Obituaries

Ronald Charles Stevens, 76, of Des Moines, Iowa, died June 30, 2021. Ron was a deacon at Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Presbytery of East Tennessee) in Greeneville, Tennessee, where he was plant manager at BTL Industries.

William Walter Burton, Jr., 79, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, died July 1, 2021. Bill was an elder at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Murfreesboro (Murfreesboro Presbytery). He had been president of the Rutherford County Bar Association, chair of the Rutherford County Red Cross and the Heart Association, and president of the Exchange Club of Murfreesboro.

Betty Sue Rhamy, 70, of Troy, Tennessee, died June 22, 2021. Betty was an elder, session clerk, church secretary, and musician at Protemus Cumberland Presbyterian Church (West Tennessee Presbytery). She was a Golden Patron Member of Cumberland Presbyterian Women’s Ministry and served as secretary of the Forked Deer Region CPWM as well as of her […]

Joel Lee Pedrick, Jr., 68, of Franklin, Tennessee, died July 4, 2021. Joel was an elder of Mt. Carmel Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Columbia Presbytery). A past president of the Tennessee Gas Propane Association, Joel was a consultant in logistics and worked in the propane industry for over 49 years.

The Reverend Dean Guye (Nashville Presbytery), associate pastor of Dickson Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Dickson, Tennessee, died July 1, 2021. Rev. Guye had been in hospice care. This article is incomplete, more information will be added as it becomes available.

George E. Cates, 83, of Memphis died June 21, 2021, when his small airplane crashed near Jackson, Tennessee. George was a benefactor of Memphis Theological Seminary. MTS President Jody Hill said, “George and Bena Cates have been the epitome of Christian servants. They have been deeply committed to the mission of MTS both as students […]

Billie Jean Hedgecock Wyatt, 96, of Kingston, Tennessee, died June 26, 2021. She was a member of Youngs Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church where she served as an elder, Sunday school teacher, choir director, church historian, and youth leader. She was born April 18, 1932, in Roane County, Tenessee, and has been a lifelong resident of […]

Willie Mae Prince Forester, 95, of McKenzie, Tennessee, died June 26, 2021. Willie Mae was the matriarch of a clergy family well known in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. She taught English and Spanish at McKenzie High School and was a member of Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church near McKenzie where she was one of the first […]

Landon Clay Matheny, 7, of Troy, Tennessee, died June 9, 2021. Landon just finished first grade at Hillcrest Elementary in Troy. He was a member of Protemus Cumberland Presbyterian Church (West Tennessee Presbytery) and a patent at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

H. Jean Ridgeway Smith, 89, Cleveland, Alabama, died June 15, 2021. She was a member of Green’s Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Grace Presbytery) where she taught Sunday school and was a member and past officer of the Cumberland Presbyterian Women’s Ministry (CPWM) group.