Oak Ridge Today

Obituary: Martha Wilkinson Drewry

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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…]

Obituary: Raymond A. Sears Sr. (Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.)

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Raymond (“Ray Sears”) A. Sears Sr. (retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel)—The essence of a Tennessee Volunteer, he was a loyal and trusted friend, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was a “Ramblin’ Wreck,” dyed-in-the-wool U.S. Marine, and always the challenger who asked for more, better—whenever and wherever it was needed. He passed away on July 3, 2014.

He is survived by his wife, Helen Keough Sears; his children: Patricia M Sears (Steven Mason), Andrea C Winter (Michael), Marilyn A. Swyers (Peter), Raymond A. Sears Jr. (Karla), Timothy F. Sears (Kimberley), and their mother, Kathryn C Sears; his grandchildren: Michael Claudio, Lauren Claudio, Justin Mason, Courtney Miernicki (Christopher), Sarah Swyers Parker (Brett), Melissa Pischl (Dan), Caitlin Winter, Zachary Winter, Matthew Sears, Timothy Winter, Riley Sears, Mallory Sears and Rhys Sears, Andrew Sears, Liam Sears; his great-grandchildren: Christopher Miernicki III, Lucas Pischl, Michael Miernicki, and Eleanor Parker; Helen’s children: William S Weathers Jr. (Elizabeth), Frank E. Weathers (Julienne), and Katherine G. Weathers; her grandchildren: Martin Weathers, Nathan Weathers, Emily Weathers, and Scott Weathers; and his sisters-in-law: Peggy Reich, Mary Whittemore (Terry), and Frances Guy (James).

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on August 29, 1928, Ray Sears never quite lost his New York attitude. His mother, Margaret Callahan Sears, was a first-generation Irish and his father, Andrew M. Sears, hailed from Brooklyn. As a master plumber, Andrew’s work took him from New York to Birmingham, Ala., where he was recruited to work in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on the Manhattan Project. Margaret also worked in the facility while Ray and his sister, Marilyn I. Sears, attended Oak Ridge High School (’44–’48). His nickname was “Red” on the high school football team. Ray’s father, mother, and sister pre-deceased him. [Read more…]

Obituary: Mattison Kent Ferber

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Mattison K. Ferber

Mattison K. Ferber

Dr. Mattison Kent Ferber, 61, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, died June 29, 2014. “Matt,” son of Clyde and Betty Ferber, and loving husband and best friend of Verda Adkins-Ferber, passed away on June 29 at his home in Oak Ridge.

Born June 4, 1953, in Danville, Illinois, Matt graduated from Jamaica High School in 1971, and received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from the University of Illinois, while spending his summers working for the Ferber family Fairmount ReadyMix plant.

Matt was a distinguished researcher in material sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as at Ceramatec in Salt Lake City. He started the MTIC LLC and served as a consultant, professor, group leader, and mentor throughout his career. His honorary and technical societies include Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, Keramos, the University of Illinois Bronze Tablet, the American Ceramic Society, ASME, and ASM, and he received the Bronze Tablet from the University of Illinois and other awards through his work with ORNL.

Matt enjoyed building and working with his hands and always had an affinity for problem-solving. He had an effortless sense of humor and greatly enjoyed time spent on the lakes of East Tennessee or the Fairmount quarry. [Read more…]

Obituary: David Michael Baxter

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David Michael Baxter

David Michael Baxter

David Michael Baxter, 57, of Oak Ridge, passed away on June 26, 2014, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

He was born in Oak Ridge on January 20, 1957, to parents Rufus Elmer Baxter and Lucille Wood Baxter.

David was a member of Salem Baptist Church. He loved fishing and the outdoors and enjoyed science.

His survivors include brother, James Fred Baxter (Catherine), of Manchester; sisters, Margaret Josephine Baxter Womack (Sam), of Spring Hill, Sandra Kay Baxter Armstrong, of Nashville, and Mary Baxter Sirene (Walt H.), of Warrenton, Virginia; nieces, Elizabeth A. Sirene, Kimberly Womack, Stephanie Baxter Allen, and Rebecca Baxter Carol; and nephews, Walt M. Sirene, Mike Womack, and Sean Armstrong. [Read more…]

Obituary: Brayden Keith Pearson

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Brayden Keith Pearson

Brayden Pearson, Our Hero, #14 (Submitted photo)

Brayden Keith Pearson, age 8, of Oak Ridge, went home to be surrounded by Armani and other Angels who have passed before to rest in the shelter of the arms of the Lord on Monday, June 23.

He is survived by parents, Brock Pearson, Jessica Pearson, Mitchell Pack, and Kelly Pearson; brothers, Kamden, Preston, Alex, and Austin; sisters, Sierra, Brooke, Kaitland, Kelsie, and Karley; grandparents, Scott and Shari Quindry, Keith and Linda Pearson, Terry and Judy Dickerson, and Pam Turpin; uncles and aunts, Brandon, Dustin, Aaron, Carrie, Hugh, Carla, Mike, Kevin, Kathleen, Tracey, Joey, Tracy, Jennifer, and Shawn; several cousins; and countless special friends.

He was a student at Woodland Elementary and a member of Glenwood Baptist Church. He was a phenomenal basketball player and an Allstar baseball player. A child who is loved by many and missed by all will live on through the laughter and love of four very special children. [Read more…]