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Tracy Brian Wright
Tracy Brian Wright, of Dellrose, passed this life on Sunday, March 28, 2021 at the age of 60. No services are scheduled at this time.
Mr. Wright was a member of the Dellrose United Methodist Church. He enjoyed hobbies such as fishing, tinkering with anything mechanical, and cars.
He is survived by his mother, Mary George; stepfather, John W. George; father, Phillip Harrison; stepmother, Shirley Leonard; sisters, Mary Phyllis Harrison and Lisa Harrison Tomberlain (W.C.); uncles, Jimmy Van Brown, Phillip Ray Brown, William C. Brown; nieces, Wendy Goodwin (Jeff), Lindsay Miller, Lauren Sturm, Whitney Lind; nephew, Dakota Burton; great-nieces, Amelia Jane Goodwin, Emberlee Alice Goodwin, Chloe Grace Goodwin; great-nephews, Kellan Sage Goodwin, Hunter Copeland, Ian Matthews, Landon Matthews, Daniel Sturm, Gabriel Sturm, Vic Sturm, Jace Sturm, Reed Miller, Dante Miller.
For online guest registry please visit, www.lynchburgfuneralhome.comLYNCHBURG FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
James Alan Cartwright
James Alan Cartwright, of Fayetteville, passed this life on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at the age of 57.
Mr. Cartwright was born in Chicago, Ill to the late Floyd and Janette Wilkes Cartwright. He and his wife, Danette, owned and operated the Triple J hobby store in Fayetteville for a time. Mr. Cartwright is remembered as a man of love, integrity, and respect. He was a wonderful husband and father, but also a friend to all those who knew him.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 32 years, Danette Cartwright; son, James Brandon Cartwright; sister, Sandra Jo Kern (Rod) of Burns, TN; mother-in-law, Juell Adams; sister-by-heart, Rhonda Patterson.
For online guest registry please visit, www.lynchburgfuneralhome.com
LYNCHBURG FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
Mattie “Patricia” Rachelle Murray
Mattie “Patricia” Rachelle Murray was born on December 19th, 1957 in
Shelbyville, TN. She was the daughter of the late Joseph Earl Buchanan and
Renaecker Jean Britton Arnold. She departed this life on Friday March 26th,
2021 at Southern Hills Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
She professed hope in Christ at an early age at Mt. Zion
Missionary Baptist Church in Bell Buckle, TN. She later transferred her
membership to Galilee Primitive Baptist Church in Shelbyville, TN and later
to First Missionary Baptist Church in Manchester, TN where she served
faithfully as a doorkeeper until God called her home. As an original member
of the A & B Gospel Soul Singers, she loved singing praises to The Lord.
She enjoyed taking care of others, and most people that knew her lovingly
referred to her as “Memaw” or “Momma Murray.”
She was preceded in death by her son, Kelvin Antonio Murray.
She leaves to cherish her memory: a devoted husband of 47 years, Jerry
Clint Murray Sr., five sons, Jerry (Suzanne) Murray Jr., Charlie Murray,
Connor Murray, Joseph Murray, and Christopher (Alaina) Murray, a grandson
whom she raised as her own, and one daughter, Katrina (Jerome) Verge, all
of Manchester, TN. She is also survived by her stepfather, Horace Wilson
Arnold, six brothers, Mitchell (Pam) Buchanan, James “Pop” Buchanan, Ken
(Karmen) Buchanan, Lanny (Phillisa) Buchanan, Ken Arnold, and Ricky
Brandon, five sisters, Marilyn (Eddie) Sanders, Felicia (Mark) Anthony,
Iwanda Buchanan, Christa Alexander, and Shirley (Glenn) Sutton, nine
grandchildren, Jerriona, Trevor, Kameron, Kenyon, Javaun, Tristan, Kelsey,
Kelvin and Xavier, two great-grandchildren, Zuri and Rusti, a devoted
friend, Earnestine Buchanan, and a host of extended children,
grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Funeral services for Mrs. Murray will be conducted on Saturday, April 3,
2021, at 2PM in the chapel of Manchester Funeral Home with pastor Robert
McClean officiating. Burial will follow in Little Hurricane cemetery in
Manchester. Visitation with the family will begin at 12 noon until time of
service, Saturday at the funeral home.
Manchester Funeral Home is honored to serve the Murray family.
Kenneth Ray Dunn
Funeral services for Kenneth Ray Dunn will be conducted on Tuesday, March
30, 2021, at 2PM in the Coffee County Funeral Chapel, with Samuel Upton
officiating. Burial will follow in Summitville Baptist Cemetery. Visitation
with the family will be held on Monday from 5 – 9 PM at the funeral home.
Ken passed away on Friday, March 26 after an extended illness at Centennial
Hospital in Nashville.
Ken was born on February 21, 1952, to the late James Garland Dunn and Mary
Helen Sandlin Dunn. He served his country in the United States Navy and was
of the Baptist faith. Ken was a founding member of the VFW in Tullahoma. He
loved the Atlanta Braves and Nascar and playing Candy Crush, but his
greatest joy came from being papa to his grandchildren and spending time
with his family.
In addition to his father, Ken is preceded in death by his brother, Bobby
Dunn. He is survived by his mother Mary Helen Sandlin; his loving wife of
36 years, Teresa McCormick Dunn; sons, Jeremy Dunn and his wife, Lori, and
Cody Dunn and his wife, Chelsea, both of Tullahoma; daughters, Tracy
Anthony and her husband, Michael, Mary Dunn, both of Tullahoma, Dana Dunn
and Lisa Rogers and her husband, Cody, both of Manchester; sisters, Diane
Morris, and her husband, Dennis of Rosalee, AL, Lynn Davis and her husband,
Jimmy, and Janice Morris, and her husband, Ed, both of Fayetteville, TN; 17
grandchildren, Caiti, Bree, Kenn, Aiden, and Becca Dunn, Katrina Dunn,
Keith Carr, Austin Bowles, Mallory Carr, Kevin Underwood, Codylee Rogers,
and Keira Bell; 7 great grandchildren; several nieces, nephews, cousins,
and a host of friends.
Serving as pall bearers for Ken will be Keith Carr, Matthew Dunn, Cody
Rogers, Rusty Holt, Chris McCormick, and Tommy McCormick.
Coffee County Funeral Chapel is honored to serve the Dunn family.
Diana Colvin Nelson
Diana Colvin Nelson of Bradyville passed this life on Thursday, March 25,
2021 at St. Thomas Midtown Hospital at the age of 70. A Celebration of Life
Service is scheduled for Thursday, April 1, 2021 from 5 – 9 PM at the Kross
Roads American Restaurant, 53 Lakewood Drive, Beechgrove, TN.
A native of Lawton, OK, she was the daughter of the late Ray and Faye
Havins Colvin. She was an avid tournament pool player and a member of the
APA League. She was an outdoors woman and enjoyed fishing and camping.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband,
Robert Nelson. She is survived by sons, Ronald Roberson (Jennifer) of
Jacksonville, FL and Bryan Roberson of Denver, CO; daughter, Dyanna Miller
of Watertown, TN; brother, Carl Colvin (Dolly) of St. Petersburg, FL;
sister, Karen Jones (Jodey) of Stuart, FL and grandchildren, Ella and Haley
Roberson and Preston Miller.
Online condolences may be made at www.davesculbertsonfuneralhome.com.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
SOFTBALL: Munn verbally commits to play softball at MTSU
College softball coaches have long been eager to have Keri Munn and her right arm come and pitch for their teams.
Despite multiple offers and some of the biggest schools coming to call, it was a familiar face for Coffee County fans just 30-minutes up the interstate who was able to close the deal with the Coffee County Central senior.
Munn announced that she has verbally committed to play collegiate softball at Middle Tennessee State University, where former CHS Lady Raider softball coach Jeff Breeden is the head coach.
“With COVID being around, recruiting has been a very tough process,” explained Munn. “Coach Breeden and coach [Toni] Foti got in contact with me about a month ago and we set up a Zoom call and talked about the school and what they had and they offered me [a scholarship] on that call.”
It didn’t take Munn long to commit – saying MTSU felt like home to her.
“They are winning (conference) championships and going to play other SEC schools and that is a plus,” explained Munn. “And the campus is 30 minutes from my house, so that’s always a plus when you live so close you can always go home and see your family. They just (renovated) their facility (and) their stadium. It just felt like home.”
Munn has been heavily recruited since a young age. In fact, before reaching high school she had already verbally committed to the University of Auburn. A coaching change there re-opened her recruitment and led her to MTSU. Partly aiding in that process was the NCAA granting players an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19.
“Most of the other SEC schools I was looking at – their seniors kinda’ stayed (an extra year),” said Munn. “So, I was thinking where will I have the most playing opportunity and MTSU seemed like the right fit.”
Now that the recruiting process is over (she hopes to officially sign next month), Munn has plenty of people to thank.
“Would like to thank my family – my mom for always taking me to tournaments and practices and also my dad for always practicing with me and pushing me to do my hardest. I would also like to thank all my coaches, especially coach Mac (CHS head coach Brandon McWhorter) for helping me through this process and my teammates for pushing me to play my hardest. I would also like to thank coach Breeden and coach Foti for giving me the chance to play for them.”
Finishing up high school
With her college plans set, Munn is focused on getting the CHS Lady Raider softball team to the state tournament in Murfreesboro. CHS is off to a hot start. The Lady Raiders are 10-0 on the young spring season.
Munn is a big part of that. She is 7-0 in the circle, allowing only three earned runs on 11 hits over 33 innings pitched. She has struck out 57 batters and has an ERA at 0.64
“This team has been the strongest team out of my four years here,” Munn explained. “We can hit, we can play defense. Mainly, our chemistry is very good. We are best friends on and off the field and we just get each other.”
Munn went on to cite solid relationships with the coaching staff.
“I’m very excited for this year.”
The Lady Raiders have two district games this week – at Franklin County Monday and at Lincoln County on Tuesday.
Tennessee bill says high school athletes must compete as gender they were born
Both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly gave final approval to legislation that claims to protect the competitive balance of women’s sports last week.
House Bill 3 aims to ensure that female athletes are not discriminated against by clarifying that participation in public middle and high school interscholastic sports must correspond with a student’s biological gender at birth.
A weekly roundup from Tennessee Republican Rush Bricken states: “Local school districts have a legitimate interest and obligation to ensure they are not creating opportunities for undue injury to children who participate in interscholastic activities and sports. The bill ensures boys are not able to displace girls in competitive events which could deny female athletes’ victories, opportunities or scholarships.”
Legislation gives Tennessee’s governor authority to require all schools to offer in-person learning
The General Assembly on Thursday gave final approval for legislation giving Tennessee’s governor the authority to issue an executive order requiring all schools across the state to offer in-person learning.
House Bill 225 gives the governor this authority in the instance of an emergency, which is defined as an “occurrence or threat, whether natural, technological, or manmade, that results or may result in substantial injury or harm to the population, including disease outbreaks and epidemics, or substantial damage to or loss of property.”
In addition to giving the governor the ability to issue the statewide order, the bill also grants school boards more independence regarding whether their schools should be open or closed to in-person learning during a public emergency. School boards can delegate the authority to the director of schools under an amendment added to the legislation.
House Bill 225 heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.
Some healthcare workers urge Medicaid expansion after Pandemic
More than 790,000 Tennesseans have been infected with COVID-19, and more than 11,000 have lost their lives one year into the novel coronavirus pandemic. Health-care workers say the experiences of patients without health coverage during the pandemic should prompt lawmakers to consider Medicaid expansion.
CEO of Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, Katina Beard, said the state’s essential workers, who are disproportionately Black and Brown people, also are more likely to work in jobs that do not provide health coverage.
“So we have seen a direct impact in what the coronavirus did for individuals,” said Beard, “particularly in their ability to retain their private insurance, and the number of individuals who lost their insurance over the course of a year.”
A recent report from Families USA found that nationwide, for each 10% increase in counties whose residents who lacked health insurance, COVID-19 cases spiked by 70%, and deaths increased by 40%.
Opponents of expansion say that even with new financial incentives for Medicaid the federal government has offered to states under the American Rescue Plan Act, loosening restrictions on the program remains costly.
Nashville pulmonologist Dr. Robert Miller explained some of his COVID-19 patients can’t access recommended treatments – such as antibody infusions – because of lack of coverage.
“About one out of three people who have died have been people who have not had access to health care or have been uninsured,” said Miller. “It is something that is going to take a lot, including expanding Medicaid or Tenncare in Tennessee, to get them what they need.”
Tennessee is one of twelve states, most located in the Southeast, that repeatedly have refused Medicaid expansion since 2012. In these states, residents whose income is above Medicaid eligibility but below that required for Marketplace premium tax credits have remained in the coverage gap.
SOFTBALL: Lady Raiders pick up 2 wins in Warrior Classic, move to 10-0
The Lady Raider softball team of Coffee County Central High School just keeps on winning.
CHS put together two wins on Friday in the Warrior Classic – blowing out White House Heritage and squeaking out a late-inning win over Florence-Ala. to improve to 10-0 on the season.
Coffee County – 12, White House Heritage – 0
Six first-inning runs set the tone and the Lady Raiders cruised to a 12-0 win in four innings over White House Heritage.
Eight different Lady Raiders got into the hit column – including a 3-for-3 performance from senior Justus Turner, who launched a fourth-inning home run over the centerfield fence and had 4 RBIs on the day. Turner is now hitting at an impressive .667 clip on the season.
Turner, Chesnie Cox and Haidyn Campbell all doubled for the Lady Raiders and Olivia Evans tripled, one of her two hits.
Senior Keri Munn picked up the win in the circle for Coffee County – she worked four innings and allowed just two hits while striking out 9.
Florence, Ala. 2, Coffee County 2
Brianna Shelton singled to score Riley Phillips in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie and give the Lady Raiders a 3-2 win over Florence, Ala. Friday afternoon.
Shelton, Haidyn Campbell and Jada Bowen all picked up RBIs for the Lady Raiders on the afternoon. Campbell had a double.
Emily Schuster picked up the win in the circle for the Lady Raiders, working the final 2 and two-thirds innings in relief. She allowed four hits, but struck out three and didn’t let anyone get across the plate.
Campbell started for CHS and went three and one-thirds, allowing two runs and striking out one batter. Florence pushed across both of its runs in the fourth inning. The Lady Raiders did commit three errors.
next week’s schedule
The Lady Raiders travel for a pair of District 8-AAA games this week – at Franklin County at 7 p.m. Monday and at Lincoln County at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Both of those games will be broadcast on Thunder Radio – 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com