| Sources |
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 15 Aug 1998.
Stella Roberta Ownby Barnes obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 2 Sep 2006.
Lila Teaster and Merritt Teaster, deceased, to Alliene McInturff for $100,000 for lot 3 Danny Blalock property.
Real Estate Transfers
- [S112] Census, 1940.
Name: Marytt W Teaster
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1940
Event Place: Civil District 11, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Sex: Male
Age: 2
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): 1938
Last Place of Residence: , ,
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Woodrow D Teaster Head Male 27 Tennessee
Myrta L Teaster Wife Female 24 Tennessee
Altha L Teaster Daughter Female 7 Tennessee
Shirley B Teaster Son Male 6 Tennessee
Glen R Teaster Son Male 5 Tennessee
Marytt W Teaster Son Male 2 Tennessee
Margret J Noland Lodger Female 20 Tennessee
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 16 Feb 2005.
Merritt William Teaster
July 21, 1937 - February 16, 2005
Birthplace: (Elkmont) Sevier County, Tennessee
Resided In: Pigeon Forge Tennessee USA
Visitation: February 18, 2005
Service: February 19, 2005
Cemetery: Pigeon Forge Baptist Cemetery
Merritt William Teaster, age 67 of Pigeon Forge, died Wednesday, February 16, 2005.
Mr. Teaster was born in Elkmont and was a veteran of the United States Army. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Pigeon Forge and was former Mayor and City Commissioner of Pigeon Forge. He retired from New Cherokee Corporation/Dan River after 40 years of service.
He was preceded in death by his father Daniel Woodrow Teaster.
Mr. Teaster was a loving son, husband, father and grandfather and is survived by:
Mother: Myrtle Teaster
Wife: Lila B. Teaster
Son: Gary Teaster
Daughter and son-in-law: Brenda Anne and James D. McKinney of Johnson City
Grandchildren: Courtney and Christina McKinney
Brothers and sisters-in-law: Shirley and Mary Alice Teaster, Glenn and Earlene Teaster
Sisters and brothers-in-law: Altha and Kenneth Williams, Margie and Eddie McCarter, Janie and Arthur Davis of Wears Valley, Ruby and Mayford Effler of Townsend
Numerous nieces and nephews
Funeral service 10 AM Saturday at First Baptist Church, Pigeon Forge with Rev. W. W. Cope and Rev. Jeff Brooks officiating. Eulogy by Jim McGill. Interment will follow in Pigeon Forge Baptist Cemetery. The family will receive friends 5-8 PM Friday at First Baptist Church, Pigeon Forge. Memorials may be made to the Christopher Reeves Paralysis Foundation, 500 Morris Ave, Springfield, New Jersey, 07081 . Arrangements by Atchley Funeral Home, Sevierville. (www.atchleyfuneralhome.com)
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 19 Feb 2005.
Former mayor Teaster dies at 67
By:JEFF FARRELL, Staff Writer February 19, 2005
Merritt Teaster
PIGEON FORGE - Former mayor and city commissioner Merritt W. Teaster, 67, will be laid to rest tomorrow in a ceremony at Pigeon Forge Baptist Cemetery after a funeral at First Baptist Church.
Teaster died Wednesday when he dislodged an uprooted tree he was trying to clear after it became stuck in other trees on his property on Monte Wood Circle in Pigeon Forge. The tree fell on him, killing him instantly, police said.
He served as a city commissioner from 1967 until 1971, including a stint as mayor in 1970 and 1971, just a few years after the city incorporated. He was the brother-in-law of City Manager Earlene Teaster, who was city recorder when he served on the commission and as mayor.
During his time as a commissioner, the city's streets were repaved and new traffic lights were installed, which Teaster recalled were major accomplishments for a small, newly created town with much lower revenues than Pigeon Forge enjoys today.
"We didn't have many of the resources we have right now, but they used what they had and got the city started in the right direction," she said.
Even then it was clear that he was dedicated to the family as well as to seeing Pigeon Forge grow.
"He was always happy and always doing something good for people," she said.
City Commissioner English McCarter joined Merritt Teaster on the commission in 1969.
"He was a good fellow and you could believe what he said," McCarter recalled.
The city struggled to raise revenues during the time they were on commission together, he said, but the efforts they put in then helped chart the path for the city's current success.
"He helped a lot," McCarter said. "The people will miss him."
Teaster also worked at New Cherokee Corporation/Dan River for 40 years, rising up the ranks to become superintendent of the weave room.
For many of those years he worked closely with Jim McGill, who was employed in the design department and will deliver Teaster's eulogy at the funeral service.
"He had a compassion for the people who worked for him," McGill said, noting that there was little Teaster wouldn't do for employees as long as they were doing their jobs.
"I looked to him for advice in the textile industry and other places, as well," he added. "He was very straightforward."
Visitation for Teaster will be from 5 until 8 p.m. today at First Baptist Church in Pigeon Forge. The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church, with burial to follow at Pigeon Forge Baptist Cemetery.
n jfarrell@themountainpress.com
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