Elmer Gordon Brookshire Sr., 97, of Elizabethton, passed away Sunday, December 11, 2016, following a brief illness.
He was the son of the late Sherman Gaines and Amanda Mae Stout Brookshire, born November 26, 1919 in Doe Valley in Johnson County, Tenn.
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 a current member of Bethany Baptist Church in Mountain City, Tenn. 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.
Mr. Brookshire 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 the Philippine Islands. While his primary calling was a farmer, he worked at Glenn L. Martin Company in Maryland, 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 and Rebecca Brookshire, both of Elizabethton, and John (Kathy) Brookshire, Mountain City; grandchildren, Zachary (Laura) Sheppard and Amanda Sheppard, and 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., Bluff City; grandchildren, Jack Brookshire, Vancouver, Oregon, Tara Kane Brookshire, Bristol, Tenn., Sarah Knight, Bluff City, Tenn.; 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 and Evelyn Blevins.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, December 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Memorial Funeral Chapel, Elizabethton, and Thursday, December 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Bethany Baptist Church, Mountain City, Tenn., with services to follow at 7 p.m. Dr. Gale Hartley and Wilkie Brookshire will officiate. Music will be provided by John Brookshire and Danny Hilbert. Graveside services will be held Friday, December 16, at 11 a.m. at the Brookshire Cemetery, Campbell Road, Mountain City, Tenn. Military Honors will be accorded by the Johnson County Honor Guard. Family and friends will meet at the church at 10:30 a.m. 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. Active pallbearers will be Zachary Sheppard, Jewel Williams, Roby Phillippi, Harold Phillippi, John Holloway, George Lowe, Terry Snyder and Kevin Seatz. Honorary pallbearers will be John Shoun, Burl Johnson, Porter Stout and John Hyder. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Bethany Baptist Church, Building Fund, 5950 Highway 67 West, Mountain City, TN 37683 or Brookshire Cemetery, c/o Sharon Sheppard, 1012 Nave Street, Elizabethton, TN 37643. Condolences may be sent to the family at our website: www.memorialfcelizabethton.com.
Memorial Funeral Chapel is serving the Brookshire family.