80 year old Paul McKinley Davis of Dowelltown died Friday at the Alvin C. York V.A. Medical Center in Murfreesboro. He was a retired U.S. Air Force Veteran, member of the American Legion, member of the Dowelltown United Methodist Church, and a painter. The funeral will be Monday at 2:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. David Lunsford, Charles Martin, and Jim Bretl will officiate and burial will be in Salem Cemetery in Liberty with military honors. Visitation will be Sunday from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and Monday from 10:00 a.m. until the funeral at 2:00 p.m. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Bessie Oakley Davis; a son, Bob Davis; a brother, Tom Davis; and a sister, Pauline Martin. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Brenda Davis of Dowelltown. Two daughters, Paula and her husband Erik Wineland of San Antonio, Texas and Doretta Grant of Iowa. Two grandchildren. One sister, Minnie Bratten of Dowelltown. One sister-in-law, Ms. Chase Davis of Dowelltown. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made, in lieu of flowers, to either the Dowelltown United Methodist Church Building Fund, the Saint Gregory’s Catholic Church Building Fund, Military Organizations, or to the Charity of your choice, in memory of Mr. Davis.
Author Archive: Dwayne Page
Lennell Haggard
77 year old Lennell Haggard of Smithville died Saturday at DeKalb Community Hospital. He was the retired owner of Haggard Body Shop and a Baptist. The funeral will be Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Bill Robertson will officiate and burial will be in DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Sunday from 12:00 noon until 9:00 p.m.; Monday from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.; and Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service at 2:00 p.m. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Maggie Bates Haggard; five brothers, Jess, Toy, Virbil, Bud, and Ed Haggard; four sisters, Ola and Ruby Haggard, Jewel Anderson, and Lorene Anderson Harris. Survivors include his wife, Frances Montgomery Haggard of Smithville. One son, David and his wife Vicki Haggard of Smithville. Two daughters, Tina and her husband Melvin Crips, Jr. and Virginia Haggard all of Smithville. Four grandchildren, Ryan and Katie Haggard and Caelin and Landon Crips all of Smithville. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Paul Davis
80 year old Paul Davis of Dowelltown died Friday night at the V.A. Hospital in Murfreesboro. The body is at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Arrangements are incomplete.
Bobbie Jean Houk
70 year old Bobbie Jean Houk of Smithville died Wednesday at her residence. She was a Pentecostal and a retired factory worker. The funeral will be Friday at 1:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Toy Lawson will officiate and burial will be in the Bethel Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service at 1:00 p.m. She was preceded in death by her father, Clarence Lee Neal; two sons, Jimmy and James Griffith; a daughter, Marie McBride; and a grandson, Stephen Patrick. Survivors include five children, Charles and his wife Phyllis Griffith of Alexandria, Maurice Griffith of Smithville, Deborah Page of Smithville, Teresa Griffith of Nashville, and Melissa Culwell of Nashville. Her mother, Nancy Lillian Neal of Smithville. Fifteen grandchildren and twenty three great grandchildren. Two brothers, Doug and his wife Kathy Neal and L.W. Neal all of Smithville. Four sisters, Loretta and her husband Junior Bain of Smithville, Linda Fay Knowles of Smithville, Patricia and her husband Chester Sanders of Smithville, and Elaine McGuire of Spencer. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made, in lieu of flowers, to DeKalb Funeral Chapel to help with funeral expenses.
Baker, Clayborn & Tubbs Elected Aldermen in Alexandria
Derrick Baker, Shelia Clayborn, and Maureen Tubbs were elected Aldermen during the Alexandria Municipal Election Thursday.
Clayborn led the ticket with 74 votes (31.6%) followed by Baker with 72 votes (30.7%) and Tubbs with 52 votes (22.2%).
Barbara (Bobbie) Crawford, a write-in candidate, received 17 write-in votes on the machine and one vote by paper ballot.
James R. Walker received 15 votes.
A total of 91 people voted in the election including 86 on election day and five during early voting.
DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department Awarded Federal Grant
The DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department has been awarded a $241,410 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Operations and Safety Grant, U.S. Representative Bart Gordon announced.
“Many communities struggle to maintain EMS and firefighting services,” said Gordon, a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. “Even though demands of EMS providers and firefighters have increased tremendously over the years, the resources they depend on to provide their life-saving services have not.
That’s why Congress initiated the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which is similar to the highly successful COPS program that put more than 100,000 new police officers on the nation’s streets.”
Chief Donny Green said the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department will use this federal funding award to purchase 44 new self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA’s), or commonly referred to as “air packs”, which will allow for four SCBA?s at each of the 11 stations across the county. These SCBA’s cost a little more than $5,000 each.
Green added “Our county budget simply could not afford us to buy this essential safety equipment. The SCBA’s currently used by the department’s 77 volunteer firefighters are not NFPA compliant and do not offer the most up-to-date safety features that our volunteers deserve. The delivery of these SCBA’s will allow our department to be in compliance and provide a higher degree of safety for our 77 volunteer firefighters.”
Fire Burns Hay Field
A fire Wednesday burned a hay field belonging to Grady Ray on Wright Bend Road in the Belk Community.
County Fire Chief Donny Green says firefighters received a call around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday that a hay field was on fire and that the blaze was getting dangerously close to structures in the area.
Members of the Keltonburg and Belk Stations of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with the brush truck and the Tennessee Division of Forestry.
The hay had been cut and mowed but had not yet been raked.
The fire burned the entire twelve acre hay field as well as an acre of an adjoining pasture.
The blaze got close to a barn and house but fire fighters were able to put it out before causing any damage to them.
Green says the fire may have started from the heat or a spark created by the using of the mowing equipment.
No one was injured.
Kenith Wayne Byford
69 year old Kenith Wayne Byford of Dowelltown died Wednesday at his residence. He was a Baptist and a retired truck driver for Model City Auto Sales. A memorial service will be held Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Visitation will be Saturday from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until the funeral at 2:00 p.m. He was preceded in death by his parents, Orvil Lee and Helen Gertrude Murphy Byford and a granddaughter, Shanna Pinegar. He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Vicki and Corey Funk of Smithville. One granddaughter, Shelly and her husband Tim Hearn of Alexandria. Four great grandchildren, Victoria Tatrow and Katlyn Pinegar both of Smithville and Jaycee Johnson and Jayden Hearn both of Alexandria. One brother and sister-in-law, Jimmy and Jeanette Byford of Smithville. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. The family has asked that donations be made, in lieu of flowers, to the funeral home to meet funeral expenses.
Lou Harrison Puckett
93 year old Lou Harrison Puckett of Smithville died Tuesday at DeKalb Community Hospital. She was a gardener, a retired farmer, and a member of the Buckner’s Chapel United Methodist Church. The funeral will be Friday at 10:00 a.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Michael Carpenter will officiate and burial will be in the Burton-Ponder Cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., Thursday from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., and Friday from 9:00 a.m.until the time of the funeral. Puckett was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Harrison Puckett; her parents, Noah Samuel Parsley and Nancy Elizabeth Vanhooser Parsley; brothers, Edward and Elmer Parsley; and a sister, Odell Shriver. Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Richard Hearon Puckett and Ann Nixon Puckett; granddaughters, Tecia Lou Puckett Pryor and Mary Ann Puckett; grandsons-in-law, John Pryor and Jack Barton; and great grandchildren, Harrison Puckett Pryor and Tess Annabel Barton all of Smithville. Sisters-in-law, Jewell Love of Woodbury, Rhea Nell Parsley of Chesterfield, Michigan and Sue Parsley of Logansport, Indiana. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Police Department Applicants Interviewed
Three applicants to fill vacancies in the Smithville Police Department were interviewed Tuesday afternoon at city hall by Mayor Taft Hendrixson, Vice Mayor/Alderman Steve White, and Smithville Police Department Officer in Charge, Steven Leffew.
Randy King, Joey Jones, and Steve Cowan have expressed an interest in being hired by the city as a police officer.
King, originally from Grundy County, now lives in Warren County and is currently out of law enforcement, working for a company in Jasper. He began his law enforcement career in Tracy City, where he became certified. For financial reasons, King left law enforcement and went into business for himself, before taking a job in Jasper. King was among the top ten in his class when he completed the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy.
Jones, a resident of White County, is also a certified officer and has worked for thirteen years for the White County Sheriff’s Department.
Cowan, who lives at Brush Creek, is a certified officer and is currently employed as a security officer for UMC Medical Center in Lebanon. He formerly worked for over 18 years in security at Tennessee State University, and spent a year and a half working for the Smith County Sheriff’s Department, before becoming employed at UMC.
Mayor Hendrixson says a decision on hiring some new officers could come soon and would have to be approved by the aldermen at the next regular meeting.
Meanwhile, Mayor Hendrixson says the police department is planning to change the working schedule of it’s officers to twelve hour shifts.