-law, Ernest Wilson and his wife, Shirley, of Knoxville; a sister-in-law, Mrs. Ralph Harper of Mineral Bluff, Ga.; and by several nieces and nephews.
Her husband, Jack L. Wilson, and two sisters and seven brothers, died earlier.
The funeral will be at 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at New Salem Baptist Church with the Rev. Chris Albright officiating. Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday at the church.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to New Salem Baptist Church, in care of Sam Helton, 210 Circle Dr., Clinton, TN 37716.
Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton is handling arrangements.
Douglas Nelson
Son of Oak Ridgers
Douglas Alan "Doug" Nelson, 37, of Greeneville, died Sunday, Jan. 25, 1998, from complications of pneumonia.
He was a former resident of Oak Ridge and the son of Fred and Mary Nelson. He had lived at Greene Valley Development Center in Greeneville since 1982.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by a sister, Sandra N. Mitchell and her husband, William N. Mitchell and their two children, all of Oak Ridge; and, one brother, David L. Nelson, of Knoxville.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date. The family requests that no flowers be sent.
Chalmer Ray Duncan
Former Union Carbide employee
Chalmer Ray Duncan, 79, of Clinton, died at 5:55 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, 1998, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mr. Duncan was retired after 12 years of service with Union Carbide Nuclear Division.
He was born in Windrock on March 7, 1918, the son of Eva Brown and Hubert Duncan Sr., both now deceased. He was a veteran of World War II.
Mr. Duncan was a member of St. Mark United Methodist Church.
He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Yerkes Duncan; two daughters, Karen Fry and her husband, Kenny, of Kansas City, Kan., and Kathy Stansberry and her husband, Steve, of Clinton; two stepchildren, Peggy Perry and her husband, Hugh, of Austin, Texas, and James Cain and his wife, Juana, of Lake City; and grandchildren Blake and Danika Fry and Matt and Andrea Stansberry.
Mr. Duncan is also survived by step-grandchildren Babbi Bilbeck, Allen Cain and Charlton and Roger Perry; one step-great-granddaughter, Jessica Cain; two brothers, Hubert Duncan Jr. and his wife, Lorene, of Clinton, and Carl Lester Duncan and his wife, Jean, of Madison; and by several nieces and nephews.
His first wife, Essie Faris Duncan, died earlier, as did a son, Chalmer Ray Duncan Jr., and a sister, Louise Hankins.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, in the chapel of Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton with the Rev. Don Clark and the Rev. Lee Cate officiating.
Burial will follow at Sunset cemetery in Clinton.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to St. Mark United Methodist Church, 252 N. Main St., Clinton, TN 37716, or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Ruby Herrell Johnson
Service changes
Ruby Herrell Johnson, 84, of Herrell Lane, Claxton, died Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
The funeral will be held at 8 tonight, Feb. 5, in the chapel of Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton. The Rev. Harold Ogle and the Rev. Larry Davidson will officiate.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 6, at McCarty Woodhaven Memory Gardens in Claxton. The grandsons will serve as pallbearers.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 tonight at the funeral home.
