| Sources |
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 12 Oct 2000.
Clyde Driskill, Jr. obituary
- [S104] Cocke County, Tennessee, and its People, Cocke County Heritage Book Committee, (Walsworth Publishing, 1992), 284.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 23 Jul 2005.
Just Plain Talk
„E2005 NPT PHOTO BY DAVID POPIEL Fred Williams stands in front of his home off Washington and Third where the family has lived for about 57 years. The home is now that of daughter Emily Ball and husband, Dewey Ball.
By: David Popiel Source: The Newport Plain Talk <http://cocke.xtn.net> 07-23-2005
The full moon on Thursday was no match for the blazing sun dominating our hometownˇ¦s landscape as temperatures reached highs for the year and we still have August.
Did you notice the $1,000 reward for missing dogs advertisement in the Plain Talk last week? After viewing the ad a few times I got curious enough to call the numberˇVnot that I knew anything about the two Jack Russell dogs gone missing. Louise Garver answered the phone and told me the good news that the dogs had come home. She lives off Padgett Mill Road where the dogs disappeared on July 5 and then mysteriously reappeared on July 19. ˇ§Cee Ceeˇ¨ is the black and white Jack Russell and ˇ§Bee Beeˇ¨ the brown and white dog. both have been with the family for about two years and knew the hollow. She suspects that someone had them tied up as there were rope burns on the dogsˇ¦ necks. The dogs were muddy and ˇ§nastyˇ¨ and probably close to death having been starving since they disappeared.
Somehow, I managed to get my Wal-Mart fix where a big fellow wearing sunglasses walked by and it was Larry Brooks. The last time we mentioned him was when he worked months ago for Steve Hotze Ford in Dandridge. He was a professional car sales manager. Larry tells me that he has his mind on opening a sporting goods store in Newport. He and Donald Suggs are currently coaching a 12-year-old Knoxville Travelers baseball team.
Another old friend that I chatted with last week was Roger Stokely, who is helping out at the National Guard armory. He called to let me know that a planning session would take place with government officials and the media to plan for the return of our 278th troops. We are hopeful they will be arriving in November.
One of the most interesting meetings occurred several days ago after I incorrectly stated that Fred Williams was deceased. He got a chuckle out of that.
Talking with his daughter, Emily Ball, she invited me over to their bright and sharp-looking home across the corner from First Methodist Church. The original home of Fred and Elizabeth (Hurst) Williams was built about 57 years ago at Washington and Third Street. Itˇ¦s here they raised four girls, including Diane Driskill, Sherry Trudeau, and Jan Fancher. Fred celebrated birthday 92 on June 8 and was born at Jones CoveˇVone of seven childrenˇVhe alone survives. His parents were Lemuel Hooper Williams and Victoria Hartsell Williams, who were tenants on the John Harrison farm. Duay Oˇ¦Neil tells me that Lemuel was probably named after Governor Ben Hooperˇ¦s father, Dr. Lemuel Hooper, who may have delivered the Williams baby. They left Cosby for Newport for better opportunities and moved into a house near A. C. Lawrence leather Co.ˇVˇ§The Tannery,ˇ¨ off Edwina Road.
Victoria had accumulated about $1,800 from selling eggs and butter and this bought their first house. The girls grew up in Newport and Emily said she is proud to have acquired her Mom and Dadˇ¦s house so sheˇ¦s always lived there. Fred, still tall and straight, looking like a true country gentleman relaxing on his porch, recalled close friends Ely Phillips and ˇ§Green Eyeˇ¨ Mathis, who worked with him at Lincoln and East Broadway. They used to unload trucks. Fred said that Herb Murray hired them for about 10 cents per hour. Now, remember this was at the height of the Great Depression. There were few jobs and Fred was happy to make 55 cents a day. Broadway was lined with idle men hopeful for work. Later he began as a farm laborer for Stokely Brothers. It was not unusual during harvest to work 110 hours a weekˇVhe well remembers that time in August 64 years ago. He stayed with them for about 46 yearsˇVmost of that time working in the laboratory. Our late friend Jim Franks was working in the lab and left to manage Newport Utilities and Fred got Jimˇ¦s job. It was his job to help test the foods and seasonings. Some old timers working with him were Mack Leibrock and Drinnon Oˇ¦Dell. Fred married Elizabeth Sept. 12, 1936. Her father was McKinley Hurst, a veteran of the Spanish American War. Emily said that mother was a talented housekeeper and worker who was very much the Martha Stewart of her times. Fred finally retired in 1979 and has spent the past 25 years enjoying his family, and loves to vegetable garden. He still walks twice a day for about 20 minutes. If you see him, say ˇ§Hi.ˇ¨
Snack food hunting found me cruising towards Arbyˇ¦s on Wednesday when the humidity was so high you might have been looking around for tadpoles swimming by. After getting a pecan roll and coffee and sitting, who did I see across the way but an old familiar face from years ago. It was Bob Large. Many of you have bought groceries and gasoline from him when he operated Largeˇ¦s Market at Jones Cove Road from the 1960s until mid 1990s, when he sold the store and retired. It seemed funny that just days ago I was trying to recall the name of the ˇ§Mayor of Cosbyˇ¨ ˇVD. R. Large, Bobˇ¦s uncle, who ran the small store for years and prior to that Wall Large operated it during the 1940s except for the years of World War II, when Tommy Phillips ran the store. Phillips later ran a store on upper Cosby. You know Bobˇ¦s brother, Don Large, who is retired from Newport Grammar School. They were the only sons of Scott Large and the former Clara Holder. Bob, at 69, turning 70 in Nov. is the older of the boys and spends his time walking for his health. He moved to Maryville about 10 years ago with his wife, Janice, who is from there but he returned a couple times year to his hometown. Bob, like me, enjoys his roastbeef and says Newport has the best Arbyˇ¦s around.
In Plain Talk, sit down for a cool spell with a delicious dessert so you can see if there are any old friends from years gone by.
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 28 Nov 2010.
(June 8, 1913 - November 28, 2010)
Iliff Fred Williams, age 97, of Newport, passed away, Sunday, November, 28, 2010, at his home in Newport. Mr. Williams was retired from Stokely Van Camp. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Edith Elizabeth Hurst Williams, daughter of McKinley C. Hurst pastor of Second Baptist Church in 1921, and Rowena Clift Hurst; parents, Lemuel Hooper and Mary Victoria Hartsell Williams sisters, Geneva Williams, Hazel W. Starnes, Madge Williams, Mary Nell W. Teague and Maxie W. Seehorn; and brother, Ervin Williams. He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Diane Huffman Driskill, Emily and Dewey Ball, Jan and Richard Fancher and Sherry and Ron Trudeau; grandchildren, Kurt and Patricia Huffman, Kristie Huffman Drybread and Rick Drybread, Kellye Huffman Smith, Mark and Heather Sartain, Gus and Shea Fancher and Jake Fancher; great grandchildren, Austin, Addison and Alleah Fancher, Abbott Williams Huffman Drybread, Devon Charles Huffman, William Sartain and Olivia Diane Smith. Fred’s request for a graveside service will be honored 2:30 p.m. Monday, November 29, 2010 in Union Cemetery, with Rev. Rick Spell officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Fred and Edith Williams College Scholarship Fund of Cocke County High School, 216 Hedrick Drive, Newport, TN or the First United Methodist Church, 212 Washington Avenue, Newport, TN 37821.
Manes Funeral Home is in charge.
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