Tennessee, U.S., Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909
Ruth Brashears Eggers
Former Oak Ridge resident
Ruth Brashears Eggers, 78, died Saturday, Feb. 17, 2001, in Franklin, after a long illness. She had lived in Franklin since the death of her husband.
Mrs. Eggers was born and grew up in Blue Diamond, Ky. She was the daughter of Annie and Virgil Brashears, who are deceased, and she was a graduate of Cumberland High School. She and her family moved to Oak Ridge in early 1940, and she was employed here for a time before accepting a job as a receptionist in Dayton, Ohio.
It was in Dayton that she met Alvin Eggers and the two were married. They both lived and worked in Dayton for many years. Their last years were spent in Florida, where Mrs. Eggers worked as a secretary in the state attorney's office until she retired.
After retirement, the couple traveled to many places in the United States and abroad. Her family said they both enjoyed having fun with friends and family and that their real passion was boating and fishing.
Mrs. Eggers is survived by her niece, Lelia Krivanee and her husband, Marc, and their sons, Ben and Paul. They became her family after the death of her husband and helped care for her during her long illness.
She is also survived by her grandnephew and grandniece, Chris and Laura Dawson of Smyrna, the children of niece Carolyn Dawson, now deceased; and two cousins, Hazel Magann of Florida and Marilyn Snipes of Oliver Springs.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Ervin Brashears and Arvel Brashears.
Mrs. Eggers requested that her body be cremated and the remains buried with her husband's at the National Cemetery in Florida.
William Elmer Gilreath
Former Oak Ridge resident
William Elmer Gilreath, 74, of Pine Knot, Ky., died Saturday, Feb. 24, 2001, at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Somerset, Ky.
Mr. Gilreath was born in Pine Knot on April 22, 1926, the son of Willie and Haley Jane Ball, who are now deceased.
He had worked as a maintenance supervisor for a shopping center in Oak Ridge before moving back to his hometown of Pine Knot.
He is survived by his son, Maurice Gilreath and his wife, Sandra, of Pine Knot; his daughter, Judy Ferring and her husband, Ralph, of Blue Ash, Ohio; his brothers, Marvin Gilreath and his wife, Mary, of Oak Ridge and Melvin Gilreath and his wife, Pauline, of Hampton, Va.; and by three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at East Pine Knot Tabernacle Church of God.
Burial will follow at the T. Chitwood Cemetery in Pine Knot.
Pine Knot Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Lorne T. Newman
Former Oak Ridge physicist
Lorne T. Newman, 91, a retired Oak Ridge physicist, died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. He had been a resident of Atria Weston Place in Knoxville.
Mr. Newman grew up on a farm in southern Ontario, Canada, where he began his education in a one-room schoolhouse. After graduating from high school with province-wide honors, he was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Toronto.
He wrote his thesis on gold colloids and received a doctorate in physics in 1938. Then he began working at the Ontario Department of Health in Toronto, where he operated the radon collection system.
In 1939, Mr. Newman took a position in geophysics with Lundberg to survey an area near Noranda, Quebec, with gravitometers in a search for heavy metals. He started working with the newly developed electron microscope at the University of Toronto in 1940, analyzing carbon black samples for Columbia Carbon Co. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the studies became classified war research.
In 1942, Mr. Newman was offered a position at Columbia University in a laboratory operated by Union Carbide. He moved to New York in 1944 to work on the Manhattan Project, for which he separated and concentrated the U-235 isotope of uranium. Completing the assignment in 1946, he moved to Oak Ridge to work at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
In 1946, he married Mary Holiat, whom he had met at Columbia. Two years later, Mr. Newman became an American citizen. He initially told his wife, a Barnard graduate who loved Manhattan, that they would be in Tennessee for only a year or two -- a temporary detour that lasted their lifetimes.
Mr. Newman worked on the development of the barrier and other parts of the gaseous diffusion process until 1962, when he moved to the Y-12 Plant to focus on the electromagnetic separation of isotopes for medical research and experimental physics.
From 1973 to 1975, after a brief retirement, he was a consultant for Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He then accepted a position with the Office of Scientific and Technical Information at the Atomic Energy Commission, a Department of Energy predecessor agency. There he indexed and abstracted scientific information from around the world and compiled computer-searchable databases.
Mr. Newman retired from OSTI in 1993 and began research for a book on energy. In 2000, he published the results in a monograph titled "The Benefit to Mankind of Fossil Fuels and the Problems that Depletion Will Bring."
Within his circle of friends, he was appreciated for his Christmas specialties: A standing rib roast, plum pudding and nutrient-loaded cookies. His family said his homemade wine, liberally spiked with either blackberry brandy or Southern Comfort, "packed a wallop."
Mary Newman died in 1997.
Mr. Newman is survived by his children, Michael Newman, Christine Newman and Kevin Newman; his grandchildren, Bryan, Amy and Loran; and his sisters, Grace and Mary.
In accordance with his wishes, no service will be held.
Myrtle Jewell Oxendine
Former Oak Ridge resident
Myrtle Jewell Oxendine, 70, of Charlotte, N.C., died Wednesday, Feb. 24, 1999, at her home.
Mrs. Oxendine was a former resident of Oak Ridge. Before moving to North Carolina, she had played the organ at various churches in Tennessee, including Cumberland Presbyterian churches in Oak Ridge, Lebanon and Lenoir City.
She was born Feb. 29, 1928, in Lebanon, Tenn., the daughter of Jesse T. and Alice Kelley Jewell. After graduating from Lebanon High School, she began working for Southern Bell in Lebanon. During this time, she studied organ at Cumberland University.
Mrs. Oxendine continued playing the organ at East and Robinson Presbyterian churches in Charlotte. She was a member of Robinson Presbyterian Church and was active in Women's Circle No. 1 and the Jolly Timers.
She retired as office manager for Allison Erwin Distributors in Charlotte after several years of service.
She was the widow of William Earl Oxendine, who with his brother, Jesse Oxendine, operated King's Drug Store in the Charlotte area for many years.
Mrs. Oxendine is survived by her daughter, Lori Oxendine Long and her husband, Robert, of Charlotte; her son, Duane Oxendine and his wife, Debbie, of High Point, N.C.; two grandchildren, Robert Dustin Long and Carrie Lynn Oxendine; and two sisters, Joanne Jewell Jacobs of Charlotte and Shirley Jewell Smith and her husband, James T. Smith, of Smithville.
Her brother-in-law, Josephus Jacobs, died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Robinson Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Stuart T. Wilson officiating.
Burial will follow at the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight, Feb. 26, at McEwen Funeral Service, 272 E. Morehead Street, Charlotte.
The family requests any memorials be in the form of donations to the cemetery fund at Robinson Presbyterian Church, 9424 Harrisburg Road, Charlotte, NC 28215.
Gus Hatcher Jr.
Retired ORNL roofer
Gus Hatcher Jr., 78, of Oak Ridge, died at 1:22 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, 1999, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mr. Hatcher was retired from Union Carbide Nuclear Division as a roofer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
He was born Jan. 20, 1921, in Fitzpatrick, Ala., the son of Martha Flowers and Gus Hatcher Sr.
Mr. Hatcher was a charter member of Oak Valley Baptist Church and a member of Elks Atomic Lodge No. 1301 in Oak Ridge. He enjoyed cooking and traveling and was devoted to taking care of his children and grandchildren, the family said.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Helen Catlin Hatcher; three daughters, Diane Hatcher Watkins, Madeline Spratling Kennell and Wynickea D. Hatcher, all of Oak Ridge; his brother, Willie Hatcher; and three sisters, Patience Hatcher Grider of Oak Ridge, Maggie Pearl Hatcher Frazier of Montgomery, Ala., and Truella Brown of Los Angeles, Calif.
Mr. Hatcher is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Lena Hatcher of Tullahoma and Lois Catlin of Avon Park, Fla.; his brother-in-law, Mr. Frazier of Montgomery; nine grandchildren, Larry Spratling, Sharon Spratling, Barbara Spratling, Denise Spratling Duff, John W. Spratling and his wife, Vanessa, Evette Spratling, Kaylee Hatcher and Travonna Watkins, all of Oak Ridge, and Antonia Herdon of Charlotte, N.C.; and by 12 great-grandchildren.
Also surviving are many nieces and nephews, including special nieces, Karen Catlin of Miami, Fla., Shirley Ann Grider of Rockwood, Helen Grider of San Francisco, Gloria Jones and Shirley Hatcher, both of Montgomery, and Marsha Ann Catlin of San Diego.
Members of Oak Valley Baptist Church and the Elks Atomic Lodge were considered special friends. Other special friends are Gwen Herdon, James "Pig" Mitchell and Melvin Johnson.
His son, Henry Anthony Hatcher, died earlier. Three brothers, Norman Hatcher, York Hatcher and Elijah Hatcher, and two sisters, Lillian Hatcher and Queen Esther Hatcher, also died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, at Oak Valley Baptist Church with the Rev. Hardil Thomas officiating.
Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be members of Elks Atomic Lodge 1301.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the church.
Weatherford Mortuary is handling arrangements.
Pearl Lively West
Mount Pisgah Baptist member
Pearl Lively West, 63, of Oliver Springs, died Wednesday, Feb. 24, 1999, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Mrs. West was a member of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church.
She was born June 7, 1935, in Oliver Springs, the daughter of William and Mattie Leach Lively, who are deceased.
Mrs. West enjoyed vegetable and flower gardening, and canning.
She is survived by her husband, Harold West; her daughter, Melissa Harris and her husband, Ron, of Oliver Springs; and three sons, Jerry West and his wife, Tanya, Tim West and his wife, Debbie, and Mike West and his wife, Melinda, all of Oliver Springs.
Mrs. West is also survived by her grandchildren, Adam West, Jordan West, Summer Rhodes, Christy Taylor, Jason West, Ashley West, Matt West, Cody West, Chase West, Bailey West, Derrick Mulkey and Amanda Mulkey; and her great-grandson, Blake Taylor.
Also surviving are six sisters, Mary Cox of Kingston and Joyce Patterson, Edna Lynn, Patricia Thomas, Mamie Vickery and her husband, Earl, and Lola Huskey and her husband, Ralph, all of Oliver Springs; and two brothers, Carl Lively and his wife, Bernice, and Roy Lively and his wife, Evelyn, all of Oliver Springs.
Ann Melhorn of Joyner and Peggy Avery of Kingston were considered special friends.
Her brother, Wayne Lively, and two sisters, Hazel Bolden and Anna Lively, died earlier.
The funeral will be held at 8:30 tonight, Feb. 26, in the chapel of Sharp Funeral Home in Oliver Springs with the Rev. Garvan Walls and the Rev. Robert Rose officiating.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Mount Pisgah Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8:30 tonight at the funeral home.
