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- ELIZABETHTON - Elmer Gordon Brookshire, Sr, 97, of Elizabethton, passed away December 11, 2016, following a brief illness. He was the son of the late Sherman Gaines & Amanda Mae Stout Brookshire, born November 26, 1919 in Doe Valley in Johnson County, TN.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Hazel Williams and son-in-law, Bill Sheppard.
Mr. Brookshire was a former member of East Side Baptist Church in Elizabethton and current member of Bethany Baptist Church, Mountain City, TN. He attended Johnson County High School. Having lost his father at the age of 13, he discontinued his education during the 11th grade to help run the farm and care for his mother and sister. He served in the Army/Air Force during WWII, 1943-1945, serving in the Philippines, doing plane maintenance and rescuing air crew men shot down near Philippine Islands. While his primary calling was a farmer, he worked at Glenn L. Martin Company in MD building airplanes. After returning to Tennessee he enrolled in agricultural classes and began his lifetime career in farming. He was primarily a beef cattle and tobacco farmer but also raised dairy cows and produce. In the early 1960s he began selling insurance for Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and retired in 1988 as a supervisor. Farming was not a chore but a passion, one he enjoyed up until his death.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Frances Frye Brookshire; children: Dottie Brookshire, Johnson City, Sharon Sheppard, Rebecca Brookshire, both of Elizabethton and John (Kathy) Brookshire, Mountain City; Grandchildren: Zachary (Laura) Sheppard, Amanda Sheppard, Great granddaughter, Penelope Sheppard all of Elizabethton; an "adopted" daughter Dr. Julia Decker and children, Kristina (Abel) Cusatti, Renee (Tim) Moore and Kimberly (Brent) McNeal and their children; Son, Gordon (Barbara) Brookshire, Jr., of Bluff City, grandchildren Jack Brookshire, Vancouver, Oregon, Tara Kane Brookshire, Bristol, TN, Sarah Knight, Bluff City, TN. Great grandchildren, Hannah, Jacob, Amanda and Jesse. Nieces, Teresa Carter and Denise Holbrook and families. Several other nieces, nephews and cousins also survive. He also leaves behind Willie, his Great Pyrenees dog. We would like to say a special thanks to the staff of ICU, ER and Inpatient Surgery at Sycamore Shoals Hospital, Dr. Jonathan Bremer, Amedysis Home Health, especially Drew, and his caregivers Laura Sheppard, Mary Heaton & Evelyn Blevins.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, December 14, 2016, 5pm – 7pm at Memorial Funeral Chapel, Elizabethton, TN and Thursday, 5pm – 7pm at Bethany Baptist Church, Mountain City, TN with services to follow at 7pm. Dr. Gale Hartley and Wilkie Brookshire will officiate; music will be provided by John Brookshire and Danny Hilbert. Graveside services will be Friday, at 11 am at the Brookshire Cemetery, Campbell Road, Mountain City, TN. Military Honors will be by the Johnson County Honor Guard. Family and friends will meet at the church at 10:30 am Friday to go to the cemetery. Friends may call at the home of his daughter, Sharon Sheppard, Elizabethton, or John Brookshire, Mountain City at other times. Pallbearers will be: Zachary Sheppard, Jewel Williams, Roby Phillippi, Harold Phillippi, John Holloway, George Lowe, Terry Snyder, Kevin Seatz. Honorary pallbearers will be: John Shoun, Burl Johnson, Porter Stout, and John Hyder.
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1919 - 2016 (97 years)
