Josh Peterson

Funeral services for Mrs. Mildred Ruth Shelton, age 92 of Manchester, will be conducted on Sunday, February 13, 2022, at 2 PM, with Rev. Roger Brown officiating, in the Manchester Funeral Home chapel. Burial will follow in the Hurricane Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be held from 1 PM until time of service on Sunday at the funeral home. Mrs. Shelton passed away at her home on Friday, February 11 after an extended illness. 

Ruth, as she was fondly known as by family and friends, was born on February 15, 1929, to the late Lee and Minnie Reed Simmons, in Manchester. She was a homemaker and a member of the Bell Springs United Methodist Church. Ruth enjoyed crafting, painting, baking, and camping, but her greatest joy came from spending time with family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

In addition to her parents, Ruth is preceded in death by her loving husband, Clyde Shelton; brothers, Cecil Simmons and Freeman Banks; sisters, Lorena Johnson, Betty Lemons, and infant sister, Emmagene Simmons. She is survived by her children, Danny Shelton and his wife, Eliosa, and Patsy Shelton; grandchildren, Chessie Dow and her husband, Jonathan, and Claire Shelton; great grandchildren, Reagan and Caroline Dow; several nieces, nephews, and extended family members, and a host of friends. 

Manchester Funeral Home is honored to serve the Shelton family. 

www.manchesterfuneralhome.com  

Mr. David Leroy Frantz Jr., age 65, passed from
this life on Sunday, January 2, 2022, in Murfreesboro, TN.

Born on March 8th, 1956, David Leroy Frantz Jr was one of 5 children of
David and Irene Frantz. While growing up in Livonia, Michigan, he met his
neighbor Irene Wicks (J6LCJ) an avid amateur (Ham) radio operator,
beginning his interest in radio and electronics. Licensed as WA4SZE, he
spent his youth building, drawing, and learning about electronics,
eventually leading him to his first job as a teen fixing televisions. When
his family moved to Florida, he began taking flying lessons and met Wallie
Watson who hired him to fly for Mackey International Airlines, a small
commuter airline stationed at Ft. Lauderdale Airport. When the airline
closed, he worked as an avionics repairman and test pilot at Sunny South
Aircraft.

A chance meeting in 1981 at the Banana Boat, a local restaurant, introduced
David to his future wife Roseanne, a registered nurse. They married in 1982
and started their own business, Frantz Avionics Inc. specializing in
repairing aircraft electronics and test-flying electronics in airplanes at
Ft. Lauderdale Airport. An FAA inspector recognized David’s extensive
knowledge and experience with aircraft, and the Inspector suggested David
apply to the FAA. He was hired by the FAA as an Aviation Inspector and
Aircraft Accident Investigator stationed in Atlanta, GA. During his first
year as an FAA Inspector, he led the effort to revise aviation charts used
by pilots to highlight areas of dangerous clear-air turbulence such as
mountain waves, rotors, and lee waves. For his efforts, David was named
Aircraft Inspector of the Year during his first year of employment. Despite
this, his greatest accomplishment was yet to come.

Feeling a calling from God, David left the FAA and built two International
Shortwave Christian Radio Stations (WGTG in McCaysville, GA and WWRB in
Manchester, TN) which brought the Word of God to shortwave listeners
throughout the world. Over the course of his life, he continued to run WWRB
and remained active in ham radio and aviation. He flew as a private pilot
and built his own private airport, VOR, glideslope, NDB, and localizer. His
passion for electronics, history, and how things work led him to recreate
the four-course airline navigation system, a work which was featured by the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Magazine in their June 1st, 2010
article, “Proficient Pilot: Play it by Ear.” His work and an explanation of
the system can be seen at https://youtu.be/p-VqtNY8vpw.

Outside of the blessing of his family, of all of his accomplishments, David
Frantz felt Radio Station WWRB was God’s great work through him. Radio
Station WWRB helped ministries bring the Gospel to every corner of the
world using shortwave radio technology. While shortwave radios have largely
disappeared in the United States, shortwave remains one of the main forms
of communications in developing nations. David received countless letters
from people all over the world, from places as far as Japan and the South
Sea Islands, confirming reception and receipt of salvation from the Word of
God.

On Jan 2nd, 2022, David L. Frantz Jr was taken back home by the good Lord;
he passed away from a severe stroke at the age of 65. He is survived by his
wife, Roseanne, his son, David, his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, and his
daughter, Angela, who were all with him in his final moments. A man who
always encouraged others and looked to achieve the most out of life, one of
his favorite sayings was “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” A scholarship
is planned in his remembrance with MTSU to help support young pilots in
training from the local Tennessee area.

Visitation with the family will be held on Saturday, February 19, 2022,
from 12:00pm noon until 2:00pm at Central Funeral Home in Manchester, TN. A
memorial service will be held immediately following visitation at 2:00pm in
the chapel of Central Funeral Home.

Central Funeral Home is serving the family, 931-723-7774,
centralfuneralhome.com