55 year old Jackie Eugene Thomas of Dowelltown died Saturday at DeKalb Community Hospital. He was a member of the Dowelltown Baptist Church and a nursery worker. The funeral will be Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. David Frazier and Wayne Malone will officiate and burial will be in the Thomas Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. until the service at 2:00 p.m. He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie Eugene and Jesse Vada Atnip Thomas; and a sister, Barbara Dean Hicks Thomas. Survived by companion Patsy Gibbs of Dowelltown. Two sisters, Mary Lou Hale of Smithville and Mary Elizabeth and husband Mark Hale of Dowelltown. A brother, Jessie and wife Becky Thomas of Dowelltown. Five children, Barbara Ann Thomas of Woodbury, Michael Thomas of Lebanon, Misty Thomas, Jackie Bernal Thomas, and Shannon Thomas all of South Carolina. Thirteen grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, and one step-great grandchild. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
Tag Archives: 2010
New Dowelltown Playground Now Open
A ribbon cutting was held Saturday morning to commemorate the completion of the new playground at Dowelltown.
City leaders, members of the DeKalb County Children’s Service Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and corporate donors were on hand for the occasion.
Dowelltown Mayor Gerald Bailiff said the $30,000 project has been in the making for several years and was completed about three weeks ago. “We had a playground here that was actually from the old Dowelltown school but the state came in and looked at it and condemned it because it was so old. The school has been gone for several years. So they (state) came in and said it had to go so we had to have it removed. That’s when we got started on this (project).”
“We’ve been trying to get all this together for going on five to six years now. We have six sets of swings, monkey bars, slides, and all kinds of climbing things here where the kids can play on.’
“We had fundraisers like sock hops, car shows, and bake sales. Of course, the Children’s Service Council, DTC Communications, Liberty State Bank, and everybody donated to it to get it all going for us. We’ve put a lot of time and effort into it.”
Clata Redman said the DeKalb County Children’s Service Council was instrumental in helping raise funds for the project. “We were looking for some children projects to do here in the county and found that they needed some playground equipment in Dowelltown. The children were playing on the streets and needed a place so we decided we would help them.’
‘We did have to do fundraisers at different times. One of our largest contributors was Wal-mart. They were a very good supporter. We’ve also had people to give personal grants.’
“Our organization is a volunteer group. No one gets paid. We could use more physical hands to help us do more projects in the community. So we would like to ask anyone who has extra time on their hands to help us get projects for our children in the county.”
Lenzy Ray Stanley
82 year old Lenzy Ray Stanley of Smithville died Saturday at Sumner Regional Medical Center in Gallatin. He was a Baptist, a retired school bus driver, nurseryman, and a farmer. The funeral will be Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Tommy Davis and Michael Hale will officiate and burial will be in Whorton Springs Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.; Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.; and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. until the service at 1:00 p.m. Stanley was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Nancy Thomas Stanley; four sons, Ray Morris, Jerry, Donnie, and Marshal Stanley; wives Ophalen Stanley and Shelby Stanley; great-grandson, Michael Murphy; step-daughter, Jeanette Chapman; brothers, Hobert and Claude Stanley; and a sister, Lucille Tidwell. Survivors include step-daughters, Tonya and husband Wade Youngblood of Dowelltown, Denise and husband Wayne Bogle of McMinnville, and Jennifer Kincaid of Cookeville. Grandchildren, Priscilla and husband Bobby Mingle and Chris and Dana Stanley all of Gassaway; Samantha and husband Tony Vanatta of Ringgold, Georgia, Jerry and wife Allisha Stanley of Cleveland, and Donna and husband Matthew England; Drenda Murphy and companion Basil Foutch; and Roger and wife Letta Chapman all of Smithville. Seventeen great-grandchildren, four great great grandchildren. Brothers, Robert Stanley of Smithville and Billy Stanley of Smyrna and sisters, Dean King of Smithville and Wilma Bilbrey of Nashville. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
Early Voting Totals Through Saturday, October 23rd
A total of 1,245 people in DeKalb County have already cast ballots in the November General Election during the first ten days of early voting through Saturday, October 23rd.
Early voting resumes Monday through Thursday, October 25th-28th. Voting hours will be Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and Thursday from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. All early voting is being conducted on the first floor of the courthouse.
The number of voters is almost equally split between men and women, 624 males and 621 females.
The following are voters by age group who have cast ballots early through Saturday October 23rd
Age Group:
18-20: 15 voters
21-30: 39 voters
31-40: 78 voters
41-50: 154 voters
51-65: 439 voters
Age 65 and over: 520 voters
The following are the numbers of voters by precinct who have already cast ballots early at the courthouse through Saturday, October 23rd.
Alexandria: 81
Temperance Hall: 41
Edgar Evins State Park: 8
Liberty: 62
Dowelltown: 26
Snow Hill: 47
DeKalb Middle School: 258
Cherry Hill: 12
Rock Castle: 7
Courthouse: 196
Johnson Chapel: 52
Elementary School: 142
Belk: 24
Keltonburg: 70
Blue Springs: 62
Church of Christ Annex: 157
Here’s the voting turnout in the three county 40th state legislative district through Saturday, October 23rd:
Smith County: 1,968
Macon County:1,721
DeKalb County: 1,245
Turnout in the seven county 17th state senatorial district through Saturday, October 23rd:
Cannon County: 845
Clay County: 524
DeKalb County: 1,245
Macon County: 1,721
Smith County: 1,968
Trousdale County: 754
Wilson County: 9,193
Helen Rose Robinson
82 year old Helen Rose Robinson of Cookeville died Friday at her residence. She was a retired restaurant owner and a member of the First Baptist Church. She requested to be cremated and a memorial service will be held on Sunday, October 31st at 2:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Visitation will be Sunday from noon until the service at 2:00 p.m. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Georgianna Jodway LaFrinere and a sister, Dorothy Calo. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Brisco Robinson of Cookeville. One daughter, Karen and her husband Dwayne Foster of Smithville. One grandson, Kirt and Tina Boles of Australia. One granddaughter, Krysta Foster of Lebanon. Three great grandchildren, Nathan, Samuel, and Carla Boles of Australia. Two sisters, Irene Buckner and Pat Krupa both of Michigan. Several nieces and nephews also survive. Several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law survive. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made to Genitiva Hospice in lieu of flowers.
Students and Teachers Return to School Monday
Students and teachers will be back in the classroom Monday after taking two weeks off for fall break.
The next break for students will be Tuesday, November 2nd but for teachers that will be a Professional Development/Instructional Day from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
The Thanksgiving holiday will be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, November 24th, 25th, & 26th and schools will be closed for the winter break December 20th through December 31st. Friday, December 17th will be the last day students attend before winter break and that will be an abbreviated school day. Students will return after the holidays on Tuesday, January 4th to begin the third nine week session.
Schools will be closed for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 17th and for President’s Day, Monday, February 21st.
Schools will be closed for spring break March 21st-25th and for Good Friday, April 22nd.
Students will not attend on Wednesday, May 25th. That will be an administrative day and all teachers must attend. The last day of school will be Thursday, May 26. That will be an abbreviated school day and report cards will be sent home.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held Tuesday, March 15th at DeKalb County High School from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will also be held from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Thursday, March 17th at DeKalb Middle School, Northside Elementary, Smithville Elementary, and DeKalb West School.
Report cards will be sent home on Thursday, January 6th and Monday, March 14th.
AYP-EOC/Gateway Testing at DCHS will be Tuesday through Thursday, December 7th-9th and May 3rd-5th at DCHS and a make-up AYP-EOC/Gateway Test will be Friday, December 10th and May 6th.
ACT Test for the 11th grade will be Tuesday, March 8th
Writing Assessment for the 5th, 8th, and 11th grades will be February 1st. Writing Assessment make-up will be February 2nd..
TCAP testing of elementary students will be April 13th-20th
(Stockpile Days) Professional Development/Instructional Days will be held from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 2nd, Monday, January 3rd, and Friday, March 18th. Students will not attend on those days.
Ralph Williams
71 year old Ralph Williams of Smithville died Saturday at his residence. He was retired from Mark IV. The funeral will be Monday at 3:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home. Burial will be in DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Vistitaton will be Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Monday from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service at 3:00 p.m. Williams was preceded in death by his parents, Alley and Ethel Hendrixson Williams; three brothers, Gene, Louie, and Ray Williams, and a sister, Mable Williams. Survivors include a daughter, Tammy and her husband Greg Owens of Smithville. One son, Randy Williams of Smithville, his Fiance, Clata Owens. Two grandsons, Codi Funk and Devon Owens of Smithville. One brother, J.B. Williams of Smithville. Several nieces and nephews also survive. Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that all donations please be made to the funeral home to help with burial expenses, in lieu of flowers.
BOPP Restricts Sex Offenders From Halloween Activities
Sex offenders under supervision of the Tennessee Board of Probation & Parole are again being restricted from taking part in any Halloween or fall and harvest activities. Each sex offender has signed a letter acknowledging that they are prohibited from participating in Halloween activities. BOPP Executive Director Bo Irvin said, “Maintaining public safety is the Board of Probation and Parole’s primary mission. We put these restrictions in writing to make sure the sex offenders we supervise know what activities are inappropriate for them.”
The letters advise sex offenders that:
Neither they, nor anyone in their home, can answer the door to trick or treaters on Halloween;
They cannot pass out candy;
Their homes cannot be decorated for Halloween, either inside or outside;
They cannot host Halloween parties at their homes;
They cannot go to haunted houses, corn mazes, hay rides or any other seasonal activity;
They cannot be at any function where children are gathered, including private residences;
They cannot give any Halloween treats to children;
They cannot wear costumes and
They cannot take any child trick or treating.
BOPP officers will enforce the restrictions throughout the month. BOPP Field Services Director Gary Tullock said, “During the rest of the Halloween season, officers will make additional visits, both announced and unannounced, to verify that the sex offenders on their caseloads are in compliance with these restrictions. On many of these visits, the probation and parole officers will be accompanied by local law enforcement officers for added emphasis on the seriousness of our restrictions.”
The Board of Probation and Parole (http://www.tn.gov/bopp/) is an independent seven-member board whose members are appointed by the Governor. The Board is charged with the responsibility of deciding which eligible felony offenders will be granted parole and released from incarceration to community-based supervision. Along with the supervision of those granted parole, the Board is also responsible for supervising felony offenders who are placed on probation by criminal courts.
Motorist Swerves to Miss Deer but Runs through Fence at Nursery
An 18 year old motorist, who swerved to miss a deer, went off the road and through a fence at Harney’s Nursery Friday morning on South Congress Boulevard.
Central dispatch received the call at 5:08 a.m.
Sergeant Joey Jones of the Smithville Police Department reports that Seth E. Braseel was driving north in a 1996 Ford F-15 when a deer ran out in front of him. Braseel said he didn’t know if he hit the deer but to try to swerve to miss it, he did leave the roadway and knocked down a gate and about 30 feet of fence at Harney’s Nursery, driving through some mums and shrubs.
Braseel was injured and reportedly transported by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital.
Wilma Jo Ferrell
74 year old Wilma Jo Ferrell of Smithville died Friday at DeKalb Community Hospital. She was a member of the Mount Pisgah Freewill Baptist Church and a former co-owner of Ferrell’s Grocery Store and a factory worker. A graveside service will be Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Mount Pisgah Cemetery. Bernard Houk will officiate. No visitation or service will be held at the funeral home. Family and friends will meet at the cemetery for the service at 11:00 a.m. Saturday. She was preceded in death by her parents, Roosevelt and Ailene Hibdon George. Survivors include her husband, Ellis Ferrell of Smithville. Children, Marshall and his wife Beverly Ferrell, Frances and husband Ricky Martin, Wade and wife Lisa Ferrell, and Darnette Hibdon all of Smithville. Seventeen grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. A brother, Wayne George of Ashland City. Half-brother, Tim George of Smithville. Sisters, Mary McNeese and Edna Moore both of Nashville. Half-sister, Cindy George of Woodbury. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.