Editor's note: The following people were among many well-known, well-loved and well-respected community members who died in the last year.
JANUARY (Including Dec. 31, 2018)
- Sam Payne, a Hamilton County Circuit Court judge from 1974 to 2006 and an ordained diaconal minister in the Episcopal Church for more than 40 years, died on Dec. 31, 2018. Among other honors, he received the Ralph Kelley Humanitarian Award from the Chattanooga Bar Association for service to the community, had been tapped into the Alpha Society at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as a distinguished alumnus and received a Distinguished Alumni Award from UTC.
- Vernon Cox, a former president and CEO of InterFed Bank (previously Chattanooga Federal Savings and Loan Association), died on Dec. 31, 2018. A former president of the Chattanooga Kiwanis Club and the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, he had been honored with the Kiwanis Distinguished Service Award, the Chattanooga Bar Association Liberty Bell Award and the Goodwill Ambassador of the Year award.
Bob McKamey of Capital Toyota for a profile for Edge Magazine. / Contributed photo- Bob McKamey, the first Toyota dealer in Tennessee and longtime owner of Capital Toyota, died on Jan. 8. He was also a major benefactor and the namesake of McKamey Animal Center.
- Jim Morgan, a longtime coach of the frequent Southern Conference champion University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team, died on Jan. 18. He also had coached the wrestling team at Red Bank Junior High School and later led Baylor School to nine traditional state wrestling titles and six duals wrestling titles.
- Bill Ortwein, who served two terms in the Tennessee state Senate, died Jan. 26. The Democrat had been a Chattanooga attorney and also served as a Hamilton County assistant district attorney.
Bill Ortwein was the lead defense attorney in the Rejon Taylor case. / Staff Photo by Gillian Bolsover- Barbara Thomas, who introduced computer programming to the former Chattanooga City and Hamilton County school systems, died Jan. 27. She was an employee of local school systems, including as math supervisor, for more than 53 years.
- Ellen Yates, a community volunteer who served on many area boards, died Jan. 27. Her service included time on the boards of the Cravens House, the Moccasin Bend Council of the Girl Scouts of America and the Florence Crittenden Home.
- Nathan Sexton, an avid runner whose determined battle with cancer was well-documented in local media, died Jan. 29. He had been a vice president of Bellhops.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 2/25/16. Nathan Sexton, 29, head of the Business Intelligence department for Bellhops, goes on a 5k lunch training run on Thursday, February 25, 2016.
FEBRUARY
- Wirt Gammon Jr., a Chattanooga Times sports writer for more than 20 years, died Feb. 8. He was a member of the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame and had served on its board.
- Sam Powell, a founding member of the Cumberland Trail and Tennessee River Gorge Trust, died Feb. 8. He served five terms on the Tennessee Conservation Commission and was president of the Chattanooga Audubon Society.
- Nicholas Galinger, a Chattanooga policeman who was killed in a hit-and-run accident, died Feb. 23.
Chattanooga Police Officer Nicholas Galinger / Contributed photoMARCH
- Linda Darden, whose local education career included stints as principal of Dalewood Middle School and vice principal at Franklin Middle School, died March 6. Winner of several teacher of the year awards, she also had served as an administrator for the Hamilton County Schools at Ivy Academy.
APRIL
- Bill Markham, longtime news anchor for WRCB-TV Channel 3 (1983-2009), died April 15. Active in the Boone-Bethel charity spectacular, he formerly had been employed in radio and television in Montgomery and Huntsville, Alabama, Paducah, Kentucky, West Palm Beach, Florida, Baltimore and Nashville.
Bill Markham / Contributed photo- Dr. Woody Kennedy, a physician in the Plastic Surgery Group/Hayes Hand Center, died April 15. He also had served as a chief of surgery and chief of staff at Erlanger hospital.
- Booncy Ingvalson, a Vietnam War widow who became active with the national organization League of POW/MIA Families, died May 22. She later married another Vietnam veteran who had been a prisoner of war.
MAY
- Rachel Held Evans, journalist, blogger and author, died May 4. A Dayton, Tennessee, resident, she was an inspirational figure to many Christian searchers and skeptics.
JUNE
- John McMahan, a founding member and managing partner of the McMahan Law Firm, died June 2. Known in his advertising as "The Insider," he had been a member of the National Board of Trial Advocacy and a diplomate on the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys.
- David Copeland, a 24-year member of the Tennessee General Assembly and considered the father of the state constitutional amendment to balance the state budget, died June 5. Voted Outstanding Legislator and Most Effective Legislator, he also served on the Erlanger hospital board of trustees.
Betsy and Lee Anderson at the Chattanooga Free Press office in 1971.- Betsy Anderson, a homemaker, volunteer, storyteller, teacher, artist, farm manager and interior designer, died June 8. She was the daughter of Chattanooga Free Press founder Roy McDonald and wife of longtime Chattanooga Free Press editor Lee Anderson.
- Glenn Draper, longtime director of the Chattanooga Singers, Lake Junaluska Singers and Glenn Draper Singers, died June 13. He also was for many years choral music director at First Presbyterian Church.
JULY
- Curtis Adams, a Hamilton County commissioner from 1988 to 2010, died July 2. He had been circulation director/advertising director for the Chattanooga Free Press and Chattanooga Times and later served East Ridge and Crossville as city manager.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 4/1/14. County Commission candidate for district 8 Curtis Adams discusses why he is running for office during a candidate editorial board meeting at the Chattanooga Times Free Press on March 31, 2014. - Dr. C. Robert Clark, a past president of the Hamilton County Medical Society and former mayor of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, died July 5. Among his honors were the Distinguished Service Award from the Tennessee Medical Association and the Alumni Achievement Award from McCallie School.
- Doug Moser, a teacher and coach at Chattanooga City schools as well as Girls Preparatory School, Baylor School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, died July 23. Among other achievements, he led the City High School girls to a state basketball championship and the Baylor School girls to two state softball championships.
AUGUST
- Robert Crates, a former rear admiral in the Naval Reserve who'd been called into temporary active duty four times (including for Operation Desert Storm/Shield), died Aug. 10. He also served as president of the Navy Supply Corps Association (and president of its foundation) and on the secretary of the Navy's National Naval Reserve Policy Board.
- Jim Crittenden, who established and operated Eyear Optical for more than 60 years and was a well-known figure from its media advertising, died Aug. 17. He also was a part owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts upon their return as a minor league baseball team in 1976.
Jim Crittenden stands in front of an eye chart at the Eyear store on 10th and Market. Mr. Crittenden was one of the purchasers of the building. / Staff photo by Dan McLaughlin- Roy Whitmire, who spent 41 years in education including as director of elementary education for the Hamilton County Schools, died Aug. 18. He also served for principal for 24 years at Westview Elementary School and had been principal at Woodmore Elementary School.
- Jeff Yarber, who was serving as District 5 county commissioner for Bradley County, died Aug. 25. A sales representative by occupation, he had previously served as the Bradley commission's vice chairman.
- Bettye Harrison, who spent a more-than-50-year career in real estate and became the first local Realtor to become a certified residential broker, died Aug. 28. A several-time Realtor of the Year, she also had been president of the National Women's Council of Realtors and president of the Chattanooga Association of Realtors.
SEPTEMBER
- Robert Spaulding, who had been clinical director at Chattanooga Psychiatric Clinic, director and then clinical director at Valley Hospital, and medical director of psychiatric services at Memorial Hospital, died Sept. 10. A psychiatrist in private practice from 1960 to 2017, he had been co-founder of Chattanooga Suicide Prevention Services, co-founder and first president of the Chattanooga Psychiatric Association and president of the Tennessee Psychiatric Association.
OCTOBER
- Mary Gardenhire, an elected member for six years of the former Hamilton County Quarterly Court and the first female member of the Chattanooga Jaycees, died Oct. 4. She also had headed the district office for the 1972 re-election of President Richard Nixon, had served on the staff of U.S. Rep. Lamar Baker, was a 1976 Republican National Committee delegate and had been a member of the Erlanger hospital board of trustees.
- Tony Mines, the founder and owner of Art Creations, died Oct. 13. Over time, he had been president of the East Ridge Jaycees, board member of Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute, board member of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Chattanooga Public Arts Commission and board member of the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.
NOVEMBER
- Larry Fleming, who was a sports writer for the Chattanooga Times for 31 years and later sports editor for the Dalton Citizen News, died Nov. 1. A member of the Tennessee and Greater Chattanooga Sports Halls of Fame and a former Tennessee Sports Writer of the Year, he also had written for the Athens (Tenn.) Daily Post-Athenian and chattanoogan.com.
- Ron Loving, an electrical engineer for 32 years at Tennessee Valley Authority and 2003 Executive of the Year, died Nov. 1. He'd also been chairman of the Erlanger hospital board of trustees and had been honored as an Adult Black Achiever and one of the Most Influential African-American Leaders in Tennessee in 2004 by Tennessee Business Magazine.
Erlanger trustee Ron Loving / Contributed photo- Charles "Rocky" Renneisen, who served for 27 years as vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, died Nov. 13. He also had spent time in education at Virginia Commonwealth University, St. Louis University, Michigan State University and two high schools.
- John B. Phillips, a longtime attorney with the Miller/Martin law firm include a tenure as managing partner, died Nov. 14. At times, he'd also served as president or board chairman for the Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, Boys and Girls Club of Chattanooga, Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga and the Chattanooga State Community College Foundation.
DECEMBER
- Jim Gentry, who operated Gentry Chevrolet, Buick, GMC in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, died Dec. 20. Until he sold it in 2018, the dealership begun by his father was one of the oldest, single-family run dealerships in the South. Gentry also briefly operated a dealership in Dunlap, Tennessee.