Obit – Mr. Edward Massey Sr.
Longtime Riddleton Community farmer and community volunteer, Mr. Edward Massey Sr., was discovered deceased at his Tanglewood Road home at 11:40 a.m. on Monday morning May 1, 2023. He was pronounced deceased at the Riverview Regional Medical Center E.R. in Carthage at 1:05 p.m.
His longtime pastor, Bro. Jimmy Gregory, officiated at the 11 a.m. Thursday morning May 4th funeral services from the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home. Burial followed in the Massey family lot in the Garden of Peace at the Smith County Memorial Gardens.
He was one of three children, a daughter and two sons of former Smith County educators, Hall Hill Community native Alex Dewey Massey, who died at the age of 69 on October 12, 1968 and Overton County native Avo Jewel Norrod Massey, who died at the age of 82 on February 20, 1989 and was born Edward Norrod Massey at the family home in the Halls Hill Community on October 08, 1939.
His only brother, David Thomas Massey preceded him in death on July 7, 2002 at the age of 68 as did David’s wife, Mary Petty Massey who died February 1, 2020 at the age of 86.
In addition to his brother and sister-in-law, he was also preceded in death by a sister-in-law, Pam Faye Duncan Parker and her husband Etheridge Johnson (“Trey”) Parker III.
Mr. Massey was a 1957 graduate of Smith County High School where he majored in mathematics, was in the Future Farmers of America all four years, was a member of the visual aid club, safety club, science club and played football his sophomore year.
It was stated of him in the “57 senior annual; “Men who can be relied upon are always in demand.”
Following high school he attended the Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (now Tennessee Technological University) in Cookeville.
He was a veteran of the United States Army and was honorably discharged from active reserve status in 1968 at Fort Polk, Louisiana. While at Fort Polk he was awarded the “expert rifle marksman medal” and being one of eight men, out of 250 to receive this distinction, he was rewarded with a weekend pass to see his family and friends.
He was united in marriage to Pleasant Shade Community native, the former Jeanette Douglas Duncan on May 29, 1965.
Mr. Massey was saved as a young boy and was baptized on August 10, 1953 and joined the Peyton Creek Baptist Church. There he previously served as the Sunday school superintendent, was a longtime Sunday school class teacher and had served the church as a Deacon since 1975. He often stated he had tried to live his life by Psalms 91 and verse 16 was most important to him; “With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.”
Because of his love for farming, he so enjoyed working on his Bowman Branch Community farm, had served on the Board of Directors of the Smith County Farm Bureau where he served a term as President, served on the Smith Farmers Co-op as a director, and had previously served on the Smith County Soil Conversation District.
In addition to his enjoyment of farming, he was employed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture where he did mapping and printing for several Middle Tennessee counties.
He was a former president and a member of the Board of Directors of the Highway 25 Utility District.
One of his greatest loves was Tennessee Walking Horses and as a member of the South Carthage Civitan Club he was a co-founder of the Civitan horse show which was held annually at the Smith County Fair Grounds on Carmack Avenue in Carthage and later was held at the Smith County Agriculture Russell Nixon Arena in South Carthage.
He was also a member of the Carthage Benevolent Lodge # 14 F & AM.
Edward Massey Sr. was a man who loved his God, his family and his country.
Surviving in addition to his wife Jeanette of just short of fifty eight years are their three children, two daughters, Laura Massey Piper and husband Mike of the Riddleton Community, Janice Massey Fox and husband Aaron of Riverpointe in South Carthage; son, Ed Massey Jr. and wife Heidi of South Carthage; sister, Anna Mai Massey Lankford and husband former Smith County School Superintendent, Wayne Lankford; a niece and nephew that were reared as their children, Mary Katherine Parker Draper and husband Justin of the Tanglewood Community, E. J. (John) Parker IV and wife Marta of Mount Juliet; six grandchildren, Amanda Piper Cowan and husband Jayce of the Defeated Creek Community, Leah Piper Gregory and husband Corey of the Pleasant Shade Community, Kathryn and Ethan Fox of Riverpointe, Nathan and Hannah Massey of South Carthage; five great-grandchildren, Elizabeth Grace (Libby) Parker, Mary Margaret (Margot) Parker, Eliza June Cowan, Julian Mitchell Cowan and Eleanor Faye (Ellie) Draper; sister-in law, Brenda Duncan Eller and husband Steve of Lafayette.
The Massey family requests memorials to the Peyton Creek Baptist Church.
SANDERSON of CARTHAGE
