Oak Ridge Today





Oak Ridge Public Works director dies after short illness

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Shira McWaters

Oak Ridge Public Works Director Shira McWaters died Saturday after a short illness, the city said. She was 60.

“Today we have lost a colleague and a friend,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said. “Our hearts are with Shira’s husband, children, and family as we share some small measure of their grief at the loss of this vibrant woman.”

McWaters, a civil engineer who had been working for a company in Arizona, was hired by the City of Oak Ridge as public works director in 2016. She started in March that year. She replaced former Public Works Director Gary Cinder, who retired in September 2015. The Public Works Department is responsible for much of the city’s essential infrastructure, from streets to drainage to water and wastewater. The department also maintains city-owned buildings and city vehicles and equipment.

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Obituary: William Taylor (‘T’) Henry Jr.

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William Taylor (‘T’) Henry Jr.

William Taylor (‘T’) Henry, Jr. passed away on April 24, 2021, two weeks before his 92nd birthday.

The second son of William and Nell Hardie Henry, Dad was born in a coal camp in Gatliff, Kentucky on May 6, 1929. His family grew up poor and hard and bounced around Appalachian coal mining camps until the family settled in Oak Ridge in early 1944. Due to all the moving, he was two years behind in school, but he quickly caught up and graduated on time from Oak Ridge High School in 1948.

Dad proudly served in the U. S. Army 4th Infantry Division from 1950-1952 and then returned to Oak Ridge. He never lived anywhere else or had any desire to. He was proud of Oak Ridge and its history, and he was always full of ideas of how to improve and promote his beloved hometown.

In February 1955, he married Billie Sue Looper of Hickory, North Carolina, and they had two sons. Dad was a hot cell operator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for over 30 years before retiring—but he definitely did not slow down. He enjoyed whittling, traveling, working in his yard, collecting old tools, and spoiling his grandkids. He enjoyed listening to old-time country and bluegrass music, and he was an avid reader of Appalachian literature and classic poetry. His keen intellectual curiosity and interests were alive and thriving to the very end.

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Little Ponderosa Zoo has memorial for James Cox on Saturday

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A notice of a memorial ceremony for James Cox, founder of Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue, posted by the zoo.

There will be an outdoor memorial ceremony for James Michael Cox, founder of the Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue, on Saturday.

Cox, 61, of Clinton, died Tuesday at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville.

The memorial is scheduled from 12 to 6 p.m. Saturday, February 13 (see the flyer above). In place of flowers, Cox’s family is asking that you honor his legacy and work by donating to the Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue at 629 Granite Rd, Clinton, TN 37716, or through the website at www.littleponderosazoo.com.

“Our hearts are broken and our lives forever changed,” the zoo posted online this week. “There aren’t words to express what this man meant to us, to our community, and to the animal and rescue community…His devotion to animals was a lifelong passion surpassed only by his love of family and friends.”

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James Cox, founder of Little Ponderosa Zoo, dies

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James Cox (Photo via Anderson County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook)

James Cox, the founder of Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue in Anderson County, died Tuesday.

The cause of his death wasn’t clear, although the zoo had said in late January that Cox had had pneumonia and a weak heart and was in the hospital, moving from critical care to the heart floor. At that time, he was expected to be discharged in a few days to recover before heart surgery.

Many people in Anderson County and across the region said they were heartbroken to hear the news of his death on Tuesday.

“Today, we mourn the loss of a very special man,” the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. “James had a deep passion to help the people of Anderson County and the countless animals he rescued. His heart was pure, and his love for humanity will be remembered for generations to come. There is not enough room on Facebook to list all of the tremendous ways he made an impact. He was truly that special. James, we are forever grateful for your friendship.”

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DOE photographer dies at 62

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Lynn Freeny (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy)

Ross Lynn Freeny, a U.S. Department of Energy photographer who helped document current and historic activities in Oak Ridge, died on January 14. He was 62.

Freeny, a University of Tennessee graduate who lived in Maryville, had been a photographer for DOE since 1992. He taught photography classes at Pellissippi State Community College. He died at Blount Memorial Hospital on January 14. He had battled cancer.

Freeny could often be seen taking photos at DOE events. For example, he took photos at the opening of the K-25 History Center in February 2020.

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Obituary: David Lane Mason

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David Mason

David Lane Mason, 79, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, passed away on Monday January 4, 2021, from COVID-19 complications at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. David was a nuclear physicist and community advocate for over 50 years.

Dave was born on August 18, 1941, to David Franklin and Mildred Lane Mason in Madison, Tennessee. He grew up in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he met his future wife, Judy, when they both attended Clarksville High School. Dave was the first person in his family to go to college, and he attended Austin Peay State University for a bachelor of arts in physics and mathematics. During this time, he was a summer student at Oak Ridge National Laboratory through the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies program. After graduation from APSU and his marriage to Judy in 1962, Dave went on to graduate school at the University of Florida, where he received a doctorate in nuclear physics. He completed his dissertation research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. [Read more…]

Obituaries: Hetty Louise Karels & John (Jan) Herman van Eek

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Hetty Louise Karels van Eek and John (Jan) Herman van Eek (Submitted photos)

Oak Ridge: Hetty Louise Karels van Eek, age 88; John (Jan) Herman van Eek, age 90

Best friends and soulmates, Hetty passed away on December 31, 2019, and Jan passed away on April 6, 2020. Though they were separated the last few months with lengthy illnesses, they never stopped asking about one another. They were married on May 31, 1956, in The Hague, The Netherlands, and they would have celebrated 64 years of marriage on May 31, 2020.

Hetty was born in The Hague, The Netherlands, on March 7, 1931, to Willem and Catharina Karels. Jan was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on January 9, 1930, to Herman and Petronella van Eek.

They grew up in The Netherlands and survived World War II. They immigrated to the United States in 1960. One of their proudest moments was becoming American citizens in 1967 and being able to both have careers. Jan retired from Y-12 and Hetty retired from EG&G Ortec, both after several years of employment.

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Obituary: Mavis Vanderpool Kohler

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Mavis Kohler

Mavis Vanderpool Kohler of Oak Ridge died peacefully Sunday morning, September 6. She was 99 and a veteran of World War II.

She was predeceased 10 years ago by her husband of 62 years, Peter Bogart Kohler, and earlier by her parents, Laura Hall Vanderpool and John Vanderpool.

Born in the small mountain town of McDowell, Kentucky, she was one of six children. Although her parents had only grade-school educations, she was graduated from Pikeville College (now University of Pikeville) with a teaching degree. She vividly remembered the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, sitting in her dorm room listening to the President’s speech on the radio. She returned home to McDowell and Floyd County, where she took a one-year teaching job in a two-room schoolhouse; she served as principal and taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.

With her two older brothers enlisting in service, she also answered the call to duty and became among the first group of women to enlist in the U.S. Navy’s WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). Leaving eastern Kentucky for the first time in her life, she boarded a train and reported to Hunter College in New York City for basic training. Following basic and advanced training, she served as a Pharmacists Mate in the Medical Corps and was based in Washington, D.C., working in U.S. Navy clinics and hospitals.

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Obituary: Joseph Walter Fortenberry

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Submitted photo

The Fortenberry family is sad to announce, Joseph Walter Fortenberry, age 76, quietly passed away on Sunday, June 7, 2020. He had suffered from a long illness with multiple sclerosis and brain damage from strokes. His official cause of death was respiratory failure caused by COVID-19. The family would like to remind friends and colleagues that, as our cities and states lessen quarantine restrictions, please remember to protect our elder and infirm populations. Hand washing, personal distancing, and the wearing of masks are a few of the precautions we can take for our elders—even when it seems a little inconvenient for the rest of us.

Joe was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and attended East Tennessee State University, where he studied mechanical engineering. He had a long career with IBM in Knoxville and later owned his own company, InfoTech, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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Obituary: Dorothea Elisabeth (Kummer) Busch

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Dorothea Busch

Dorothea Elisabeth (Kummer) Busch, age 84, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee passed away on May 2, 2020, at her home.

Dorothea (Dore) was born on December 23, 1935, in Heidenheim an der Brenz, Germany, to Hans Erich and Pauline (Laible) Kummer. She was the eldest of three children and graduated from gymnasium (high school) with a concentration in business skills.

Wanting to see more of the world, Dore moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1956. She lived with her aunt and uncle and worked as a bookkeeper. Dore married Helmut Busch on October 21, 1961, and the family grew to include three children.

In 1972, the family moved to Jones, Michigan, where Dore was employed as an accountant, eventually starting her own firm.

She and Helmut enjoyed traveling the world and took vacations to Hawaii, Russia, the Canary Islands, and made many trips to Germany to visit family. Always fascinated by aircraft, Dore was a private pilot and enjoyed flying her plane around southern Michigan. As a member of the Civil Air Patrol, she participated in search and rescue operations throughout southwestern Michigan. 

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Obituary: Patricia Ann Waldschmidt

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Patricia Waldschmidt

Patricia Ann Waldschmidt, 91, was called to her heavenly home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on March 28, 2020.

The eldest of eight, she was born in Hays, Kansas, to John and Agnes Karlin Hoffman, both deceased.

Besides her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, George Waldschmidt, her sisters Mary Ann Ward and Juanita Dreiling and her brothers Jack and Larry Hoffman, all of Kansas.

In her forties, Pat took LPN training and immensely enjoyed nursing for several years.

In March 1980, she became a believer in Jesus Christ by faith alone. (“For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9)

Pat lived in the same county in Kansas for 81 years before moving to Tennessee in 2010.

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Obituary: Wesley Davis Arnold, Jr. (Bill)

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Wesley Davis Arnold, Jr.

Wesley Davis Arnold, Jr. (Bill), age 89, died on December 8, 2019, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

He was born on September 30, 1930, in Pisgah, Alabama, to Wesley Davis Arnold, Sr., and Lillian Johnson Arnold, both deceased. A graduate of Pisgah High School and the University of Alabama, he was employed by Pennsalt Manufacturing Company in Calvert City, Kentucky, for two years before moving to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in 1954. He was a chemist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the Materials Chemistry, Chemical Technology, and Chemistry Divisions for 38 years before retiring in 1992.

Mr. Arnold is survived by three children, Wesley Arnold III (Patricia) of Alexandria, Alabama; Melinda Arnold-Fletcher (Adrian) of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Susan Fallon (Pat) of Goodyear, Arizona; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. His stepsons, William Barnett (Wendy); Scott Barnett (Regina); and Elliott Barnett (Crystal) all of Kingston, Tennessee; 10 step-grandchildren; and three step-great-grandchildren also survive him.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Matt Arnold; grandson, Geoffrey Fallon; Iula C. Arnold (mother of his children); and Barbara Arnold (mother of his step-children).

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