63 year old Larry Don Bratten of Liberty died Saturday at his residence. He was a member of the Salem Baptist Church and owner of the Liberty Machine Company. The funeral will be Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. at Salem Baptist Church. Don Hicks and Mark Wade will officiate and burial will be in Salem Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Tuesday from noon until the service at 4:00 p.m. All visitation will be at the church. He was preceded in death by his mother, Anna Ruth Robinson Bratten. Survivors include two children, J.D. Bratten and companion Mollie Hendrixson of Liberty and Mary Ann and husband Dwayne Blair of Florida. A grandson, Gabriel Blair of Florida. Father, Frank Ray Bratten of Smithville. A sister, Trisha Hicks of Virginia. His children’s mother, Charlotte Bratten of Readyville. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
Tag Archives: 2012
Della Mai Poston
81 year old Della Mai Poston of Smithville died Friday at DeKalb Community Hospital. She was a Baptist and a retired employee of Hartman Luggage. The funeral will be Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Burial will be in DeKalb Cemetery. Visitation will be Saturday from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from10:00 a.m. until the service at 4:00 p.m. She was preceded in death by her parents, Selmer and Betty Margaret Ferrell Hale; first husband, Arnold G. Murphy; son, William Murphy; two grandsons, Michael Murphy and Shannon Taylor; four brothers, L.W., Selmer, Harrison, and Ray Donald Hale; and two sisters, Lucille Ferrell and Daisy Murphy. Survivors include her husband, Charles Richard Poston of Smithville, Six daughters, Minnie Poss of Smithville, Frances and George Fincher of McMinnville, Dimple and Charles Blanchfield of Smithville, Donna and Mike Hewell of Smithville, Darlene Wooley and David Griffith of Gassaway, Denise Redmon and Jimbo Pack of Smithville. One son, Ernest Murphy of Smithville. Sixteen grandchildren, thirty one great grandchildren, and eight great great grandchildren. One sister, Beatrice and husband Kenneth Christine of Shop Springs. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made, in lieu of flowers, to Love-Cantrell Funeral Home to help with funeral expenses.
Police Keeping Tight Lipped About Murder Investigation; David Dixon Believed to be Person of Interest
While Smithville Police are keeping tight lipped about the double murder investigation on Tommy Harrell Street, WJLE has learned that investigators have talked to a man named David Dixon and that he may be a person of interest.
Apparently no charges have been filed in the case.
Police Chief Randy Caplinger has not given a public statement on this investigation since Tuesday night, apparently not wanting to talk without the okay of the District Attorney General’s Office.
Meanwhile, one of the victims in the double murder will be laid to rest Saturday.
The funeral for 55 year old Ramon Beacham will be tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Mike Clayborn and Virgil Hibdon, Jr. will officiate. Burial will be in Whorton Springs Cemetery.
Beacham was found dead in his home Tuesday afternoon, apparently the victim of a shooting. The body of the other man, an Hispanic, was reportedly found beneath a pile of debris in the back yard of the residence. He too had been shot. WJLE has learned that his name is Jose Sagaon.
Local Mexican restaurants and stores have collection boxes apparently trying to raise money to send Sagaon’s body back to his home country.
School Enrollment Up
School enrollment numbers are up compared to this time last year
Attendance Supervisor Clay Farler, during Thursday night’s school board meeting, said that county wide, the enrollment is currently 3,055 and could be as many as 3100 once all the pre-k students are counted. DeKalb County High School’s enrollment is currently at 869 where the 12th grade is at 201 students, higher than in the past for the senior class at this point in the school year. “There were only 847 students at DCHS on the fifth day of school last year. There’s 869 now and we pretty much have accounted for the no shows except for two or three. It’s a little larger number, especially at the high school,” said Farler.
“Mr (Danny) Parkerson’s school (DeKalb West) is about the same as last year. I think he’s got 435 students at the moment but that doesn’t include all the pre-K students there so it’s probably more like 440. The total throughout the county is 3,055. Of course, this will change some by next Thursday, the tenth day of school. That’s the official day everything should be accounted for. All students who haven’t shown up yet, we’ve got to track them down. We only have about 45 or 46 students that we don’t know for sure if they’re coming or not. It’s probably less than that,” said Farler.
“We also don’t have all the pre-K students on the roll yet but that was also the case last year. When they get added to the roll, there will be approximately 40 more students. So it will be pushing 3100 students county-wide. But like I said, there are several no shows that will probably come off that number. Even at that, we’ll probably still be up from last year. There are no grade levels at the present time that have under 200 students. They all have over 200 students except for Pre-K. The smallest class is the senior class or 12th grade. They are at 201 students at the moment. The largest class has been moving through year by year. Now they’re up to the sixth grade. They have 256 students county wide. They’re by far the largest class. Most of the other classes are between 210 students on up to 233 so all the classes from kindergarten to the 12th grade have over 200 students. We usually start at 175 to 180 students in the senior class. The fifth grade county wide is 241 students. The fourth grade is 235 and the third grade is 228,” said Farler.
Farler added that its hard to determine the number of students to anticipate at the start of school each year because there’s a lot of movement of families in and out of the county.
Meanwhile, Farler reported that for the first time in several years, three year old children will be attending pre-kindergarten at DeKalb West School. “There are two pilot classrooms in the county and have been since 2002. Those pilot classrooms can have three and four year old students. But the other three pre-k classes at Smithville Elementary School can only have four year old students. We’re already full in the four year old classes and we’re within one or two students being full at DeKalb West School and Smithville Elementary School mainly because they have three year old students in those classrooms. You cannot have a full 20 students if you have three year olds in the room,” he said.
Meanwhile, Director of Schools Mark Willoughby gave his monthly report on personnel to the school board.
Employment:
Carl Douglas Cantrell, substitute custodian
Rick Cross, special education teacher at Northside Elementary School
Bethany Davis, Transition Coordinator Teacher at DCHS
Michelle McManus, substitute cook
Diana Moon, teacher at DeKalb West School
Chris Moore, special education assistant at DeKalb Middle School
Joshua Odom, teacher at Northside Elementary School
Michael Shaw, teacher at DCHS
Kristen Kell, special education teacher at DeKalb West School
Transfers:
Holly Bain, transferred to Pre-K Educational Assistant at DeKalb West School
Katherine Ballard, full time School Psychologist
Brenda Bandy, transferred from DCHS to DeKalb West School
Shelly Gibson, transferred to Regular Education Assistant at DeKalb West School
Lynn Griffith, transferred from bus assistant to Special Ed Bus Driver
Debbie Knowles, transferred to new Special Ed Assistant position at Northside Elementary School
Daniel Lawson, transferred from sub bus driver to Special Education Bus Driver
James Donnie Lewis, transferred from sub bus driver to full time route
Paula Pinegar, transferred to Library Assistant position at DeKalb Middle School
Teresa Spencer, transferred to Special Education position at DeKalb Middle School
Carol Tallent, transferred to new Special Education Teacher position at Smithville Elementary School Kindergarten
Judy Wiggin, transferred from sub bus assistant to full time.
Resignation:
Jimmy Poss, bus driver
Geraldine Farler
86 year old Geraldine Farler of Lebanon died Thursday at Westmoreland Care and Rehab Center. She was a machine operator at Smithville shirt factory and a Baptist. The funeral will be Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Mike Clayborn will officiate with burial in DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Saturday from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until the service. She was preceded in death by her parents, Julias Pirtle and Lodie Poss; husband, Joe Brown Farler; one daughter, Barbara Bogle. She is survived by one granddaughter, Kimberly Taylor of Lebanon; two great-grandchildren, Tre and Kristie Taylor of Lebanon. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Betty Nadine Winnard
Betty Nadine Winnard, age 94 of Gordonsville, TN passed away Thursday, August 9, 2012 at her residence.
Mrs. Winnard was born February 23, 1918 in Lancaster, TN the daughter of the late Mollie James Denney and James Everett Maynard. She married Aubrey Clay Winnard on December 2, 1936 and he preceded her in death on November 25, 1955. She was also preceded in death by Six Siblings; Robert Maynard, Eddie Lee Maynard, Elmer Maynard, John Maynard, Mildred Grantham, and Alene Fish. She worked for the Welsh Company and was a member of the Gordonsville United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Winnard is survived by her Son; Clay (Jeanne) Winnard of Cookeville, TN., Two Granddaughters; Angela (Bryant) Griffin of Smyrna, TN and Brittney (Karl) Radke of Chattanooga, TN. Two Great Granddaughters; Katie-Anne Griffin and Sarah-Beth Griffin.
Funeral Services for Mrs. Winnard are scheduled to be conducted Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 10AM at the Gordonsville Chapel of Bass Funeral Homes. Bro. Floyd Massey will officiate and Interment will follow in the Gordonsville Cemetery.
Visitation with the Winnard family will be held on Friday from 6PM to 9PM and on Saturday after 9AM until service time at 10AM.
TDOT Projects Tour to Make Another Stop in DeKalb County
Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer will be visiting DeKalb County next week on his statewide “TDOT Projects Tour” in Region 2.
During this week-long tour, Commissioner Schroer, elected officials and transportation officials will travel by bus to view TDOT projects currently underway and those listed on the department’s “Three Year Program.” . The visit locally will be to Hurricane bridge on Thursday, August 16
The Region 2 Tour is the first of four tours that will be held in East, Middle, and West Tennessee. The Region 2 Tour kicks off in Cannon County on Monday, August 13 and will wind up in DeKalb County.
The TDOT Projects Tour visited DeKalb County last year, stopping to view both Sligo bridge and Hurricane bridge.
Hurricane bridge currently is down to only one lane of traffic, and it is being maintained and controlled by a temporary signal for the safety of the traveling public. The current weight postings of 10 tons for two-axle vehicles and 18 tons for vehicles with three or more axles will remain in effect and will be strictly enforced. This will allow for work adjacent to the north side of the bridge to continue. Further temporary lane shifts may be implemented by flaggers on an “as needed” basis to facilitate work as it progresses. Estimated project completion date is October 2013.
Mary Lou Johnson
63 year old Mary Lou Johnson, born in Buffalo, New York, died Sunday at University Medical Center in Lebanon. A memorial service will be Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at her home on Round Top Road in Alexandria. Visitation will be Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until the service time at her home. She is survived by her husband, Graeme Johnson. Children, Vicki Schroeder and future husband, Chris Fikes of Las Vegas; Randy and wife Kim Schroeder of Antioch; Phillip and wife Sheryl Johnson of Las Vegas, Michael Johnson of Las Vegas, Jessica and husband Scott Garduno of California. Grandchildren, Conner Schroeder, Jordon, Brandon, Alexia, Jack, Tanner, and Tyler Johnson, and Aiden Garduno. Sisters, Janet Cruz and Sandra and husband Ron Matteson. She was preceded in death by her brother, George Kraft. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria to help with the funeral and hospital expenses.
Jennifer Nicole Clark
34 year old Jennifer Nicole Clark of Smithville died at her residence Wednesday. She was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church and an LPN at NHC Healthcare Center. The funeral will be Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. B.J. Thomason will officiate and burial will be in DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Friday from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the service at 1:00 p.m. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Max Cantrell and Chester Parsley. Survivors include her husband, William Alan Clark of Smithville. Three daughters, Dakota Lashey and husband Brady McGee, Leah Payton Clark, and Morgan Shayayne Clark all of Smithville. Parents, Ricky Dwayne and Maria Parsley and Tammy and Ronnie Mollinet. A grandchild, Lyren Clark of Smithville. One sister, Kristy Lynn and husband Chris Williams of Smithville. Two step-sisters, Melissa Ann and husband Kevin Luttrell of Woodbury, Brandi and husband Travis Johnson of Smithville. Half-brother, Chad Morgan Parsley of Dallas, Texas; step-brother, Ryan and wife Laci Mollinet of Smithville; maternal grandmother, Imogean Cantrell of Smithville; Paternal grandmother, Grace Parsley of Smithville. Several nieces and nephews survive. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Donations may be made, in lieu of flowers to the American Cancer Society.
Valeria Groom Evans
91 year old Valeria Groom Evans of Liberty died Thursday morning at the Webb House Retirement Center. She was a homemaker and was a retired educator at DeKalb West School. She was also a member of Salem Baptist Church. The funeral will be Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Salem Baptist Church. Mark Wade will officiate and burial will be in Salem Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Love-Cantrell Funeral Home and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until the service time at 10:30 a.m. at Salem Baptist Church. Evans was preceded in death by her husband, John Odum Evans; parents, Nathaniel and Alta Powell Groom; six sisters, Hazel Sandlin, Mildred Groom, Avanell Fuson, Claudine Malone, Anita Pettway, Edwina Saddler; and a brother, Truitt Groom. Survivors include a son, Doyle Evans of Liberty. Grandchildren, Tara and Joe Beck of Wisconsin, Bryan Evans and Gwen and Clay Dyer both of Murfreesboro. Great grandchildren, Collin, Drew and Nate Dyer all of Murfreesboro, Alex, Miriam, Aaron and Ethan Beck all of Wisconsin. Sister-in-law, Mary Ruth Groom of Liberty. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. In addition to flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Salem Baptist Church Library or Cemetery.