Former business owner buried Saturday
SHIRLEY NELSON – Dec. 13, 1935 – Aug. 6, 2024
Shirley Erlene Brasfield Nelson, 88, of Henderson passed away Aug. 6, 2024, at Henderson Health & Rehabilitation Center.
Funeral services were 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at Shackelford Funeral Directors – Crook Avenue with Jimmy Dyer and Phil Nelson officiating. Burial followed at Trinity Cemetery. The family received friends at Crook Avenue from 5-8 p.m. on Friday.
She was born Dec. 13, 1935, in Lauderdale County, the daughter of the late Luther Guy and Bessie Mae Newman Brasfield. She attended Lauderdale County schools. She married AL Nelson on Nov. 28, 1951. They moved to Henderson in 1973, and they operated the Western Auto Store on Washington Street. They opened AL’s Repair Center on Main Street. She later worked at Radio Shack with Roger Connor and then Merle Norman with JoAnn McKinnon.
She worked at East Elementary as a grandmother. She formed a lot of good relationships with the students and teachers as “Gram.”
She was a member of the Trinity United Methodist where she sang in the choir and was very involved in the church’s fellowship activities, always encouraging, and serving others. She was a resident of Henderson Health & Rehabilitation and served several times as “Queen.”
She is survived by two sons, Mike (Linda) Nelson of Morris Chapel and Phil (Kim) Nelson of Mason; six grandchildren, Jarrod Jackson, David (Tracy) Nelson, Amber Nelson, April (Josh) Gomez, Haley (Daniel) Brown and Molly (Bubba) DiBiasi; 15 great-grandchildren; one sister, Dorothy Driver of Phoenix, Ariz.; and a son-in-law, Tom Jackson of Trenton.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Albert Eugene Thomas Nelson; a daughter, Barbara Jackson in 2023; three brothers, L.E. Brasfield, Robie Brasfield and Ralph Brasfield; and three sisters, Rebecca Brasfield, Evelyn Hendren and Maggie Tribble.
Former educator buried Sunday
Regina East – June 10, 1936 – Aug. 8, 2024
Regina Woods East of Henderson passed away at her home on White Avenue, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.
Funeral services were 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, at Shackelford Funeral Directors – Crook Avenue with Milton Sewell and Billy Smith officiating. Burial followed at Henderson City Cemetery. Visitation from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, and beginning at noon on Sunday until 2 p.m. service time. Pallbearers were Steve Blank, Dustin Carroll, Jerry Hurde, Stacy Smith, Robin Smith and Chris Tignor. Memorials may be made to Freed-Hardeman University or the East-Woods Scholarship Fund at Freed-Hardeman University.
She was born June 10, 1936. Her parents were Kenneth Eugene and Martha Rebecca Christopher Woods. She grew up on Crook Avenue, attended school in Chester County and graduated from Chester County High School.
After graduation from high school, she attended Freed-Hardeman College, David Lipscomb University in Nashville and Memphis State University where she received a BS degree in Secondary Education with a minor in English. Her first teaching job was in Memphis at Delano Elementary.
She met Bob East at Freed-Hardeman when they were freshman. When Bob went into the Army, he was sent to Germany. She went to school in Nashville. When she finished school at Memphis State, Bob had returned from Germany and was working in Memphis with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They married in 1960 and continued to live in Memphis for a short time. In 1961, they moved to Henderson.
She was asked to substitute for a teacher the summer she and Bob came back to Henderson. She was then given the opportunity to teach English at Chester County High School. For the next 29 years, she enjoyed her experiences teaching English at Chester County High School. While teaching there, she thoroughly enjoyed being the cheerleader sponsor for most of her CCHS years. She was involved in the local teachers’ association, TEA, WTEA, NEA, and Delta Kappa Gamma.
She was a member of the Henderson church of Christ and taught Bible classes there for more than 25 years. She was actively involved in fundraising events for the Freed-Hardeman Associates and served as president for a term.
Through the years, she was involved with many organizations and received many honors. She was a member of the Democratic Women’s Club of Chester County and served as president of this organization. She was actively involved in several genealogical associations and served in state and national positions for almost all of them. She served as president of Henderson Station Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Other societies included the Daughters of the American Colonists, Daughters of the Seventeenth Century, Dames of the Court of Honor, Huguenot Society, Colonial Dames of America, Daughters of 1812, and the Chester County Historical Association.
She was a world traveler. She and Bob traveled whenever they could in the United States, Canada, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and the Bible Lands. She and her mother visited places far and near as well.
After the death of Bob, she became chairman of the board at Chester County Bank and spent most of her remaining active years in that position.
In 2014, she and her cousin, Larry Tignor, were instrumental in raising money to renovate Old Main on the campus of Freed-Hardeman University.
Her family and friends wish to express appreciation to her devoted and loving caregivers, Brandie Hurst, Kayla Hayden, Linda Gray, Lisa Hames, Verlene Burton, and other caregivers who were with her, if only for a short time.
She is survived by cousins, Rosanna Milling, Janice Haslett, Joy McKinnon and Gina Nelson; and special friends, Christine Carroll, Dr. Mary Ann Guinn, Kay Tignor and Jerry Hurde.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob Duff East in 1997, and her parents, Kenneth and Rebecca Christopher Woods.
John Hardee – May 21, 1932 – Aug. 7, 2024
John Allen Hardee, 92, of Henderson passed away on Aug. 7, 2024. A private burial will be held at a later date at Maple Springs Cemetery near Mercer. He was born on May 21, 1932 in Denmark, Tennessee.
BELINDA TAYLOR – July 25, 1951 – Aug. 8, 2024
Belinda Lee Deck Taylor, 73, of Finger passed away Aug. 8, 2024, at Vanderbilt University Hospital. Funeral services were 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, at Shackelford Funeral Directors – East Main Chapel with Pastor Bob Wint officiating. Burial followed at Rocky Knob Cemetery. The family received friends at East Main from 5-8 p.m. on Monday.
She was born July 25, 1951.
