Oak Ridge Today

Obituary: Josephine ‘Jo’ Linnea Johnson Rennich

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Josephine "Jo" Linnea Johnson Rennich

Josephine “Jo” Linnea Johnson Rennich

Josephine “Jo” Linnea Johnson Rennich of Oak Ridge died peacefully at home on May 9. She was 101 years old.

Jo and her husband, the late George Rennich, and their five children moved to Oak Ridge from Glen Rock, N.J., in 1954. Prior to that, the family lived in several other locations, including Pittsburgh, Pa., Long Island, N.Y., and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Jo was born on June 24, 1912, in Fleming Park, Pa., and raised in the town of McKees Rocks, Pa., both just northwest of Pittsburgh. The youngest of five children of a Swedish immigrant family, she was an honor student in high school and went on to earn a B.A. degree from the Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham College) and an M.Ed. degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She taught at the junior high school level for several years before and after her marriage in 1941. [Read more…]

Obituary: Kenneth Ray Davis

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Kenneth Ray Davis

Kenneth Ray Davis

Kenneth Ray Davis, “Kenny,” age 72, of Knoxville passed away Monday, May 5, at Methodist Medical Center Oak Ridge.

Mr. Davis was born April 22, 1942, to the late Steve Edward and Roxie Hazel Hamilton Davis in the Wheat Community of Roane County.

Kenneth was a member of the Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Powell and retired from X-10 after 36 years of service and being employed as a custodian. He loved gardening, fishing, hunting, and was a fan of Oak Ridge High School football and basketball. He was a devout Christian and was very dedicated to his church. 
 [Read more…]

Obituary: Danny Ray Duff

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Danny Ray Duff, age 58, of Clinton passed away Saturday, May 3.

Danny was born February 6, 1956, in Lake City to the late Code and Mary Strong Duff. He graduated from Lake City High School in 1974 and was a member of the Blowing Springs Baptist Church.

For many years, Danny was employed with Oak Ridge Memorial Park as the grounds supervisor. He enjoyed collecting guns, reading, hunting, fishing, and was a Master Mason belonging to the Clinton Lodge. [Read more…]

Obituary: Georgia Kate Neatherly Osborne

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Georgia Kate Osborne

Georgia Kate Osborne

Georgia Kate Neatherly Osborne, age 98, a resident of Greenfield Senior Living, died Wednesday, May 7, at Methodist Medical Center.

She was born June 27, 1915 in Butler, Tenn., the daughter of Oliver and Ethel Vaught Neatherly. Her hometown of Butler was taken by TVA and flooded in 1949, creating Watauga Lake. Her home and many buildings were relocated to higher ground in “New” Butler.

Mrs. Osborne attended Watauga Academy. She came to Oak Ridge in 1944 and was a volunteer at Highland View School and the PTA in the early years of Oak Ridge. She was employed by Yardney Electric Company while living in Rhode Island. She returned to Oak Ridge in 1982 and has resided at Greenfield Senior Living for the past six years. [Read more…]

Obituary: Ruby Edna Massengill Patterson Hunt

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Ruby Patterson Hunt

Ruby Patterson Hunt

Ruby Edna Massengill Patterson Hunt, a longtime Anderson county educator, passed away Thursday, May 1, at Methodist Medical Center and entered into God’s heavenly kingdom.

Mrs. Hunt was born on the top of Windrock Mountain in Anderson County. She was a graduate of Oliver Springs High School in the class of 1943 and served as treasurer of her senior class. She was also a proud graduate of the University Of Tennessee.

She started her teaching career in Fork Mountain, Tenn., when she was 17. She also served as principal at the school. Following her marriage and birth of her two sons, Mrs. Hunt resumed her teaching career as a first grade teacher at Norwood Elementary School in Oliver Springs. Her teaching career spanned over 40 years, and all her students loved her. [Read more…]

Obituary: Mark S. Cooper

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Mark S. Cooper, 59 of Oak Ridge, passed away May 2 at Briarcliff Health Care in Oak Ridge.

Mark was born December 10, 1954, in Bristol, Tennessee.

A graveside service was held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 6, at Anderson Memorial Gardens in Clinton with Dr. Mark Walton officiating.

Obituary: Charles Simon Yust

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Charles Simon Yust

Charles Simon Yust

Charles Simon Yust, 83, of Oak Ridge, died Wednesday, April 30, due to complications of lymphoma.

Charlie is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Carole Bland Yust; children John (Linda Dicus), Laura (Ruth), and Carla Bouvy (Chuck); grandchildren John Wesley Springer, Lennon Springer, Cassady Yust, Julia Mann Clem (Jay), and Christiana and Daniel Bouvy; great-grand children Oswin and Natalie Springer; and nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, Nathan and Jeannette Newman Yust, and sister Juliet Savarese. [Read more…]

Obituary: Richard L. Battiste

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Richard L. Battiste

Richard L. Battiste

Richard L. Battiste, age 64, of Oak Ridge passed away Tuesday, April 29.

Richard was born December 29, 1949, in Mobile, Ala., to the late James Melvin and Mildred (Bootz) Battiste.

He was retired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he worked for 37 years as a mechanical engineer. He enjoyed his job, which included breaking specimens and structures on purpose and occasionally by accident.

Richard is survived by his wife, Teresa (Terry); his son, Tom; and his daughter, Leah; his brothers, David and his wife Connie Battiste of Mobile, Ala.; and Randy and his wife Louise Battiste of Mobile, Ala. [Read more…]

Obituary: Carolyn Jo Harris Lee

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Carolyn Jo Lee

Carolyn Jo Lee

Carolyn Jo Harris Lee, age 78, passed away Saturday, May 3, at home with her family in Oak Ridge.

She was born February 29, 1936, in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of Jesse ‘Slick’ and Lois Ruth (Warren) Harris.

Carolyn was a talented and vibrant woman, devoted to her husband, Dave (Fog) Lee who went to the Lord in May 2009.

She graduated Oak Ridge High School in 1955 and worked for AEC Oak Ridge, where she met then married Dave (Fog) Lee. She also worked for C.J. Health at K-25 and Y-12 facilities, was in the FOIA office at the Oak Ridge Federal Building, worked for Proffitts, was a real estate agent with Volunteer Realty, and a butcher at Elm Grove Market in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Obituary: Alex H. Anderson Jr.

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Alex H. Anderson Jr.

Alex H. Anderson Jr.

Alex H. Anderson Jr., age 92, of Oak Ridge, died Friday, May 2, at Methodist Medical Center from complications of pneumonia.

Alex was born in Combs, Kentucky, and was a veteran of World War II. He served in the 3rd Army in Northern Africa and Europe. Upon his discharge after World War II, he married Bessie Lillian Perkins and then graduated with honors in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Soon, he and his family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where he worked for Phillips Petroleum. In 1952, they moved to Oak Ridge where he worked for Union Carbide (ORNL) as an electrical engineer until he retired in December 1994 from Martin Marietta Energy Systems. Soon after moving to Oak Ridge, he obtained his professional engineering license and was an officer in the Instrument Society of America.  [Read more…]