Edward Douglas Hildreth, Sr

87 year old Edward Douglas Hildreth, Sr. of Clarksville, died Sunday at Gateway Medical Center.
Hildreth was born in Wilson County to Charles Edward and Eva Robinson Hildreth who preceded him in death. His wife, Marie Neal Hubbard, also deceased.
Hildreth was an electrical engineering graduate of the University of Tennessee. He was a registered professional engineer in Alabama and Tennessee. During World War II he served as an Infantry Officer in the Pacific theater and in the Korean War he served with the 187th RCT Airborne (Rakkasans) as a communications officer. After his military service he worked as an engineer with Miller Electric Company on the construction of the Savannah River Project in Akin, South Carolina and with Patchen and Zimmerman consulting engineers, Augusta, Georgia on various projects throughout the Southeast. He was the first manager of the DeKalb Telephone Cooperative Inc. and made numerous acquisitions of small telephone companies building a communication system from 508 telephone users to over 22,000 plus today with modern equipment and services. He was President of the Tennessee Telephone Association in 1960. In 1960 he moved to Huntsville, Alabama and joined NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center as Director of Communications supporting various NASA awards including two NASA Exceptional Service Medals. He also received the Middle Tennessee Boy Scouts of America Long Rifle Award and was a Charter President of the Alexandria Lions Club. He was a member of the Alexandria Masonic Lodge, Nashville Scottish Rite, Huntsville, Alabama Cahaba Shrine, VFW and American Legion. He attended Park Lane Church of the Nazarene.
A celebration of life service will be held at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday at Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Chapelin Clarksville. Larry Spraker and Maury Norman will officiate. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday and from 8:00 a.m. until the time of the service Wednesday at the funeral home. Entombment will be in Valhalla Memory Gardens, Huntsville, Alabama. Survivors include a son E. Douglas Hildreth, Jr. and his wife Vicki; a sister Evelyn Griffin; three grandchildren, Josh Hildreth of Washington, D.C.; Kelly Stevenson of Denver, Colorado; and Katie Hildreth of Clarksville, one great-grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews. Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Funeral Home in Clarksville is in charge of arrangements.