Oak Ridge Today

Obituary: Elmer Hayes Smith

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Elmer Hayes Smith, age 75, of Coalfield, passed away at his home on Sunday, March 2.

He served our country in the U.S. Navy then returned to Coalfield to work with his father in coal mining. Later, he moved to Michigan where he worked and retired from General Motors after 40 years service, then moved back to Coalfield with his family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Ida (Burgess) Smith; sisters, Betty, Patricia, and Cheryl Smith, June Hammons, and Lucille Seiber; and brother, Howard Smith. [Read more…]

Obituary: Jack Elwood Andrews

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Jack Andrews

Jack Andrews

Jack Elwood Andrews, age 85, of Andersonville, passed away Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014.

Jack attended Victory Baptist Church in Andersonville. He had many hobbies and activities he enjoyed throughout his life, such as fishing and watching NASCAR races on television, and for a time in his life he drove a Sprint race car. He also enjoyed keeping fit and active, so three days a week he would work out at Clinton Physical Therapy Center. Jack was a Coast Guard Auxiliary member at one time, while he lived in Ohio.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Elwood Earl and Marceille Andrews; sister, Betty Virelli; and sister-in-law, Ann Andrews. [Read more…]

Obituary: Thomas Kelly

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Thomas Kelly

Thomas Kelly

Thomas “Tom” Earl Kelly, age 75, of Clinton, passed away on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

He and his wife were married for 53 years. They have kept and cared for more than 30 foster children. He loved the outdoors, farming, animals, four-wheeling and giving hugs. Tom enjoyed spending time with his family.

He was a National Guard veteran and retired from Dico Tire in 2003. Tom was of the Baptist faith and was preceded in death by his parents, Earl William and Minnie Pearl Kelly. [Read more…]

Obituary: Eugene Ray Richards

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Eugene Ray Richards, age 75, a resident of Oliver Springs, passed away Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, at his home.

Mr. Richards was born May 31, 1938 in Belington, W.V.

He worked as a residential builder in the construction business, and his hobbies included gardening and hunting. [Read more…]

Obituary: Ellen Dee Webb Ellis

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Ellen Dee Webb Ellis, age 92, a resident of Oliver Springs, passed away Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 , at her home.

Mrs. Ellis was born on July 24, 1921 in South Pittsburg, Tenn. Her childhood home was in Richard City, Tenn. While in college, at Tennessee Tech University in Cooksville, Tenn., she met her future husband, John A. Ellis. The family settled in Kingston, the boyhood home of John A. Ellis, after World War II.

Ellen Dee was a faithful Christian and a member of the First United Methodist Church of Kingston. After the death of her husband, John A. Ellis, she moved to Oliver Springs and joined the First Methodist Church of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Obituary: Charles “Chuck” Jerald Hope Sr.

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Charles Hope

Charles Hope

Charles “Chuck” Jerald Hope Sr., 76, loving husband, father, brother, and grandfather, died Tuesday, March 4, at Methodist Medical Center. Mr. Hope was a cancer survivor and had been in declining health for several years.

A resident of Oak Ridge since 1975, he was born in Harriman, Tenn., and grew up in Oliver Springs and Oak Ridge, before joining the Army in 1955. He served in the Far East, including Japan and Korea.

He is preceded in death by his parents Rose Ann Dickey Hope and Benjamin Franklin Hope Sr.; sisters Dorothy Litton McWright of Oak Ridge, and Mildred Beck Eitel of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and two brothers, Benjamin Franklin Hope Jr. of Harriman, and Sam Hope of Okeechobee, Fla. [Read more…]

Obituary: Anne Alexandra Stafford

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Anne Stafford

Anne Stafford

Anne Alexandra Stafford, departed this life on Friday, Feb. 28, while surrounded by her family.

She was a native of Kingsport, where she was born on Aug. 2, 1961, and later moved to Memphis.

She was a 1979 graduate of Lausanne Collegiate School, earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature from her beloved University of Tennessee, and her master’s degree in English in 1985.

She attended Loyola Law School in New Orleans, taught English at the University of New Orleans from 1987- 1991, then headed north to pursue her doctorate in rhetoric and composition at the University of Pittsburgh, which she earned in 2001. [Read more…]

Obituary: Sadie Wells Cox

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Sadie Wells Cox

Sadie Wells Cox

Sadie Wells Cox, age 98, of Oak Ridge, passed away Friday, Feb. 28, at Methodist Medical Center.

She was born on July 5, 1915, in Fordsville, Ky., to Elijah Roscoe and Flaura Esther Shown Wells. She moved to Oak Ridge with her husband, Robert Dee Cox, in the 1940s. Mrs. Cox was a homemaker until the death of her husband in 1957. Thereafter, she was employed at Pine Valley Pharmacy for 25 years.

She trusted in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Sadie was an active member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge and counted the members of this church as her extended family. She often told her own family of activities and achievements of church members. [Read more…]

Obituary: George Richard Martin Sr.

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George Richard Martin, Sr.

George Richard Martin, Sr.

George Richard Martin Sr., age 68, of Oliver Springs and formerly of Clinton, passed away suddenly Saturday, March 1.

George was the owner of Martin’s Towing and was well-known in Anderson County and the surrounding area for driving his tow truck.

In his spare time, he enjoyed working on cars, fishing, playing spades, going to yard sales, buying scratch offs, and spending time with his grandkids. George was always there when you needed him, and he will be missed by all who knew him. [Read more…]

Obituary: John Richard Trabalka

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John Richard Trabalka

John Richard Trabalka

John Richard Trabalka, Ph.D, 71, of Oak Ridge, passed away on Feb. 23, 2014, at Methodist Medical Center.

He was born to parents John Peter Trabalka and Marguerite Schmidt Trabalka on Oct. 30, 1942, In Ancon, Panama Canal Zone.

A published author, avid marathon runner, animal lover, and outdoorsman, John spent more than 31 years at Oak Ridge National Laboratories in the Environmental Sciences Division.

He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi, American Geophysical Union, and the University of Michigan Alumni Association. [Read more…]

Obituary: Marion Ann ‘Connie’ Eversole

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Marion Ann "Connie" Eversole

Marion Ann “Connie” Eversole

Marion Ann “Connie” Eversole, 83, of Oak Ridge, passed away on Feb. 22, 2014, at NHC in Oak Ridge.

She was born to parents Anthony and Sophia Kowalski Koncewicz on March 2, 1930, in Shenandoah, Penn.

Connie received her educational training at St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Philadelphia and her schooling to become a nurse anesthetist at Mt. Carmel Mercy in Detroit.

A veteran with the U.S. Air Force Medical, she met Dr. Earl Eversole, a flight surgeon, while both were serving in Kimpo, Korea, during her assignment as a nurse anesthetist. They became close and married six months later. She later worked in her field at the University of North Carolina. [Read more…]

Obituary: Audrey Lee Johnson

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Audrey Lee Johnson

Audrey Lee Johnson

Audrey Lee Johnson, age 89, of Oak Ridge, died Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, at her home.

She was born June 27, 1924, in Lee County, Va., one of seven children born to Milburn and Lola Nida Hall.

Mrs. Johnson came to Oak Ridge in the early years to work on the Manhattan Project, where she was secretary to Dr. Hurd. She met her future husband, Eric Edward Johnson in Oak Ridge. They married and moved to Chicago, returning to Oak Ridge in about 1955 to raise their family.

She was a longtime member of New York Avenue Church of Christ and the Sweet Adeline’s. She had a large circle of friends and enjoyed being a part of the Yum-Yum Sisters, a group of women who met on a regular basis. She enjoyed life and people and never met a person she didn’t like. Her family describes her as a wonderful wife, mother, and homemaker, and her demeanor was always one of love and happiness. She was also an avid fan of the Lady Vols. [Read more…]