| Sources |
- [S75] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume II, 1955-1973, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 17 Oct 1973.
Effie Clementine Frazier obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 24 Sep 2006.
Just Plain Talk
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 29 Sep 2006.
Presnell claims blueberries give relief from symptoms of Alzheimer's
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 29 Jun 2008.
Dry days stretched into a week or more until a storm blew in rain, blew out electricity and cooled the day on Thursday in our hometown perched on the end of June.
It's been almost two years since the Plain Talk did a story on how blueberries helped a woman suffering with Alzheimer's disease. On a stifling hot Thursday afternoon, I drove into Sevier County not far from the boyhood home of Kenneth Presnell. It is his wife, Ruby, who is now 73, that we featured because of her remarkable improvement by drinking a blueberry concoction every day. He brought her to the office in Sept. 2004 and I got to meet her and got reacquainted with the Presnells at their most interesting home. Ruby is still able to walk, eat and, yes, occasionally says a few words.She has suffered with Alzheimer's since being diagnosed in 1991. Kenneth tells me that most folks die within 10 years. Many of you are familiar with Jerry Cody, whose wife, Julia, died on June 20 after many years struggle with it. But Ruby was not always so healthy. When she was first diagnosed she progressed to a hospital bed and oxygen. Doctors told Kenneth to expect her death soon. Then, in 2004, he heard on Paul Harvey radio that blueberries were said to be an effective treatment. He bought a bunch and started feeding them to her everyday. Soon, she was out of bed and mobile again. Today, she takes no medications and has not been sick. It is a credit to Kenneth's personal attention and care of his wife and the special blueberry drink, which I will detail here.
The blueberry drink also seems to keep Kenneth spry, but his activity level is probably typical of the Presnell family. At 75, he gardens, does landscaping and has created a paradise among trees and rhododendrons off Forest Trail Drive. After the Plain Talk story ran,"Many people called. A man from Key Largo saw the story and called too." At first, cousin Dexter Rolen grew blueberries and provided them to Kenneth. He now has about 20 bushes that would have been doing better except for the locust plague and dry weather. "The locusts ruined us." He had to replant many after the freeze of 2007. The varieties he grows are Rabbit Eye, Bluejay, and Early Girl. One of these that does well he bought from Fish nursery off Cosby Highway. These plants produce about five gallons of blueberries during a good season. You can't eat all these even with as much as he and Ruby consume. "You can freeze them but don't wash them until after they are frozen and you want to use them," he said.
I sat in their house, which he and Bob Shaver built about12 years ago, about the time Kenneth retired from years of mechanic work. With us were his daughter, Kathy Keys, and her son, Randall, 6. The other Presnell children are Karen Parks, of Sevierville; and Kenneth Darrell Presnell, an active water well driller. I was interested to learn his parents were Major Presnell, who married the former Rosie Sutton and had seven children. The children, Ken, Haskell, Jack, Reva Ownby, Reba Webb, Delmer, and Helen Hicks grew up in Jones Cove. Only Delmer is deceased. Mom instilled a strong work ethic."We didn't worry about gas prices. We didn't have any gas." As he got older, Kenneth picked up wrenches and soon went to work for Polly Parrott's Studebaker dealership in the 1950s. He was school bus garage supervisor during the 1960s then joined Charlie Kickliter at the Ford dealership. During his later mechanic years he kept many county and city vehicles going at his home shop in Indian Hills next to Ralph Valentine. When Ruby became ill, Kenneth retired, located four acres in Sevier and has been there ever since. Ruby is the daughter of Effie and Kermit Frazier Sr. Ruby met and married Kenneth July10, 1954. You may know some of the family including Rusty, Lawrence, Vaughn, Annette Caldwell, and the late Gladys Cook. Ruby raised her children, loved quilting,cooking, canning, gardening, and country music. She met Dolly Parton when both were young and even stayed at the Parton home place. Kenneth said that Ruby put a permanent in Dolly's hair; about the time she was singing on the Cas Walker show. The walls of the Presnell home are covered with photos and posters of country music stars. They have collected glassware, miniature tractors, bottles,and other interesting items. I must say it is more than I would ever want to dust but their home is immaculate. Kenneth and I walked around outside to the gardens. The rows of half-runner beans were six foot and higher. I liked his covered well with limestone square top with a perfect circle carved into the center, modern outhouse, rustic cabin, water wheel feature, and water fountain pool among stacked stone and lots of sculpture. It is an inviting and peaceful place, perfect for Ruby's care. She still loves blueberries and drinks two 12 ounce glasses of this secret, well formerly secret, recipe: one can of Ensure, one to two cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, three cranberry pills, two squares of dark Hershey's chocolate, strawberry Instant Breakfast packet, seven large fresh or frozen strawberries, three to four tablespoons of Acai berry juice,and thinned with Tropicana Pure pomegranate/blueberry juice all in a blender. I hope to return to Henry Town Road past the country churches, gardens and never ending trees to revisit the Presnells come reunion time. I hope you come too.
In plain talk, the best diets and exercise pale beside the power of dedicated and compassionate caregivers.
- [S112] Census, 1940.
Name Kennith Presnell
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Civil District 1, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender Male
Age 7
Marital Status Single
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Son
Relationship to Head of Household Son
Birthplace Tennessee
Birth Year (Estimated) 1933
Last Place of Residence Same Place
HOUSEHOLD
ROLE
GENDER
AGE
BIRTHPLACE
Major Presnell Head M 32 Tennessee
Rosa Presnell Wife F 30 Tennessee
Gladys Presnell Daughter F 12 Tennessee
Hascel Presnell Son M 9 Tennessee
Kennith Presnell Son M 7 Tennessee
Revia Presnell Daughter F 5 Tennessee
Reba Presnell Daughter F 1 Tennessee
|
Search | Advanced Search
Abt 1932 - (~ 92 years)
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
= Link to Google Maps