Obituaries
Obituaries for Alternative Cremation & Funeral Service
In Memory of Our Dear Loved Ones
Ellen Claudette Smith
Sep 26, 2026
Ellen Claudette Hall Smith, age 67, passed away peacefully on September 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Born on February 13, Ellen was the daughter of Clayton and Ora Hall. She married the love of her life, Ricky Smith, on June 6, 1984, and together they made their home and built their life in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Ellen was a woman of faith who...
James M Siefkas
Sep 10, 2026
Dr. James M. Siefkas, an esteemed professor of speech and theater, died September 10, 2026, in his bed in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 91.
Born March 24, 1935, in small-town Missouri, Jim spent his career in the speech and theater department at UW–La Crosse in western Wisconsin, where he taught generations of students. Colleagues and students alike will tell you he...
Betty Carol Mills
Sep 10, 2026
Betty Carol Mills, age 62, of Portland, Tennessee, passed away peacefully on September 10, 2026. She was born on January 19, 1964, to the late Elijah Stafford Sr. and Carolyn Stafford.
Betty was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend who cherished her family above all else. She was married to her beloved husband, Tracy Mills, for 23 years. Together,...
Brett Michael McGuire
Sep 2, 2026
Brett Michael McGuire, age 64 of Nashville, TN, passed away on September 2nd, 2026 surrounded by family and loved ones after a long battle with bladder cancer.
Born on July 29th, 1962 in Pheonix, AZ. He grew up in Hawaii, Rome, Italy and Louisiana. Brett was the son of Danny and Dorothy McGuire. He was known for his kindness, humor, generosity,...
Todd Matthew Matteson
Sep 2, 2026
Todd Matthew Matteson, aged 59, passed away peacefully at St. Thomas Rutherford in Murfreesboro, TN on September 2, 2026 after a battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Todd was born in Denver, CO on April 12, 1967. He was the youngest son of the late David Byrne Matteson and Diane Wells. He lived in Colorado, California, Arizona, and Florida before moving to...
Virginia Weller Morris
Sep 1, 2026
Virginia "Ginny" Weller Morris, age 75 of Nashville, Tennessee, entered eternal rest on Tuesday, September 1st, surrounded by her beloved family and her faithful granddog, Fynn. Ginny was born on August 2, 1951, in Nashville to the late Myra and William Weller.
She is survived by her daughter, Kelcy Morris; her brother, Allen Weller (Buni); niece, Denise Weller Hinson (Steve); niece,...
Jacqueline Alexander
Aug 30, 2026
Jacqueline Gail Alexander, lovingly known by those who cherished her, was born on February 14, 1962, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She peacefully passed away at home on August 30, 2026, surrounded by the family she loved so deeply.
Jacqueline was a woman who left an impact everywhere she went. To know her was to love her. She had a way of making...
Ellis Arnett Townsend, Jr.
Aug 24, 2026
Ellis Arnett Townsend, Jr, age 92, of Franklin, TN, went home to be with the Lord on August 24, 2026 while family was by his side. He was born December, 30, 1933 in Burlison, Tennessee. Ellis graduated from Brighton High School & completed his education in business. After a few years of farming, he began a banking career by helping...
Adam Paul Zwan
Aug 14, 2026
Adam Paul Zwan, 38, passed away peacefully on August 14, 2026, at 2:15 p.m. in Nashville, Tn. He died in a manner befitting the way that he lived, surrounded by the people who loved him dearly—his parents, siblings, nieces, brother-in-law, and his Uncle Frankie and Aunt Terry (godparents).
One in a million, that’s not quite the odds of being diagnosed with...
Mark Tidwell Perkins
Aug 9, 2026
11/28/1951 – 8/9/2026
74 years old
And that is all he wanted his obituary to say, but it’s just too stark. Mark was born in West Tennessee to Bill & Betty Perkins and, following his dad’s jobs, moved from Newbern to West Memphis to Dyersburg, with Newbern holding his favorite childhood memories.
Aside from serving in the U.S. Army, he invested himself in...
Janet Rae Costin Blane
Aug 3, 2026
Janet Rae Costin Blane passed away surrounded by family on August 3, 2026 at the age of 75.
Born to Ray and Louise (Grinstead) Costin in Durham, North Carolina, Janet was a true Tar Heel. She was raised in Charlotte, where she attended Garinger High School, making lifelong friends. After high school, she spent four years at UNC Chapel Hill, which...
Donald Curtis Jenkins
Jul 31, 2026
Donald Curtis Jenkins, 73, of Madison, Tennessee, passed away on July 31, 2026. He was born March 9, 1953, in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Billie “Bill” Jackson Jenkins and Aggie Frances Scott Sumruld, and grew up in Hartsville, Tennessee. He was a 1972 graduate of Putnam County High School.
Don loved cars, motorcycles, boats, and racing. He was an avid NASCAR fan,...
Marilynn Janet Derwenskus
Jul 24, 2026
Marilynn Derwenskus was born on December 23, 1937 in Detroit, MI. She passed away peacefully at home in Franklin, TN on July 24, 2026 wearing an entirely purple outfit.
She lived 88 extraordinary years, filling the world with beauty, kindness, and creativity. An artist through and through, Marilynn touched countless lives through her paintings, her teaching and the many friendships she...
James Oliver DeRossett
Jul 24, 2026
James Oliver DeRossett (Jim), age 89, passed away peacefully on July 24, 2026, in Franklin, Tennessee. Born in Premier, West Virginia on May 18, 1937, James spent the last 31 years in Tennessee after relocating from Mobile, Alabama in 1995. He was preceded in death by his parents, Asa (Acy) Norman and Flora Etta (Rose) DeRossett of Welch, West Virginia,...
Phyllis Kirchhoff
Jul 21, 2026
With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Phyllis Kirchhoff, age 80, on July 21, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family.
Phyllis was born on January 30, 1946, in Lafayette, Indiana. She was a beloved daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Throughout her life, she called many places home, including Indiana, Illinois, California, and Tennessee, creating memories and friendships...
Elizabeth G Barringer
Jul 20, 2026
Betty Jane succumbed to her battle with pancreatic cancer on July 20, 2026 in Nashville at the age of 84. The eldest of five, Betty Jane was born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee and deeply cherished her upbringing and her family’s deep Franklin history. She was a graduate of Vanderbilt University and moved to Memphis after graduating. There, she fell...
William Boyd Clayton
Jul 17, 2026
William Clayton passed away peacefully on July 17, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 73.
Lillian Irene Taylor Robinson
Jul 11, 2026
Lillian Irene Taylor Robinson passed away peacefully on July 11, 2026, at The Goldton at Spring Hill in Spring Hill, Tennessee. She was born in Washington, D.C., on February 13, 1926, and celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this year.
Irene was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 45 years, Robert Strother Robinson; her parents, William and Lillian Taylor; and...
Herbert Coleman Church, Jr.
Jul 10, 2026
Herbert Coleman Church Jr, 74, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, July 10, 2026 at NHC Columbia. Complications from Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson’s took him way too soon.
Herbert was a Southern Renaissance man, excelling at everything he set his mind to. He was an avid deer and turkey hunter, taxidermist, metal detected for civil war treasures, some...
Carlson West Reese
Jul 5, 2026
Carlson West Reese passed away on July 5, 2026 at age 53.
He was born on Sept. 11, 1972 in Gallatin, TN.
Carlson was a 1991 graduate of Friendship Christian School in Lebanon, TN. He played baseball and was named to the All State team as a pitcher in '91. He went on to play baseball at Cumberland University.
Carlson loved the outdoors,...
