Obit – Mrs. Olene Grisham-Harwell

Mrs. Olene Grisham-Harwell of Carthage entered into her eternal rest at the age of 84 at 9:50 a.m. Saturday morning October 7, 2023 with her daughter and family at her bedside.

Mrs. Grisham-Harwell was at the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home where her services were conducted on Tuesday afternoon October 10th at 3 p.m. Eld. Junior Dickerson officiated and her granddaughters Shawna and Breanne delivered the eulogies. Burial followed beside her husband in the Garden of Gethsemane at the Smith County Memorial Gardens.

She was the fifth of eight children, five daughters and three sons born to the late Hubert Clay Butler who died at the age of 78 on June 10, 1991 and Lena Lutrell Gregory Butler who died at the age of 79 on November 19, 1996 and was born Eunice Olene Butler in Red Boiling Springs on August 16, 1939.

Six siblings preceded her in death, Claudine Butler who died as an infant, Pauline “Polly” Butler Clark who died March 19, 2004 at the age of 71, Erelene Butler Stewart who died February 5, 2016 at the age of 74, J. D. Butler who died February 18, 1992 at the age of 54, Audean Butler Dias who died January 18, 2019 at the age of 83, and Jerry Clyde Butler who died February 9, 1989 at the age of 42.

Mrs. Grisham-Harwell was a member of the 1957 graduating class at Smith County High School. While there she majored in home economics, was the F.H.A. song leader, F.H.A. president her senior year, F.H.A. parliamentarian her junior year, Miss Home Economics her senior year, and also her senior year was voted by her classmates as the one person having the best school spirit. 

Also her senior year she was football queen attendant, barn warming queen attendant, state F.H.A. delegate, and on the staff of the high school office, the yearbook staff and the “Black & Gold” paper staff.

It was stated of her in her senior annual that “Just being alive is fun”.

She was united in marriage on June 23, 1990 at the Christ Church Pentecostal in Gordonsville to Pisgah Community native of Giles County, William Emerson “Bill” Harwell. The ceremony was presided over by the late Pastor Arnold Dugan. Mr. Harwell preceded her in death at the age of 93 on June 9, 2018 following almost twenty nine years of marriage.

Before creating a Mount Juliet business named Tennessee Home Improvement, she was a longtime secretary for the former Gordon Oldham Insurance Company on the Square in Carthage, and after leaving Oldham Insurance she and the late Howard McDonald formed the Carthage Insurance Agency.

She retired from her home improvement company business in 2008.

Surviving is her daughter, Phyllis Grisham McCall and husband John D. McCall of the Tanglewood Community; two granddaughters, Shawna Dixon Zody and husband Michael of Mount Juliet, Breanne Dixon Kintz and husband Stephan of Dunlap, TN; two great-granddaughters, Casbie Emerson Kintz and Annabelle Zody; one surviving brother, Roger “Bud” Butler and wife Linda of Brentwood.

SANDERSON of CARTHAGE

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. 

Looking to Jesus the author and finisher (perfecter) of our faith.”   Hebrews 12: 1 & 2A