Bobbie Joan Bedford-Ballard, age 80, of Oak Ridge, passed away Friday, Nov. 30, at Methodist Medical Center.
She was born April 6, 1932, in Florence, Ala., the daughter of Robert A. and Myrtle Perkins Murphy.
Mrs. Bedford-Ballard retired from the Oak Ridge school system. She was among the first generation of teachers at the new Linden Elementary school. She loved teaching and gained great respect within the teaching community as well as the community at large. In addition to teaching, she spent time tutoring children and working with Anderson County Head Start. She also worked as a text book editor for the Smithsonian.