OBIT; Mr. Pat Dyer, age 63, of the Dean Hill Community
Mr. Pat Dyer
Well known high school football coach Mr. Pat Dyer died at 7:40 a.m. Saturday morning September 17, 2016 at the Broadmore Senior Living Center in Murfreesboro with his wife and children at his bedside. The 63 year old Mr. Dyer was suffering from dementia and had made his home at Broadmore since September 1, 2015. He was pronounced deceased at 8:30 a.m. by Alive Hospice of Nashville who had been caring for him in his final days.
Mr. Dyer was at the Hackett Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home.
There will be a gathering of family and friends beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon September 25th at the Macon County High School Gymnasium with a Celebration of Life beginning at 4 p.m. with Coach Dyer’s best friend Bob Fitzpatrick and his brother-in-law Guy Holliman will be the celebrants. Mr. Dyer will be cremated.
Born Patrick Allison Dyer in Knoxville on March 25, 1953, he was the son of the late William Haskel and Elizabeth Parks Dyer.
On July 26, 1980 on the Holliman Family farm in the Billy Hollow at Kempville he was married to the former Connie Holliman, a longtime Smith County High School educator. The ceremony was performed by Church of Christ minister Keith Clark.
Mr. Dyer was a 1970 graduate of Knox West High School and graduated in 1976 from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and certifications in biology and physical education.
Coach Dyer had a long and storied career in educating minds not only in sports and in the classroom but he changed the way many students looked at life.
His first position out of Tech was as coach at Macon County High School in the fall of 1976. He then took a position at Maryville College where he coached football and tennis from 1982 until 1985 before accepting a position at Bearden High School where from 1985-1987 he was assistant football coach and taught Biology. In 1988 he returned to his wife’s native Smith County and was head football coach and taught physical education from 1988 thru 1995.
Then at White County he taught elementary Phys Ed for a year before going to Macon County High School for the ‘97-‘98 school year and in the ‘98-‘99 school year he returned to White County High School where he taught high school Phys Ed.
At M.C.H.S. he was head coach from ’99 thru ’05 and for one year in “05 & ’06 he was at S.C.H.S. as an asst. football coach and taught Biology.
He concluded his career at M.C.H.S. from ’06 thru ’09 as the Physical Education teacher at M.C.H.S. where also in 2009 he was inducted into the M.C.H.S. “Sports Hall of Fame”.
On September 23, 2009 Coach Dyer was diagnosed with Dementia.
Coach Dyer was a member of the Bagdad Church of Christ in the Bagdad Community of Jackson County.
Surviving in addition to his wife of just over thirty six years is a daughter, Dr. Alexa Dyer Miller and husband Derek of Gainesboro; two sons, M.C.H.S. Coach Matt Dyer and wife Stephanie Walker Dyer of Carthage, Brian Hackett and wife Ashlee Dillehay Hackett of Carthage; sister, Betty Dyer of Johnson City, TN; brother, John Dyer and wife Jane of Easley, South Carolina; three grandchildren, Piper Hackett, Joleigh and Layton Miller and a fourth grandchild to be born to Matt and Stephanie in December.
The Dyer family has requested memorials to the Easton Goad Foundation.
SANDERSON of KEMPVILLE
