Oak Ridge Today

Obituary: Trenda Lynn Howard

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Trenda Lynn Howard

Trenda Lynn Howard, age 79, went to be with the Lord on Saturday February 12, 2022.

She was of the Baptist faith and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star #390.

Trenda was formerly employed by Oak Ridge Schools as a cafeteria worker.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, James William Howard, Jr.; mother, Myrl Catherine Edwards; father, Isaac Henderson Tackett, Jr.; grandson, Joseph William Howard Tunkel; sisters, Beverly Lee Mitchell and Andra Long; brother, Timothy Tackett; brother-in-law, Donald Wayne Gullett; and nephew, Earl Russ Long.

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Obituary: Harold ‘Hal’ Lloyd Davis

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Harold ‘Hal’ Lloyd Davis

Harold “Hal” Lloyd Davis, 91, of Oak Ridge, went to be with the Lord, December 7, 2021. He passed surrounded by his family following a short illness. Hal’s legacy of love for his family and passion for learning will stay with his family and friends forever.

Harold was born at home on September 18, 1930, to Bertha and Ray Davis in Portage, Ohio, and he grew up in the Buckeye State. From the very beginning, Harold had a strong passion and aptitude for education. He attended Portage Elementary School in Ohio, a school with three classes in one room and no indoor plumbing. In high school, he was bused from Portage to Bowling Green. He graduated in 1948 and started his college education at Bowling Green State University that fall.

In 1952, he interrupted his education to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He performed personnel duties at the regimental level and was in charge of the regimental Morning Report; after all, he could type! He was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant in 1953 and returned to Bowling Green State University where he was awarded a B.S. (cum laude) in Physics in June 1954.

Never one to sit still, he spent the summer as a bricklayer working for various contractors in the vicinity of Bowling Green before enrolling as a physics graduate student at Ohio State University that fall. His drive to learn led to Harold passing a two-day test that allowed him to continue his studies toward a Ph.D. at Ohio State without taking time for a master’s degree. His formal education ended with Ohio State awarding Harold a Ph.D. in theoretical materials science on Friday June 12, 1959.

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Obituary: Laura Ann Jernigan

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Laura Ann Jernigan, age 73, passed away peacefully August 2, 2021. She was originally from Pennsylvania but has called East Tennessee home for more than 35 years. Her late husband Richard Jernigan III introduced her to the area; it was love at first sight.

Laura spent more than a decade working at the Emory Valley Center in Oak Ridge. She started working directly one-on-one with clients, and by the time she left, she was responsible for managing 10 houses. She played an integral part in forming, building, and participating in the Direct Support Professionals Association of East Tennessee, D-SPAT for short.

She also spent a decade with the Salvation Army helping to support and build on their mission. During the times she wasn’t employed, she was caring for others.

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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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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…]

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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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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Obituary: Verner Anderson

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Verner Anderson

Verner Anderson, age 94, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, passed away Thursday, October 31, 2019, at the Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge.

Verner was born December 22, 1924, in Independence, Kansas, the son of August and Amanda Lonn Anderson. He grew up in Ormsby, Pennsylvania, where his family moved from Independence. After graduation, Verner attended Alabama University and then graduated from the University of Tennessee.

Since 1946, Mr. Anderson had made his home in Oak Ridge. Working as a mathematician initially for the Manhattan Project, his later work supported many of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s research programs until he retired in the 1990s. ORNL is our nation’s largest science and energy laboratory, and Mr. Anderson is credited with many important scientific contributions which have greatly benefited society over his five decades of service.

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Obituary: James William Howard Jr.

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James Howard

James Howard

James William Howard Jr., 78, of Dyllis and formerly of Oak Ridge, passed away Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at his home.

He was born April 26, 1941, in Rockwood, Tennessee, the son of James William Howard Sr. and Sara Elizbeth Dennis Howard.

Mr. Howard was of the Baptist faith and a member of the Faith Masonic Lodge #756 and Order of the Eastern Star #390. He retired from the Oak Ridge Fire Department, where he was Chief Fire Inspector. After retirement, he purchased acreage in Dyllis and was in the process of building a homestead for he and his family. Working with his son, clearing land, creating a pond, and remodeling houses, which were moved from Oak Ridge, was a project he loved. He also enjoyed fishing in his free time.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandson, Joseph William Howard Tunkel, and brother-in-law, Donald Wayne Gullett, whom he thought of as a true brother. [Read more…]