Josh Peterson

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Betty Willis Jaggers

Betty Willis Jaggers was born on May 27. 1929 in Hillsboro, Tennessee.  She died on September 29, 2021, at the age of 92.

Betty’s parents were John Finis Willis and Maggie Henley Willis, and Betty was one of their 10 children.  The extended Willis family was always very dear to Betty, allowing her to dote on lots of nieces and nephews, and later, great and great-great nieces and nephews.  

In 1948, Betty married Al Jaggers in Tullahoma, Tennessee.  Following Al’s career, Betty and Al, spent many years living in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where they raised a family, and Betty eventually had a successful real estate career. 

Al and Betty delighted in having the Willis relatives visit them to tour the nation’s capital.  And, Al and Betty did their best to stay in touch with the Willis family, making an extended trip to Hillsboro each summer. Al always felt bad that he had separated Betty from her Tennessee family and he vowed to move her back to Tennessee some day.  In 1980, as soon as he retired, Al kept his promise to Betty, and they built their dream house of Fire Lake in Manchester.  They spent many happy years there until Al died in 2004.  

As a widow, Betty enjoyed traveling, and she was an active member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.  There, she initiated a mission called the “Clothes Closet” to provide free clothing to needy members of the community.  She loved working with her church partners on this mission, and her organizational skills and her knowledge about clothing were instrumental in making the mission successful.  The St. Paul’s Clothes Closet, with the support of the community, provided a lot of clothing to many deserving individuals.  

In 2018, Betty moved to Virginia to be closer to her daughter Patty and her husband Bruce.  She enjoyed spending time with them, and she loved the visits with her grandson, Jeff, and his wife, Jessica; and with her grandson, Mark, and his wife, Eva.   In April 2021, Betty became a great-grandmother when Jameson Thomas was born to Jeff and Jessica. Although she had been in ill health for many months, seeing pictures of Jameson always put a huge smile on her face.  Even in her very last days, little Jameson was the bright spot in her life.

Betty lived life to the fullest.  She loved her family, she loved her church, she loved her country, and she loved to have fun.  Hers was a life well-lived.

FOOTBALL: Coffee Middle Raiders win 2nd straight CTC title

For the second time in two years, Coffee County’s Middle School Red Raider football team is CTC champions.

The Raiders won a back-and-forth thriller Saturday, using a 234 yard, 6 touchdown performance from Caiden Martin to beat Harris Middle School 38-28 in Shelbyville.

THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE REPLAY.

Harris’ Eagles were able to hit on some big plays – including early when Robert Lentz rumbled in from 21 yards out to put the Eagles up 6-0 just a few minutes into the game.

But the Raiders answered, eating nearly 8 minutes off the clock and capping the drive with a 1-yard touchdown from from Martin to tie the game at 6-6. Raider Jayden Eckles forced a fumble on the next Harris possession that was recovered by Tristan VanMeter. Martin scored 3 plays later and the Raiders never trailed again.

Martin went on to score four more times – from 15, 28, 6 and 6. His final touchdown put the Raiders up 38-20 with 7:54 to play in the fourth quarter.

Harris was led by Robert Lentz, who had 189 yards on 14 touches and 3 scores, he also threw for a 71 yard touchdown.

The win caps an unbeaten season for CMS and the Raiders’ second consecutive CTC Championship. It is the third straight year the Raiders have played for the title.

Lady Rocket soccer falls in DRVC title match

The Lady Rocket soccer team at Westwood put up a valiant effort Friday, but fell short in a 3-0 loss to Cascade in the DRVC championship match.

The Lady Rockets managed to get 8 shots on goal, including 4 from Bailey Barsenas, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. Meanwhile, WMS goalkeeper Anna Rutowski was harassed all game long by the Champions and racked up 13 saves on the day.

The loss ends the season for WMS.

Two Coffee County Sheriff’s Department deputies graduate from police academy

Two Coffee County Sheriff’s Department deputies graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Academy on Friday, Oct. 1.

Deputy Ryan Maiden and Deputy Eugene Waycaster both graduated from the academy.

Join us at Thunder Radio in congratulating by deputy Maiden and deputy Waycaster.

Meanwhile, other area agencies had new officers to graduate. Deputy Elizabeth Hodge graduated for Warren County sheriff’s Department and Franklin County Sheriff’s Department graduated Deputy Destiny Clark.

Tennessee launches Pink & Pearl Awareness to promote early detection of breast, lung cancers

While most recognize the color pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this October and November marks the second annual Tennessee Pink and Pearl Campaign promoting both breast and lung cancer awareness. The addition of the pearl color represents the ribbon for lung cancer awareness, which is observed in November. While breast cancer is the most common cancer in female Tennesseans, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among both men and women.

Routine cancer screenings continue to be incredibly important. It is estimated that nationally over 3.9 million breast cancer screenings have been missed due to the pandemic. Providers encourage all eligible individuals to attend routine check-ups, including routine cancer screenings. With fewer screenings, there are fewer diagnoses of breast cancer, which may result in some cancers being diagnosed at later stages with poor prognoses.

“Routine health screenings are an important part in a person’s health care journey,” said Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “With proper screening and interventions, we can save more lives and curb the rising number of breast and lung cancer deaths in our state. The Tennessee Pink and Pearl Campaign raises awareness of these treatable conditions and reminds us that we all have a role to play – whether it is our own screening or encouraging that of a friend or family member.”

If your financial situation has changed due to COVID-19, you may qualify for free breast cancer screenings through the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Screening Program (TBSCP). TBCSP provides breast and cervical screening services to uninsured and underinsured women and diagnostic testing for qualifying men and women. Learn more about the program at https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/fhw/rwh/tbcsp.html or contact your local health department for more information.

Breast Screening Recommendations (Optional)
The current United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines recommend women begin regular mammogram screenings at the age of 50. Depending on risk factors, some women may need to begin screening at an earlier age.

Lung Screening Recommendations (Optional)
The USPSTF recommends annual screening for lung cancer in adults ages 50 to 80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit smoking within the past 15 years.

Reducing Disparities
While both breast and lung cancer impact individuals of all races and ethnicities, they are among many diseases that disproportionately affect minority populations. For both types of cancer, black men and women are more likely than their white counterparts to be diagnosed in later stages, and blacks are also more likely to die from these diseases. Data also indicates that black women and men are diagnosed with more aggressive subtypes of these cancers than their white counterparts.

“In both breast and lung cancer, screening often is imperative to an early diagnosis and optimizing the chance of a better prognosis,” said Director of the Office of Minority Health and Disparities Elimination Monique Anthony, MPH, CHES. “As COVID-19 continues to amplify these inequities on vulnerable populations, including lack of quality care, the availability and cost of diagnostics and follow up care, bias, unfair policies and practices in health care. TDH is committed to reducing disparities and advancing health equity by increasing access to cancer screenings, conducting cancer prevention education and outreach strategies, and encouraging the inclusion of minorities in clinical trials.”

It is important to talk to your provider about your risk factors and determine if screening is right for you. For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/breastcancerawareness/index.htm for breast cancer and https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/basic_info/ for lung cancer.

Pink and Pearl Day
To recognize this campaign, Friday, November 5th will be Pink and Pearl Day. Please support this campaign and bring awareness to both breast and lung cancer by wearing pink and pearl. Pictures posted to social media are appreciated, using the campaign hashtags #TNPinkandPearl and #MyPinkandPearlWhy.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.

Area schools on fall break

Both Coffee County School system and Manchester City School system students and staff are out this week for fall break.

Students will return to school on Oct. 11.

Raiders rack up 2nd win in a row, cruise past Pioneers

The Coffee County Red Raiders make their way onto the field Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. — Thunder Radio photo by Holly Peterson

Coffee County led early, controlled the clock and cruised to a comfortable 33-14 win Friday night, Oct. 1 over visiting Warren County.

Coffee County gave the Pioneers a steady dose of Konor Heaton and he ripped them apart behind his offensive line. Heaton piled up 162 yards on 24 carries, including big chunks of 23 and 17. Heaton also caught a pass for 12 yards – giving him 174 all-purpose yards on the night and three touchdowns. He scored on runs of 10, 2 and 4.

THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A REPLAY OF THE FIRST HALF.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A REPLAY OF THE SECOND HALF.

Coffee County’s other touchdown came late from Cole Pippenger in a 6-yard outside run. The Raiders also got 3 points on a 29-yard field goal by sophomore Elijah McCoy and a safety courtesy of a bad snap on a Pioneer punt.

After the Raiders took a 7-0 lead on their opening drive, the Pioneers answered with a 13 play drive that was capped on a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. But CHS pushed back head on a 95 yard drive on just 8 plays – capped on a 2-yard Heaton run.

CHS went ahead to force a safety and scored again to take a 23-7 halftime lead and cruised in the second half. The Raiders led 33-7 in the waning minutes before the Pioneers hit a 40-yard touchdown with a minute to play.

Raider senior quarterback Connor Shemwell was solid – completing 7-of-10 passes for 99 yards. Travis Martin caught two passes for 39 yards and Jahlin Osbourne had 2 catches for 40. CHS outgained Warren County 343 to 188 as the Raider defense stifled the Pioneers all night.

The Raiders improve to 3-4 with the win – their second win in two weeks. It also gives Coffee County its first region win of the season.

The Raiders have next week off to rest before returning home on Oct. 15 to host Cookeville in a region game. That game will be broadcast LIVE on Thunder Radio.

Thunder Radio photos by Holly Peterson.

Birthdays- October 1

Birthdays:

Jerry Murray- 70

Freda Jones- Pizza Winner!

Anniversaries:

Steve & Cindy French

Steve & Lauren Jernigan

Kevin & Kacey Holton

Weekly Winners:

Cake- Caitlin Henley

Flowers- Tom & Terry Lee Carter

Emma Augusta Hendrick

Emma Augusta Hendrick, of Tullahoma, passed this life on Thursday, September 30 th , 2021 at her home at the age of 100. Mrs. Hendrick was born in Wartburg, Tennessee to the late Walter and Anna Heidel Bardill. During her life she was a cafeteria worker with the Tullahoma City School System, and was also a volunteer with the Good Samaritan Community Outreach for 68 years. Mrs. Hendrick was a long-time, devoted member of Faith Lutheran Church, a 57-year member of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, and had made 89 different banners that have hung in the church over many years. She was also a volunteer with the Auxiliary at Harton Hospital for many years. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Hendrick was preceded in death by her husband, Roger G. Hendrick, Sr.; two sons, Roger Hendrick, Jr. and Larry Hendrick; two brothers, Harold Bardill and Wilburn Bardill; and one sister, Miki Rudnik. She is survived by her daughter, Patti (Terry) Mathis; two sisters, Ethel Hamilton and Alice (Charles) Scott; one grandson, Adam (Amy) Hendrick; one great-grandson, Skylar Hendrick; and several beloved nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Monday, October 4 th , 2021 at Faith Lutheran Church from 11:00am-1:00pm with the funeral to immediately follow at 1:00pm with Pastor Marty Nutter officiating. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens. For those who wish, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Emma’s memory be made to either Faith Lutheran Church, 101 Bragg Circle, Tullahoma, TN 37388; or The Good Samaritan of Tullahoma Ministry, 210 E. Grundy St. Tullahoma, TN 37388.

Kilgore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Carla Ann Bolin

Carla Ann Bolin, of Tullahoma, passed this life on Thursday, September 30 th , 2021 at her home at the age of 57. Carla was born in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico to the late T.L. Boling and Annette West Bolin who survives. During her life, Carla worked as a teacher with the Coffee County School System. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Terry and Patrick Bolin. Carla is survived by her mother, Annette Bolin; one brother, Mike (Pam) Bolin; and many loving nieces and nephews. A graveside service will be held on Sunday, October 3 rd , 2021 at 2:00pm at Bethany Cemetery in Normandy with Don Burkhalter officiating. Kilgore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.