Oak Ridge Today

Obituary: Dorothy Ellen Brashears

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Dorothy Ellen Brashears

Dorothy Ellen Brashears

Dorothy Ellen Brashears, age 89, a resident of Franklin, Tennessee, and formerly of Oliver Springs, passed away Friday, July 18, 2014, in Franklin.

Mrs. Brashears was born on November 4, 1924, in Tazewell County, Virginia. She moved to Oak Ridge in 1942 and later began employment at ORNL at the Y-12 federal plant. She continued her employment until her retirement in 1988, as a chemical operator.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry Cleveland Lockhart and Fannie Ann Rose Lockhart; by her husband, Arvel Brashears’ by a daughter, Carolyn Marie Dawson; by sisters, Leona, Edna, Sadie, Irene, and Aline; and by three brothers, Robert, William and Curtis. [Read more…]

Obituary: James Andrew ‘Papaw Jimmy’ Crain

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

James Andrew “Papaw Jimmy” Crain, age 57, a resident of Briceville, passed away Friday, July 18, 2014, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Jimmy was born December 6, 1956, in Knoxville. He continued to live in Knoxville until his move to Briceville in 2009.

He was a disabled truck driver and he enjoyed fishing in his spare time. [Read more…]

Obituary: Robert Ramsey Bigelow Jr.

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Robert Ramsey Bigelow Jr.

Robert Ramsey Bigelow Jr.

Robert R. Bigelow, age 67, died peacefully after a lengthy illness on Friday, June 27, 2014. He was the son of the late Dr. Robert and Marlys Bigelow.

Robert leaves four siblings and their families: Mary Bigelow Huntoon of Wenham, Massachusettes, her husband Daniel, and their four sons; William Bigelow of Verona, Virginia, and his three children; Anne Bigelow of Atlanta, Georgia; and James Bigelow of Missoula, Montana, his wife Mary Ann, and their three children. He also leaves his aunt, Joyce Hintz, and numerous cousins.

Robert was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Oak Ridge, finishing at the high school and graduating from Valparaiso University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

He returned to Oak Ridge, where he worked for Union Carbide at Y-12 as a software engineer. Robert was certified as a professional engineer and was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. He was recognized for technical achievement by Y-12 in 1993. Robert retired in February after 45 years at the plant. [Read more…]

Obituary: Larry Norman Hildreth

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Larry Norman Hildreth

Larry Norman Hildreth

Larry Norman Hildreth, age 51, passed away Thursday, July 10, 2014, at his home following an extended illness.

He was born April 13, 1963, in Oak Ridge, and was preceded in death by his parents, Louise and Norman Hildreth.

He is survived by his twin brother Gary Hildreth, wife Virginia and children Brittany, Breanna, and Robert; and his sister Rebecca Hildreth Cooper, husband Perry and daughters Christina, Lindsey, and Sydney. He graduated from Oak Ridge High School.

Larry had been medically disabled for a number of years and enjoyed spending time with his family, friends, and his faithful German Shepard, Jasmine. He made many good friends during his years in Oak Ridge, with special friends Louise Thomas, Bill Heaton, and Orie Rice.

The receiving of friends will be Saturday, July 19 at 11 a.m. at Weatherford Mortuary with a memorial service to follow immediately afterward. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter.

Obituary: William Benjamin Chambley Jr.

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

William Benjamin Chambley Jr.

William Benjamin Chambley Jr.

William Benjamin Chambley Jr., age 71, of Kissimmee, Florida, and formerly of Oak Ridge, died Sunday, July 13, 2014.

He was born October 2, 1942, in Grenada, Mississippi, the son of William Benjamin Chambley and Sarah Long Chambley.
He was a member of St. Stephens Episcopal Church.

Mr. Chambley worked as a lifeguard in Oak Ridge from 1959-1965. He was a member of the Elks Lodge for 39 years and served as past exalted ruler of the Elks from 1983-1984. He was chairman of Local Chapter of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). He was also a member of Pi Sigma Kappa at the University of Tennessee from 1960-1966.

He enjoyed scuba diving and teaching swimming lessons. He worked with Union Carbide and Martin Marietta Energy Systems in Oak Ridge at the K-25 plant prior to transferring to the Orlando Missile Systems as the plant electrical engineer. He retired in 2007.

He enjoyed going to bluegrass festivals, spoiling his granddaughters, and weekly dinners with Lucia and his close friends. [Read more…]

Obituary: Mildred ‘Millie’ Lydia Strandberg

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Mildred "Millie" Lydia Strandberg

Mildred “Millie” Lydia Strandberg

Mildred “Millie” Lydia Strandberg passed away on July 6, 2014.

Millie was born in Joliet, Illinois, on June 9, 1918.

In Illinois, Millie married Elmer Strandberg (a World War II veteran), and she worked with special needs students for many years. Millie and Elmer were married for 45 years before Elmer’s passing.

Millie enjoyed playing cards, was an avid golfer, able to “golf her age” later in life, and even hit a hole-in-one in a golf tournament.

Millie later moved to Tennessee to enjoy retirement with her husband Elmer. She was a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Obituary: Martha Wilkinson Drewry

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Martha Wilkinson Drewry

Martha Wilkinson Drewry

Martha Wilkinson Drewry, age 70, passed away Wednesday, July 9, 2014, at home after an extended illness.

She was born June 9, 1944, in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of James Donald Wilkinson and Florence Deckert Wilkinson.

She graduated from West End High School in Birmingham, Alabama.

Outgoing and vibrant, she enjoyed a 33-year career with Y-12 Federal Credit Union and retired in 2010. She was very active in volunteer activities for the United Way, American Heart Association, and was a diplomat for the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. As a grandmother, she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, whose ages range from seven to 21.

She was preceded in death by her father, James Donald Wilkinson. [Read more…]

Obituary: Jack Conrad Thompson

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jack Conrad Thompson

Jack Conrad Thompson

Jack Conrad Thompson, age 85, of Clinton, passed away surrounded by his family, Monday, July 7, 2014, at the Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

He was born August 15, 1928, in Murfreesboro, Tenn., the son of Grant and Willie Posey Thompson.

Mr. Thompson attended Tennessee Wesleyan College before entering the United States Air Force, where he served from 1950-1954. During that period, he served in London, England, where he met his future wife, Evelyne Lynn Berkoff. They married February 12, 1954, and returned to the U.S.

Mr. Thompson began working at Union Carbide Nuclear Corp in 1955. He retired from Union Carbide in 1975 and went to work for the Federal Highway Department in Sevierville, Tennessee. He and his wife were the owners of Dial-A-Maid of Anderson County.

Mr. Thompson was a long-time member of the Elks Lodge #1684. He and his wife enjoyed spending time and raising their children at their cabin on Douglas Lake. He enjoyed the outdoors, boating, and traveling, and especially enjoyed playing cards with his grandsons. He was also a UT Vols fan. In earlier years, he and his wife were members of the Rambling Rebels Square Dance Club. [Read more…]

Obituary: John Hamilton Pashley

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

John Hamilton Pashley

John Hamilton Pashley

John Hamilton Pashley, age 92, of Oak Ridge, passed away Thursday, June 19, 2014, at his home.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 28, 1922, to Ervin Saltsman Pashley and Mary Hamilton Pashley.

A veteran of World War II, he served with the U.S. Army Special Engineer Detachment, Manhattan District at the K-25 plant. He held an A.S.T.P. certificate in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, a B.S.Ch.E. from Purdue University, and was A.B.D. in chemical engineering at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

He worked for over 45 years at K-25 (Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant) under contract to Union Carbide, then to Martin Marietta Energy Systems, where he held various positions over the years including group leader, section head, department head, senior chemical engineer for international technology programs, and chief engineer of enrichment technology. He was an assigned observer during Project Crossroads nuclear testing. He retired from Martin Marietta in December 1994 as a senior staff engineer II but continued to consult for several more years, most frequently for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California.

Mr. Pashley’s name appears on at least six United States patents, the last of which was published in 1998. He was a licensed professional engineer in the State of Tennessee, was elected to member status in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) in 1969, and was elected a fellow in that organization in 1987. He worked in areas including the development of the uranium fuel cycle, boron isotope separation, the manufacture of gaseous diffusion materials, AVLIS chemical processing, and the recovery of uranium from spent fuels. [Read more…]

Obituary: William Thomas Alvis

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Wiliam Thomas Alvis

Wiliam Thomas Alvis

William Thomas Alvis, age 75, of Oak Ridge, died Sunday, July 6, 2014, at the Methodist Medical Center.

He was born April 23, 1939, in Florence, Alabama, the son of Floyd Harrison Alvis and Tennie Mae Grigsby Alvis.

Mr. Alvis was a veteran of the USAF and served from 1956–1958. He is the owner of A&M Auto Body in Oliver Springs.

He was a member of the Elks Club #1684 and the Loyal Order of the Moose #1316. Mr. Alvis enjoyed golfing and sports, and was an avid Tennessee fan. [Read more…]

Obituary: Larry Spratling

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Larry Spratling, age 61, of Oak Ridge, passed away Tuesday, July 2, 2014, at his home.

He was born January 2, 1953, in Opelika, Alabama, the son of Charlie Will and Annie Frances Odom.

Larry worked at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge for over 17 years. He enjoyed riding around and enjoying his music.

In addition to his mother, he was preceded in death by step-father, William (BroBro) Odom; aunts, Annabel Williams and C. Barbara Bolton; and uncles, Carlston Spratling and Eugene Williams. [Read more…]

Obituary: Robert E. Tittsworth

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Robert E. Tittsworth

Robert E. Tittsworth

Robert E. Tittsworth, age 55, of Knoxville passed away peacefully Sunday, July 6, 2014, at his home.

A beloved husband, son, and friend was born August 31, 1958, in Oak Ridge, he began his career as a systems analyst at Union Carbide in 1980 and retired from Lockheed Martin Energy Systems in 2002. Robert was a 1976 graduate of Oak Ridge High School and a 1980 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. He enjoyed listening to music, spending time with his cats, reading, and fishing.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents Norville Leon and Mary Elizabeth Blankenship Tittsworth, mother-in-law Elzoria Hickam, and beloved furry children Rosie, Carlos, and Spooks. Robert is survived by his devoted wife Anna Belle Hickam Tittsworth, loving father Ed Tittsworth, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and co-workers. [Read more…]