Oak Ridge Today

Obituary: Loretta Smith Hopwood

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Loretta Smith Hopwood, dedicated Christian mother, grandmother, sister and friendly neighbor, went to be with her Savior on March 17, surrounded by loved ones in Oak Ridge.

She was born on Aug. 21, 1922, in Pathfork, Ky., the daughter of Bradley and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Smith Hunley.

Mrs. Hopwood was a faithful member of Central Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School for many years.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, F. T. Hopwood; and brothers, Kenneth Smith, Paul Hunley, Mitchell Hunley, and Tucker Smith. [Read more…]

Obituary: Charles A. ‘Charlie’ Gifford

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Charles A. Gifford

Charles A. Gifford

Charles A. “Charlie” Gifford, age 94, of Oliver Springs, passed away Saturday, March 22, at his home.

He was a World War II veteran, serving our country in the U.S. Army. He earned the Purple Heart and four Bronze Stars and was a sharp shooter during the war. Later he worked for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he retired after 30-plus years of service.

He loved working in his yard, traveling, and camping. He was an avid University of Tennessee fan and especially enjoyed watching the Lady Vols. He loved his special companion, his dog “Jack.” A kind and caring man, Charlie quietly helped anyone in need and was loved by all.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Annie (Keith) Gifford, and his loving and deeply loved wife, Anne Gifford. [Read more…]

Obituary: Eleaner Hanks Redmond

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Eleanor Hanks Redmond

Eleanor Hanks Redmond

Eleaner “Jew Baby” Hanks Redmond, age 87, a long-time Oak Ridger and a resident of Greenfield Senior Living of Oak Ridge, passed away Tuesday, March 18, at Methodist Medical Center.

She was born Sept. 7, 1926, in Sweetwater, the daughter of Felix Prater and Mary Louise Hanks Winton.

Mrs. Redmond retired from Lockheed Martin Energy Systems in 1990, where she was an E.D.P. Specialist.

She was a member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. She enjoyed growing plants, indoor and outdoor, as well as cooking, reading, and working crossword puzzles. [Read more…]

Obituary: Ricky Allen Kendall

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Ricky Allen Kendall

Ricky Allen Kendall

Ricky Allen Kendall, age 53, of Oak Ridge, died Tuesday, March 18, 2014, at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville.

He was born March 8, 1961, in Jefferson, N.C., the son of Charles and Ola Jean Shepherd Kendall.

The family moved to Indiana soon after, living in a handful of places before settling in Rush County in 1972. It was here that Ricky earned his reputation as a farm boy until he left for Indiana State University in Terre Haute in 1979. He graduated magna cum laude from Indiana State in 1983 before undertaking graduate studies at the University of Utah, where he was awarded the PhD in 1988 for his work in computational quantum chemistry.

After a short stint of postdoctoral training at Argonne National Laboratory, he took up a staff scientist position at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 1989. During his tenure at PNNL, Ricky received a number of awards, chief among them a highly prestigious R&D 100 Award in 1999 for his work on the Molecular Science Software Suite, a set of software tools that is still used today by hundreds of scientists to perform cutting-edge research. [Read more…]

Obituary: Jean Davis Goodman

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jean Davis Goodman

Jean Davis Goodman

Jean Davis Goodman, formerly of Oak Ridge, died March 18, 2014, in Little Rock, Ark., at the age of 88 after a brief illness.

She was born June 15, 1925 in Calderwood, Tenn., the daughter of Mack and Pauline Griffin Davis.

Jean was an avid knitter, gardener, and in her younger days played golf. She was a homemaker, having raised two sons and her granddaughter.

After leaving Oak Ridge and until her death, she resided with her daughter-in-law, Laura Phillips, of Jacksonville, Ark. She was a long time member of First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge, but had attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Jacksonville since moving there. [Read more…]

Obituary: Loretta Smith Hopwood

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Loretta Smith Hopwood, dedicated Christian mother, grandmother, sister and friendly neighbor, went to be with her Savior on March 17, 2014, surrounded by loved ones in Oak Ridge. She was born on Aug. 21, 1922, in Pathfork, Ky., the daughter of Bradley and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Smith Hunley.

Mrs. Hopwood was a faithful member of Central Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School for many years.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, F. T. Hopwood; and brothers, Kenneth Smith, Paul Hunley, Mitchell Hunley, and Tucker Smith. [Read more…]

Obituary: David Hunter Creigh

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

David Hunter Creigh

David Hunter Creigh

David Hunter Creigh, 76, of Oak Ridge, passed away on Saturday, March 15, at Briarcliff in Oak Ridge.

He was born to parents Finley S. and Pauline Osborne Creigh in Hammond, IN.

David was of the Presbyterian faith, retired from Martin Marietta Energy Systems, K-25 facility as a rigger, enjoyed boating and camping, and was a history buff.

He was preceded in death by his parents and by daughter, Karen E. Creigh, 1983.  [Read more…]

Obituary: Barbara Stone

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Barbara Stone, age 87, and long time Oak Ridge resident, passed away in the early hours of Thursday, March 13, at Methodist Medical Center.

She was born Oct. 17, 1926 in Saginaw, Mich., where she grew up. During her high school years, she worked part-time manufacturing anti-aircraft shell triggers to support the war effort.

She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Goodman Theatre School in Chicago with a year at the University of Michigan to obtain the academic courses required for her degree. She graduated in 1948, and later that year moved to Oak Ridge to marry Robert Stone as he began his career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Barbara was active in a number of community affairs. She and her husband were charter members of the Knoxville/Oak Ridge Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church, and when the Oak Ridge congregation found its own minister, the Oak Ridge Unitarian Church. [Read more…]

Obituary: Rita Dianne Lowery Anderson

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Rita Dianne Lowery Anderson

Rita Dianne Lowery Anderson

Rita Dianne Lowery Anderson passed away suddenly Friday, March 14. Rita was born in Oak Ridge on Jan. 10, 1952, to Helen Schultz Lowery and James Keith Lowery, long time residents of Oak Ridge.

Rita graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1970. She was a member of the Wildcat Band and Orchestra, where she played the flute. She was a member of the French Club, Biology Club, Oak Leaf Staff, and Leo Club.

She graduated from Fort Sanders School of Nursing in 1975 and received her B.S. in Nursing from Pennsylvania State University in 1989. She was a member of the Penn State Alumni Society. [Read more…]

Obituary: Walter John Oldendorf

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Walter John Oldendorf

Walter John Oldendorf

Walter John Oldendorf passed away suddenly on March 8 at his home in Oak Ridge.

He was born Dec. 30, 1962, in Chicago, Ill. He was raised in Bloomington Normal, Ill., and moved to Oak Ridge in 1987 after attending Berea College in Kentucky.

He worked as an environment and safety specialist for various firms in and around Oak Ridge. He had many interests, foremost of those would be astronomy, meteorology, mathematics, and anything science-related. He was a member of the Cold War Patriots and the Anderson County Democratic Party. He also enjoyed fishing and boating, and had a great love of nature and all animals. However, he found the most enjoyment in life by watching the milestones and achievements of his two beautiful daughters. [Read more…]

Obituary: Leslie Dale Begley

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Leslie Dale Begley, age 85, a resident of Oak Ridge, passed away Wednesday, March 12, at Methodist Medical Center.

Mr. Begley was born Oct. 1, 1928, in Busy, Ky. He lived in Corbin, Ky., for 13 years, before his move to Oak Ridge, in 2001.

Mr. Begley was a retired educator who taught at both a high school and college level. He was employed at M.C. Napier High School and Buckhorn High School in Hazard, Ky., and the Community College of Hazard, Ky.

He was a faithful Christian and a member of the New York Avenue Church of Christ in Oak Ridge. While living in Kentucky, he served the church as a minister, teacher, and elder. [Read more…]

Obituary: Patricia Brown Mason

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Patricia Brown Mason, age 71, a resident of Oliver Springs, passed away Friday, March 14, at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge.

Patsy was born Nov. 23, 1942, in the Donovan Community in Anderson County. At an early age, she and her family moved to Harriman, where she grew up. She moved back to the Oliver Springs area in 1969.

She was employed as a medical records clerk at Ridgeview in Oak Ridge for over 20 years. She retired in 2005.

She was a faithful Christian and a member of Beech Park Baptist Church. Patsy loved her family and she enjoyed baking and cooking for them. Additionally, she enjoyed raising flowers and watching her grandchildren in sporting events.  [Read more…]