Linda Gail (Estes) Strasburg

November 21, 2023

A memorial service for the late Linda Gail (Estes) Strasburg of Sparta, will be held on Sunday, December 3, 2023, at 2:00pm at the Robinson Chapel Presbyterian Church in White County. Bro. Larry Wilmoth will officiate at the service.

Mrs. Strasburg passed away on Friday, November 17, 2023, at Signature Healthcare of Putnam County.

Linda was born on July 22, 1940, in Smithville, TN to the late Albert and Kate (Sullivan) Estes. She was a teacher for the White County school system. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her  Husband, Pete Strasburg, Daughter Beth McKee Waggner, Two Brothers: Don and Bass Estes, and one Sister, Sylvia Estes Redmon.

Her surviving family includes her daughter: Vicki (McKee) McClanahan and Husband Steve; Three Grandsons: Kris Waggoner, Dain and Alec McClanahan. And one Sister: Dora Estes (James Brazier).

Linda passed away from a stroke complicated by Covid-19.

Whitson Funeral Home in Charge of Arrangements

November 20, 2023

Arthur Eidman, III passed peacefully at Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge, LA, at 1:28am on October 30th, 2023. Art was 79 years old and is survived by his loving wife Jo Carolyn Eidman, his daughter Kristen Eidman Stokes, his granddaughter Caroline Whittington Stokes, and his son in law James Neal Stokes Jr. He was the son of the late Margret Whittington Eidman and Arthur Eidman, II. Also, brother to the late Christopher Eidman. Born and raised in Greenwood, Ms.

Art and Joe lived in Smithville during the 1980s and operated the former Pizza Inn and original Sonic drive-in restaurants during those years. Jo was also a teacher at Smithville Elementary School.

Art served in the United States Army as a medic and was also classified as a sharp shooter during the Vietnam War. After serving in Vietnam, he received a degree in Business from University of Southern Mississippi. He moved to San Francisco, California and worked with Del Monte Corporation. He later moved to New Orleans and opened a waterbed factory and retail store. He and his wife also lived in Guatemala, after living on a 44 foot sail boat and traveling the world. They then moved to Smithville, TN, owning multiple restaurants. Art eventually obtained a master’s degree in teaching Spanish within a high school classroom setting. For almost two decades, Art impacted the lives of his students with his love for Mexico and South America. Art and his family traveled the world across the globe as he wanted his family to experience different cultures and to appreciate the different aspects of life from each culture. Art believed the more a person understood about one’s culture the more a person could humanize that country. Art valued global experiences as people are all the same…wanting to feel wanted and most importantly to be loved. Art loved the soul of every person he came across throughout his life and often found this relevance within his love for music. One of his last requests was to have Ripple by the Grateful Dead played at his service. If you knew him, it truly served him well.

Art’s graveside service will be held at The National Cemetery in Natchez, MS, on Monday, November 6, 2023 at 11:00 am. A celebration of life service will be held at The Pub at Dunleith from 4-6 this Sunday, November 5, 2023.

November 18, 2023

Mr. Danny Raye Phillips Sr., age 66 of Smithville, passed away on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at his residence in Smithville. He was retired from Nissan and a Baptist.

Mr. Phillips was born on October 4, 1957 in Smithville, TN to his parents, Billy League Phillips, Sr. and Minnie Elizabeth Griffith Hurd.

Public visitation will be on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 from 9am-1pm and visitation with the family will be from noon until the time of service at 1pm with Bro. Jonathan Young officiating. Burial will follow in DeKalb Cemetery.

He was preceded in death by his father, Billy League Phillips, Sr.; 1 brother, Billy League Phillips, Jr.; stepfather, William Hurd; mother-in-law Pettie Bridges; and sister-in-law, Anita “Peaches” Bridges Pope.

Survivors include his wife Libby Bridges-Phillips of Smithville; 1 daughter, Cherise Phillips of Smyrna; Danny “June Bugg” Phillips of Cookeville; 2 stepsons, Jametric Wimbley of Clarksville and Nicholas Wimbley of Knoxville; Mother, Minnie Hurd of Smithville; 9 grandchildren, Adaeze Nwogbo of Smyrna, Adanna Nwogbo of Smyrna, Aysiah Roberts of Cookeville, Cory Wimbley of Smyrna, Courtney Wimbley of Smyrna, Jamir Wimbley of Smyrna, Kal’el Wimbley of Knoxville, Damian Wimbley of Knoxville and Selene Wimbley of Knoxville; 1 sister, Julia Owens of Smithville; 2 stepbrothers, Gerald (Karen) Hurd and Vincent (Sabrina) Hurd all of Lebanon; 1 stepsister, Lisa (Robert) Seay of Lebanon;1 goddaughter, Kortni Reed of Knoxville; 4 sisters-in-law, Deedy Cason of Knoxville; Arhonda Cason of Florida; Tracy Miller of Knoxville; Sue Carr of Sparta; 5 nephews, Tracey Phillips of South Carolina, Ike (Donda) Phillips of Murfreesboro, Tryone Owens of Smithville; Michael Chad Owens of Smithville, and Darrick Dibrell; Uncle, Walter Phillips of Smithville; Aunt, Shirley Griffith of Lebanon; Very special auntie, Beaulah Reed of Knoxville; host of other nieces, nephews, and cousins.

If you choose to make a contribution to a charity in memory of Mr. Phillips, the charity of choice of the family is the American Heart Association.

Love-Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

November 17, 2023

It is with profound sorrow that the Rice family announces the loss of its beloved patriarch, James Ed Rice, who passed away at home in Smithville, TN on November 17, 2023, at the age of 87.

James Ed was born on June 29, 1936 in Lebanon, Tennessee. He was the oldest of two children of Baxter and Wille Close Rice. He grew up and attended school in Smithville where he was an enthusiastic member of the DeKalb County Tigers football team. He was a member of the First Baptist Church. He is the father of five children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. In addition to his adored wife of 59 years, Lillian Elizabeth Gothard Rice, he was predeceased by his parents and sister, Mary Jane Windham.

His memory will be cherished dearly by his surviving family members – son James Ed Rice, Jr. (Jim Ed) and wife Benni, son Joe Marshall Rice and wife Norma, daughters Trina Rice Graham, Tammy Rice Allen and husband Steve and Terre Rice Puckett and husband Jason; granddaughters Lee Elizabeth Rice Stonestreet (Andrew) and Andrea Austin Rice Davis (Bobby), grandsons James Ed (Jed) Rice III, William Gregory Graham (Katie), Paul James Allen and Daniel Jason Puckett, and great-grandsons Beckett and Ben Stonestreet.

Words cannot convey how deeply we will miss his counsel, encouragement, and support but we can cherish the fond memories of our time with him. The way he motivated and inspired us. The way he uplifted us and made us laugh. Mostly, we will remember how loved and secure he made us feel.

In his younger years he served as a page in Congress before enrolling in the Marion Military Academy in Alabama. He received an appointment to the West Point Military Academy that was cut short because of the potentially life-threatening illness of his mother. He had lost his father at the age of 17. Despite these adversities and a humble beginning, he went on to many accomplishments.

An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, James Ed had a knack for business and was successful at it. He had a gift for connecting with and motivating people. He had a natural magnetism that led people to believe they could achieve more than they ever expected. He was positive, optimistic, and very intelligent. He had a one-of-a-kind personality and people wanted to be around him. He started and ran numerous businesses employing thousands of people and enriching the lives of those with whom he worked. He was a very positive influence in the lives of numerous people.

Starting out with a $300 loan from his grandmother, James Ed began his career selling nursery stock door-to-door and landscaping houses to support himself while attending college at Tennessee Tech and Middle Tennessee State University. His drive and persistence served him well. He was a trail-blazer and a creative problem-solver who relished a challenge. He achieved success with his early endeavors and parlayed it into a janitorial contracting business that eventually encompassed several hundred thousand square feet of federal office buildings in Washington, DC. This business evolved into military logistics and food service contracting, servicing hundreds of contracts and the largest military food service operations in the US.

Along the way, he started and participated in numerous other ventures including a local bank, a chain of fast-food restaurants, real estate investments, and the local DeKalb County hospital among others. He seemed to have a sixth sense of how to make ventures work.

At an early age he was active in local politics on the DeKalb County Commission and was instrumental in its reapportionment and in securing the Model Cities Program designation for Smithville. He was a founding sponsor of a Little League team and remained as one of its longest-term supporters.

James Ed loved his work and his community but more than anything his wife and children were the light of his life. He was devoted to his wife, Lillian, who had been his high school sweetheart. He admired her goodness, hard work, and accomplishments in education and music. He had a zest for life and he enlivened and brightened every room he entered. He will be sorely missed by the many people who knew and loved him.

The family would like to thank our beloved physician, Dr. Hugh Don Cripps, the Family Medical team, and all of our dedicated caregivers, current and former, for the compassionate care and kind attention given to our father. Sincere thanks to current caregivers, Faye Neville, Tina Waggoner, Connie Linder, and Marylin Mashburn. We would also like to thank home health nurse, Brandi Cantrell, and the team at Adoration Home Health.

Visitation will be Sunday, November 19, from 1:00 to 4:00 at Love-Cantrell Funeral Home and Monday, November 20, at the chapel of the First Baptist Church in Smithville from 1:00 until the time of service at 2:00. Dr. Chad Ramsey will officiate. Pallbearers will be James Ed (Jed) Rice III, William (Will) Gregory Graham, Paul James Allen, Daniel Jason Puckett, Robert (Bobby) Wilson Davis, and Randy Gothard.

Interment will follow at DeKalb Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, First Baptist Church, or God’s Pantry.

November 14, 2023

McMinnville resident and Dekalb County, TN native James Edward Certain, age 82, was born February 20, 1941 and died November 11, 2023 at his residence following an extended illness.

A retired employee with Young’s Auto Parts, he was the son of the late Charlie and Lucille Miller Certain. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by five siblings, Lois Ann Puckett, Nettie Lou Judkins, Marie Wilson, Lynn Certain and Danny Certain.

Mr. Certain is survived by daughter, Freda Minge of McMinnville; grandchildren, Josh Morton and Amanda Holt, both of McMinnville; great-grandchildren, Autumn Holt, Katie Holt and Serenity Holt; sister, Charlene Poss of Smithville, TN; several nieces and nephews and many good friends.

Graveside service and interment will be held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at Fuston Cemetery in Warren County with Rocky Sweeton officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. at High’s.

Online condolences may be made at www.highfuneralhome.com.

High Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

November 12, 2023

Vincent Lee Baker age 87 of Smithville, went home to be with the Lord Friday night, November 10, 2023 at the Webb House in Smithville. He was born August 18, 1936 to his parents, the late Vincent Young and Bessie Manley Baker. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Ann Baker; and 3 brothers, Gene, Dan and Sammy Baker. Bro. V.L. was a member of the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church, where he pastored for years throughout the conference. He was a member of the Smithville First United Methodist Church and was a lineman with Smithville Electric and a self-employed electrician. V.L. is survived by 4 children; Donna Foster Swain of Moscow, TN, Angela (Jimmy) Florida of Smyrna, Jeffery Lee (Susan) Baker of Murfreesboro and Jason Young (Carolyn) Baker of Nashville; grandchildren, Hunter (Sylvia) Swain, Julien Baker, Abigail Baker, Lennon Vincent (Kayla) Baker, Curtis Baker and Mason Baker; great-grandchildren, Sebastian and Luca Swain, Londyn and Aria Baker; 3 brothers, Jerry (Diane) Baker, Johnny Ray Baker and Bob Baker; 1 sister, Joyce (Jimmy) Meredith; 2 sisters-in-law, Judy Johnson and Linda Trapp and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be 1 PM Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at DeKalb Funeral Chapel with Bro. David Hill officiating and burial will follow in DeKalb Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be on Monday 3 PM until 7 PM and Tuesday 11:AM until the time of the service at 1 PM. DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.

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