connection

LEROY DEDMON

MY QUIVER IS NOT FULL

Happy birthday to my very sweet great granddaughter, Masie Jane Webb.

I remember very well the morning she made her debut into this old world.

We were living in Woodstock, GA and Gwen Dedmon Kiley, our daughter

and Carrie J. Webb our granddaughter, was living in Buchanan, GA. When

the phone rang at about four in the morning, (it was Jane’s turn to answer),

but I knew from what I heard what was happening. She hung up and said

they are leaving for the hospital. I said OK, what should we do? Now you

talk about dumb questions!! but I had to ask...The

hospital was South Cobb, in the Marietta area...

We arrived at the hospital and I can’t even recall who all was there, but the

waiting room was full of folk from Bremen and Buchanan. Her arrival sent

chills up my spine as I had mentioned to our children a few years before that

we had expected more than three grandchildren. They quickly informed me

that I should have had more children if that was the

case. For some reason, I had never given thought that

my grandchildren would give me more grandchildren.

It is difficult for me to comprehend the “little grown

up girl” pictured to the right. The last count they had

given me four... or is it five... Yes it is five... Carrie 4

and Jonathan 1. Of course he may deliver again or

I guess I should say Michelle, his wife... And then I have another grandson,

Greg Dedmon, who is not yet married... I looked for a button that said, “I was a

good granddady, but now I am a “great” granddaddy. I believe my wife, Jane,

said Masie was the fifth Jane in her family. Or maybe six, beginning with

Masie Jane and going back, we have Carrie Jane, then Gwendoyln Jane and

then my wife Berla Jane and her grandmother Sarah Jane. Then it seems she found another Jane

prior to her grandmother. Then there was Lyddia Jane Shirley, which would be by wife’s great aunt.

I have four other great grandchildren: Cassidy is in her teens and Curt is becoming

a deer hunter, Makala will be two on April 26th, 2013 and Brady Mac celebrated

his first birthday on Oct 17th, 2012. I could be like the

Psalmist who said “Children are like arrows and the man

is happy whose quiver is full of

them”... My mother and father

were living when Masie was born...

hmmmmmmmmmmm great great

grandchildren...maybe I should buy

a larger quiver. Happy birthday

Masie.. I love you...

MASIE JANE WEBB

MAKALA NICHOLE WEBB

CASSIDY WEBB

BRADY MAC DEDMON

URT

OUGLAS

EBB

PAGE 2, VOLUME 81

Send me your old stories or articles relating to the

Dedmon Family. Come on folks!!! Dig into that old

shoe box in the closet and bring out the goodies!!!!!

MOTHER’S DAY

How do you celebrate Mother’s Day? I often

explain it this way: “Dad gets to take the family

out to eat to give mom a rest from the kitchen

and buy dinner for the family. Don’t worry dad

next month is your day. We will celebrate

Father’s day and Dad will get to take the family

out to eat to give mom a rest from the kitchen

and buy dinner for everyone.”

I suppose everyone “celebrates” Mother’s Day from

different perspectives. Some will wear a red rose

and others a white one. I have known some who

wear both. A white one in honor of their deceased

mother and a red one in honor of their step mother.

After my mother passed away

in July of 2008, my celebration

of Mother’s Day changed .

As a family we often gath-

ered on the Saturday before

and visited with her. It was

sometimes difficult as I was

preaching and was not always

able to make the trip.

We have a rose bush in the back yard and most of

the time it would be in full bloom on that day, so I

can’t help but think of her when the roses bloom.

Sometimes, due to very early warm weather they

will bloom early, but I still think of her. We call

that rose bush “Essie” as one of my mother’s

cousins gave that to us year’s ago. You guessed

it, the cousin’s name was Essie. I gave my sister

a cutting from it and now she has a beautiful plant

in her back yard. Even though my mother has been

gone several years, I still miss her very much but

I am thankful for the memories she left me.

There are still mothers in my life that I love and

cherish: Jane, the mother of our children, our

daughter, Gwen, the mother of our granddaugh-

ter, Carrie her daughter, and mother of four of our

great grandchildren, Cassidy, Masie, Curt and

Makala. Diane, my daughter in law, the mother

of my grand sons , Greg and Jonathan, and

Michele, Jonathan’s wife, the mother of one of my

great grand sons, Brady Mac. God is good…

It is interesting that one of the commandments

given to Moses was, “Honor thy father and thy

mother”. I used to wonder why a commandment

to do that had to be given, but through the years I

have seen those who mistreated their parents. The

greatest honor you can give your mother is to be

a faithful New Testament Christian. Someone has

suggested that God created mother’s to help Him to

be omnipresent. A friend posted the definition of

mother on facebook recently as “One person who

does the work of twenty, for free.” The following

acrostic was written about a 100 years

ago or maybe

even longer, but it never gets out of date.

M - O - T - H - E - R

”M” is for the million things she gave me,

”O” means only that she’s growing old,

”T” is for the tears she shed to save me,

”H” is for her heart of purest gold;

”E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

”R” means right, and right she’ll always be,

Put them all together, they spell ”MOTHER,”

A word that means the world to me.

If your mother is still in the “Land of the Living”,

(or I guess I should say the “Land of the Dying”)

give her a call or if she is nearby go see her... give

her a hug. This is her day...

RUBY DICKSON DEDMON

1912-2008

HERE ARE THE ROSES I MENTIONED (ESSIE ROSE). THIS

VIEW

IS TAKEN FROM OUR CARPORT (DECK) AS WE NEVER

PARK

THE CAR ON IT. IN FACT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT WITH

ALL

THE FURNITURE AND OTHER ITEMS SITTING AROUND.

PAGE 3, VOLUME 81

I have discovered at least five major Deadman branches that

we have not been able to connect. If you have information on

any of the Deadman family branches, please submit.

THE BRICK WALL

(I received the following email from Gwendolyn

Sanders (gwsa[email protected]] it reference

to Robert Alvin Dedmon & Cordelia Williams

Dunn Dedmon. This has long been a mystery in

the family and it appears will remain such,)

Hi Leroy, Tim Dedmon suggested I contact you. I am

searching for information on Robert Alvin Dedmon’s

second wife, Cordelia Williams Dunn Dedmon, who

was my great great grandmother.

Cordelia Williams lost her first husband, James Willis

Dunn, in 1911 and Robert’s wife Ida Cornell died in

1912. Cordelia sent her two remaining children (from

whom I am descended) to Alabama to be raised by

relatives, and Robert put his children in a Chattanooga

orphanage. My grandparents always told me that

Cordelia died with James (even though she is not buried

with him and their two babies who also died in 1911),

so I was a quite surprised by what I found when

searching for a death record for Cordelia.

In 1913, the Walker County, GA vital records show a

marriage record for Cordie Dunn and Robert A. Dedmon:

HUSBAND: DEDMON Age: Book page: 5-30

FULL NAME: ROBERT A. DEDMON

M-Date: 3-1-1913

WIFE: CORDIE DUNN Her Age:

REC Date: 5-27-1913 W/Maiden: DUNN

I have not been able to find any further record of

Cordelia or Robert until Robert’s death in 1953. I don’t

see them in the 1920, 30 or 40 censuses. I’m not sure

if they stayed in Georgia, or went elsewhere and

Robert returned before his death in 53. Robert

survived for 4 decades and is not in any census after

1910, under any of the name derivatives I tried.

Do you know if anyone in your family recalls this mar-

riage or what happened to Cordelia? If you even know

what state Robert lived in during those decades it might

help me find where she ended up. Thank you for your

help! Gwendolyn Sanders

(My reply) Gwendolyn, You are the first person I have

ever heard from that would be from Robert’s other

marriage. Here is what my mother told me about it:

He married “Preacher” Cordell’s daughter, Ida Lee and

she died in 1912 as you said. Then mother said he left

for about 18 years and no one ever heard from him and

the story was that they thought he married a German

woman, but no one ever knew her name. I had never

seen that marriage record you listed till now, I don’t

know how we (other researchers missed it). I also don’t

know if Cordie was the German woman they talked

about or if there was another wife somewhere. Mother

said he returned at some point and lived with “preacher”

Cordell until he died in 1953. I know personally some

of his grandchildren and as far as I know are still living.

(1) Harrison Alonzo Dedmond (he added the d) He

lives in California. (2) Edward Lavern Dedmon. Lives

in Florida, (3) Jeanette Lee Dedmon lives in Alabama,

I think her daughter is on my facebook friends list.(4)

Robert Raymond Dedmon, he and his wife Marye live

in Florida. I probably have some contact information

on some of these if your want them. They are the

children of Robert’s son Eppy Alonzo. Here is what

one of the son’s gave me: “E. A. Dedmon was born

in Walker County, GA at Mission Ridge. He and his

brothers were placed in the Bonnie Oaks Orphanage

in Chattanooga, TN. He was in the U.S. Marine Corps

(1924-1928). He served in the Nicaraguan Cpnfilct.

He was assigned to the Presidential Guard and went

with President Calvin Coolidge when he would go

on the Presidential Yacht, THE MAYFLOWER. At one

point during his Marine experience he raced against

Jesse Owens and outran him! That was prior to

Jesse Owens’ Olympics Gold Medal. He was chosen

to be on the Washington Senators Baseball team,

but injured his wrist throwing a stone at a rabbit

before the season began and was unable to make

the season start. That was about the time he met

Cecil Lee Griffith (they married in 1929 in Chatta-

nooga). They were married 64 years. He was in the

grocery business (Red Food Stores in Chattanooga)

and retired from Winn Dixie Stores in Florida. He

died in Tampa, Florida at the age of 89. He was an

avid coin collector and a member of Land O’ Lakes

Baptist Church.” I have not talked with any of them in

a while. They were all at our reunion about ten years

ago. The last email contact I have with Harrison was

(continued on page 4)

PAGE 4, VOLUME 81

(continued from page 3)

([email protected]). I would have to search some of

my newsletters at http://dedmon.org to find the others

last used email… I seem to recall there was a death in

Lavern’s family… I didn’t think it was him… may have

been his wife… I am enclosing some of the information

I have on Robert. I would love to get the descents

through Cordie. I wish my mom was still living as she

might could shed more light on it. She passed away at

96 in 2008 and was a storehouse of information. She

knew Robert personally. Well I don’t know if this helps

at all or not, but it does give me another piece of the

puzzle that has been missing… Please stay in touch and

share what you find and I will “re-open” my file and do

some more searching… Leroy

(her reply) Hi Leroy, Thanks for the reply! Yes, now

I wonder where they went. They both sent their exist-

ing children to be raised by others and, it seems, ran off

together. Cordelia was 40 at in 1913 (b 1873) so I

don’t know if she would have had any more children

with Robert. If they did, then perhaps I have great aunts

and uncles and cousins I didn’t know about.

Cordelia was born and raised in the North Georgia area

into families that had been here for generations, so I

doubt there could have been an accent or anything that

would lead one to think her German. Dunn is Gaelic in

origin. Someone could have misunderstood though,

hearsay is like that.

I have searched for her in all the census records from

1920 on, and once I found the marriage record, I looked

for Robert too, and found nothing. So perhaps they

avoided or were missed by the census takers. I am

going to search there some more now that I know they

left Georgia. Maybe they left the country, who knows.

If Robert returned 18 years later without her, either they

split up or she’d died already. I haven’t found her in the

Social Security death records, she was probably a born

and died a little to early to be included there. And na-

tionwide, cemetery records are in their infancy with so

many cemeteries undocumented yet.

At any rate, if you hear from anyone where Robert might

have lived during those 18 years, that could give me a

clue to finding where she’s laid to rest. Thanks again

for your help, Gwendolyn.

(I am confident there are those who have more

information on this story. If so, please share, Leroy)

In this issue, I have devoted most of the space to obitu-

aries. I have found them to be an invaluable source of

family information. In fact in this newsletter I was able

to find some of the twigs that was missing off the limbs

of our family tree. I realize some of them may have

been published in previous issues, but as I do not have

an index of names used in the newsletters, it is a slow

and time consuming project to do so. I started an index

once, but decided I was not doing it the best way. I

was listing in each issue the names used. But if I wanted

to find a name I had to find the issue. So I am going to

redo by listing the names and the issues where they are

mentioned. At least that is my intention. That would be

a good project for someone to volunteer. I have been

preaching long enough to know that a volunteer is not

going to happen, but I can hint!!!

Meanwhile, back at the brick wall. In the last issue (Vol.

80) I featured the good work Tim Dedmon is doing

with the DNA research. It is my understanding that the

project he is managing deals with the “Y”

chromozone, which is only present in males. So any

male Dedmon, Deadman, Dedman, etc, etc, would be

of great service to take the test. It is a simple thing to

do and not all that expensive. In the case of some of

the lines there is a discount provided as we are very

much in need of that informantion. You can check the

previous issue of THE DEDMON CONNECTION

Volume 80 for all the information.

With the advent of facebook, we have the opportunity

to connect with a ton of Dedmon relatives. It also opens

up a brand new avenue of family research. At the present

I have over 100 Dedmons as friends on facebook and

many of them I know nothing about. Is a challenge to

say the least. As I have discovered in the past it seems

that most Dedmons know very little about their heritage

and usually show little interest in it until they, like me,

reach the sunset years of life. I often wonder how much

informantion I would have today had I started this

project when I was 25 rather than 55. Oh well...

GONE BUT NOT

FORGOTTEN

Please send me obituaries of family members so

we can share with other members of the family.

PAGE 5, VOLUME 81

DEATH NOTICES

JAMES DEDMON FOWLER

DENTON - James Dedmon

Fowler, 64, of Corinth passed away

on Saturday, September 13, 2008,

in Odessa. He was born December

4, 1943, in Denton to F.W. “Pin”

Fowler and Martha Dedmon

Fowler. He graduated from Krum

High School and the University of

North Texas where he was a member

of Sigma NU Fraternity. He married

Joy Duncan in Denton in 1965. He

and wife Joy started Southwest

Credit Systems in 1974 where he

was president until June 2000.

Funeral service will be Wednesday,

September 17, 2008, at 2 p.m. in the

chapel of DeBerry Funeral Directors.

Burial will be at Jackson Cemetery

in Krum. Visitation will be after the

service. Pallbearers will be Frank

Tyler, Jim McNatt, John Burks,

Kent Bass, Don Robinson and Phil

Hurley. Honorary pallbearers will be

all of his Sigma NU Fraternity bothers.

He is survived by his wife, Joy

Duncan Fowler; sons, Brad Fowler

and fiancée, Karen Flinn, Rick

Fowler and wife, Jennifer; sister,

Pam Estes and husband, Bill of

Denton; nieces, Valerie Osteler and

husband, Brandon, Sheryl

Crutchfield and husband, Eric;

beloved grandchildren, Clayton

James and Victoria Lee Fowler;

aunts, Louise Brooks and Margaret

Brooks; cousins, Beverly Mowery,

Dr. John Brooks, Bill, Cole, Sally

Everly, Virginia Wheaton, Barbara

Hunt, Bill Black Jr., Cathy Freeman,

Donna Ritz and Dale Byrum. He

is preceded in death by his mother

and father.

TOYLYNN DEDMON

Toylynn Dedmon, 46, passed away

April 29, 2012 in Carson

City,

Nevada. Arrangements are

entrusted

to Walton’s Chapel

of the Valley.

EULA MASSEY DEDMON

(Aug27, 1925 - October 29, 2011)

Eula M. Dedmon, 86 of Vicksburg,

MS, died Saturday, October 29,

2011 at Vicksburg Convalescent

Home. Graveside services will be

Mon., October 31, 2011 at Cedar

Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg, MS.,

with Reggie Crawford officiating.

Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery

Survivors Include: Daughters: Joni

McGarrh, Vicksburg, MS Donna

Gray Sullivan of Vicksburg, MS

Bettye Hynum Walker of

Greenville, MS Son: Larry E.

Chafton of Brooksville, Fl. Grand-

children: Tommy Gray, Jimmy Gray,

Clifton Hynum, David Chafton,

Robert Hynum, Joey Chafton, Erik

McGarrh, and Laura McGarrh

Barlow. Thirteen Great grandchildren

and Six Great great grandchildren.

Brothers: Ralph Massey of

Mendalhall, MS and Bruce Massey

of Vicksburg, MS.Preceded in

death by: Father: Clifton Clyde

Massey Sr. Mother: Laura Lucille

Massey Husband: Richard A.

Dedmon, Jr. Sister:Margorie

Coulter Brother: Clifton Massey Jr.

JAMES PHILLIP DEDMON

Columbia - James Phillip Dedmon,

formerly of Allendale, departed

this life on Monday, November

23, 2009. Born and reared in

Brownsville, Tenn., he served in

the U.S. Navy during WWII.

Afterwards, he moved to Allendale

where he resided for 45 years. He

was the owner of Dedmon’s Exxon

Service Center and served as Chief

Magistrate for Allendale County for

30 years. For the past 18 years,

he served as the Resident Manager

of the Columbia Sailing Club.

Members of the Columbia Sailing

Club will serve as Honorary

Pallbearers. He is survived by

his wife, Betty Steele Dedmon;

daughter, Patricia Dedmon Terry;

grandchildren, William Mole Terry IV,

Tiel Terry Welzbacher, Trel Dedmon

Terry; stepdaughter, Rita Bragg

Cullum and her husband, John

William Cullum, Sr; step grand-

children, John William Cullum, Jr.,

Emory Burdette Cullum; four great-

grandchildren. A memorial service

will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday,

November 25, 2009, at Dunbar

Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel,

with private burial in Ft. Jackson

National Cemetery. The family

wishes to express their gratitude

to all members of the Columbia

Sailing Club, Regency Hospice,

and especially the caregivers of

Ascension Hospice. Memorials

may be made to Ascension Hospice,

PO Box 1367, Irmo, SC 29063 or

the Columbia Sailing Club, PO Box

922, Columbia, SC 29202

LISA MAE DEDMON

Waldron—Graveside services for

Lisa Mae Dedmon were held at 2:00

pm Friday, May 7, 2004 at Sehorn

Cemetery in Winfield followed by

burial under the direction of Martin

Funeral Home of Waldron. Lisa

Mae Dedmon, 40, of Waldron, AR

passed away Wednesday, May 5,

2004 in a Little Rock hospital. She

was a poultry farmer and a member

of the Haw Creek Baptist Church.

She is survived by one daughter,

Nicole Dedmon of Waldron, AR;

her father and step-mother, Bill and

JoAnn Dedmon of Waldron, AR;

her mother, Peggy Dedmon of

Waldron, AR; her grandmother,

Dessie Mae Crain of Waldron, AR;

and sister, Tracy Dedmon of

Waldron, AR.

PAGE 6 VOLUME 81

KEITH L. DEDMON (1960-2012)

Mr. Keith Leroy Dedmon, after 52 years,

transitioned from labor to rest on Sunday morning,

August 26, 2012 from Muskogee. Better known

to family and friends as “Keithy”, Mr. Dedmon was

born on March 9,1960 in Muskogee, the son of

Rudolph and Dorothy [Stanford] Dedmon. He was

the third of six children born to this union. Keith attended Muskogee

Public Schools and graduated from the Muskogee High School

with the Class of 1978. In 1982, he married the love of his life, Cathy

“Liz” Evans. Their love produced two children, Lewis Jaye and

Michelle Lynn. Keith was a devoted father and loved his children

dearly. He often stated, “family is number one, family is everything

and you never let anything come between us.” On July 17, 2012,

he was blessed with his very first grandchild, James Israel.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance to see him in person.

At an impressionable age, Keith professed his belief in Jesus Christ

and served the Lord diligently. He often sought the Lord for

wisdom, clarity and knowledge. He was a faithful member at

First Assembly of God in Muskogee for nearly 16 years. He had

a love for the Lord, the bass guitar and karate, and he kept Kentucky

Fried Chicken in business. He loved Dr. Pepper and discovering

new restaurants as well as having a fondness for reading. Keithy

dreamed riches were right around the corner with his many

business adventures. He loved trying to crack jokes and he loved

to laugh.Keith was a dedicated worker at C.R. Anthony’s in

Muskogee for nearly 20 years until they closed. He worked at

Price Mart before they closed and began working for Homeland,

where he remained loyal until his demise. He had a strong belief

that you weren’t a man if you didn’t work and exemplified that daily

by going to work even with his illness. Although he was prohibited

from driving, he either walked, rode his bike or used public

transportation. He believed in showing up for work.

He leaves to cherish his memory; his devoted son, Lewis J.

Dedmon, Muskogee; a loving daughter, Michelle Lynn

Dedmon and her son, James Israel Moore, Oklahoma City;

two foster sons he helped raise, Antonio James Evans, Austin,

Texas and Timothy Lee Thomas, Okmulgee, Oklahoma; a dear

friend for life, Cathy Evans Griffin; his siblings, Veronica Myles,

Tulsa, Donald and Katie Stanford, Rudolph Dedmon, Jr., and

Lisa Dedmon, all of Muskogee, Linda Johnson, Edmond,

Oklahoma, and Kathy Walker, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and

a caravan of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Tenita

Dedmon-Betts. The Hour of Remembrance for Keith will be on

Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 11:00 A.M. in the Timothy

Baptist Church. Pastor Kelly Payne is the gracious host and

Pastor Sedell Campbell will officiate. Burial will follow in the Booker

T. Washington Cemetery. You may visit Mr. Dedmon as he

slumbers in peaceful repose at the Keith D. Biglow Funeral

Directors, Inc., on Friday from 10 AM until 6 PM.

Betty Jean Propst

(9/ 19/1931 - 10/ 6/2012

Betty Jean Dedmon Propst, 81 of Concord,

passed away on Saturday, October 6,

2012 at the home of her daughter. The

family will receive friends at Hartsell Funeral

Home in Concord on Tuesday, October 9,

2012 from 6 until 8 PM.

The funeral service will be held at McGill

Baptist Church 5300 Poplar Tent Road

Concord on Wednesday, October 10th at

11:30 AM, with Dr. Steve Ayers officiating.

Burial will follow at Carolina Memorial Park

in Kannapolis.

Betty was born on September 19, 1931 in

Lincolnton, to the late Luther and Hattie Mae

Baxter Dedmon. Betty suffered through a long

illness of 30 years.

Betty is survived by her husband Charles

Walter Propst of the home; daughter, Kelly

Propst Doherty and husband Matt of

Mooresville; sons, Charles Walter Propst, Jr.

and wife Gwyn of Concord and Jimmy Dale

and wife Lisa of Gastonia; grandchildren,

Tucker and Hattie Doherty, Luther and Lara

Propst, and Jason and Andy Dale.

Memorials may be made to Catawba Valley

Hospice House, 3975 Robinson Road

Newton, NC 28658 or North Carolina

Stroke Association Piedmont Plaza 2, 2000

West First Street Suite 504 Winston Salem,

NC 27104. Hartsell Funeral Home of

Concord is serving the Propst family.

PAGE 7 VOLUME 81

Dorothy M. Dedmon (

Dec. 27, 1929 - Aug. 18, 2011)

Memorial services for Dorothy M. Dedmon, age 81, of

Bison, SD will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 2,

2011 at the Grace Baptist Church in Bison. Pastor Phil

Hahn and Pastor Lloyd Veal will officiate. Special music

will be provided by Gloria Veal, pianist. All of Dorothy’s

grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grand-

children are considered Honorary Bearers. Dorothy Maude

Bruning was born on December 27, 1929 in the home of

her Grandmother Bruning to Nina Belle Etta (Conklin) and

Leo George Bruning in Sioux Falls, SD. Dorothy attended school in Armour, SD

until 1939 when her parents moved the family to Deadwood, SD. Her family again

moved in May 1942 to Provo, SD. In Provo, her father helped build the Black Hills

Ordinance Depot and Nina and Dorothy worked in the only café in Provo.

Dorothy enjoyed waiting tables and was a wonderful waitress. In the later part of

1942, the family moved into housing in Igloo, SD; part of the Black Hills Ordinance

Depot. Dorothy attended high school in Igloo. Dorothy’s grades in high school

were good enough that she was allowed to work where the ammunition was stored.

It was a job that she enjoyed very much.

Dorothy married Luther Lonzo Mace in 1945. From their union, three children

were born: Nina Dorothy “Patti”, Carole Ann “Cammie” and Luther David “Luke”.

The family traveled extensively, due to Luther’s Army career. Dorothy and her

three children moved from Mississippi to Oregon, then to Toolle, UT with Dorothy’s

mother, then to Las Vegas, NV. There, Dorothy met the one true love of her life,

Billy Key Dedmon. On September 27, 1963, Billy and Dorothy were united in

marriage. They lived in Henderson, NV for 23 years. During that time, Dorothy

received her realtor’s license and became an outstanding and successful realtor.

Billy and Dorothy enjoyed buying houses and fixing them up so that they could rent

them out. Dorothy was also the President of the Emblem Club (the woman’s auxiliary of

the Elks Club) from 1982 to 1984. Billy and Dorothy enjoyed entertaining friends

and family in their home and enjoyed travelling, which they did often. Following

Billy’s death, Dorothy and her granddaughter, Dorothy Key moved to Buffalo, SD.

While there she was on the Sunday School Board and was also a driver for the

EMT’s. Five years later they moved to Belle Fourche, SD where Dorothy worked

in the Assessor’s Office and helped the local museum get up and running. Dorothy

also enjoyed having lunch with a group of local ladies known as “The Lunch Bunch”.

In 2005, Dorothy moved to Bison, SD where she helped with the family owned

flower shop. She always had coffee on and something to eat for whoever stopped

by. If you left her house hungry, it wasn’t because she didn’t try to feed you. She

loved to sit around her kitchen table with her family and friends telling stories and

jokes. Dorothy loved music, playing the organ, dancing and taking care of her

great-grandchildren. In her younger years, she played basketball and loved snow

sports especially skiing and ice skating. Dorothy passed away on Thursday, August

18, 2011 at the Western Horizon’s Care Center in Hettinger, ND. Blessed to have

shared her life are her daughter, Carol “Cammie” Ann (Glen) Worthen, Bison, SD;

son-in-law, Bill Smith, Lucedale, MS; daughter-in-law, Pam Mace, Wright, WY;

brother, Leo (Esther) Bruning, in CA; sister, Virginia Tuning, Black Hawk, SD; 8

grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; 14 great-great grandchildren; and numerous

nieces and nephews. Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, Leo and Nina

Bruning; husband, Billy Dedmon; brother, Johnny Yoakum; son, Luther Mace;

daughter, Nina Smith; and grandson, Chris Mace.

September 15, 2012

Bertie B. Dedmon

Pauls Valley Democrat

Pauls Valley, Oklahoma

Bertie B. Dedmon, 91, of

Lubbock, Texas was born

Feb. 17, 1921 in Union, MS,

to Albert W. and Emma

(Belk) Luby, the youngest

of seven children. She

passed away Sept. 13, 2012.

She moved to Stratford

from Springfield, Mo., in

1969, where she was a

member of the First

United Methodist Church,

serving in the choir and

UMW. While in Stratford,

she thoroughly enjoyed

the Stratford Senior

Center and talked often

about it. She moved to

Lubbock, Texas in 2005

to be close to family.

Services will be at 2 p.m.

Sat. Sept. 15 at the First

United Methodist Church

in Stratford, officiated by

Rev. Charles Baumann.

Burial will be in McGee

Cemetery. Arrangements

are under the direction of

Pickard Funeral Home in

Stratford.

Dedmon, Billie Allen, 68

Feb. 22, 1944 - May 15, 2012

Bill Dedmon was born in

Madeira, Calif., to Arthur

Lee and Berniece Dedmon.

He is survived by his wife of

48 years, Verna Dedmon;

children, Shane Dedmon and

Mindi Niemetz; 10 grand-

children; and brothers, Ted,

Larry and Gerald Dedmon.

There will be a memorial

service Saturday, May

26, at 1 p.m., at Greater

Portland Baptist Church,

17800 SE Main Street,

Portland, OR 97233.

PAGE 8, VOLUME 81

RAY CHARLES DEDMON

Ray Charles Dedmon was born

to Callie V. Harris-Dedmon

and Edward Hatten in Tom,

OK on November 23, 1954.

He passed away on Wed,

January 9, 2013 at St. Michaels

Hospital in Texarkana, TX.

Ray joined the New Dora Baptist Church at an

early age where he sang with the choir. In his

early years, Ray loved playing basketball and

baseball. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing as

well. He graduated from Haworth High School

in 1975. He was employed at Red River Army

Depot for 35 years. While at Red River, Ray received

a number of awards for outstanding service.

Ray is preceded in death by: his mother, Callie

Dedmon-Runnels; father, Edward Hatten; and one

son Kenya Bond. Cherishing his memory is his

surviving family: four daughters, LaTasha Sanford and

husband Marco of Rockmart, Georgia, Shameshia Hunt

and husband Derick of Idabel, Oklahoma, Lanisha

Giddens and Nicholas of Texarkana, Texas, and LaKala

Giddens of DeKalb, Texas; one brother, Darnell

Dedmon and wife Vernell of Forman, Arkansas; ten

sisters, Betty Dedmon-Pruitt, Faye Brown and

husband Richard, Jerrie Dedmon, all of the Dallas area,

Eddie Williams and husband Michael of Hampton,

Virginia, Carlois Dedmon of Ada, Oklahoma,

Barbara Dunn and husband Billy of Ashdown, Arkansas,

Lorrie Davis and husband Jay of Tom, Oklahoma,

Kesha Pulliam and husband Curtis of Irving, Texas,

Terry Ross of Irving, Texas, and Nealy Woodward of

Kansas City, Missouri; eight grandchildren, Tahjane’

Harris, Da’Maya and Derica Hunt, Marco and

Markayla Sanford, Nicholas Pace, Jr., and La’Tavius

and La’Tamaria Easter; along with a host of nieces,

nephews, cousins and friends. Ray also leaves friends

that were dear to his and the family’s heart, Charles

Lewis, Albert Bailey, and Derrick Patterson, along with

a special friend Sherrie Ann Brown.

Funeral services are set for 12 noon Saturday January

19, 2013 at the Haworth School Auditorium in Haworth

Oklahoma with Elder James Ezell officiating. Interment

will follow at St. Luke Cemetery Tom, Oklahoma.

Family will receive friends Friday January 18, 2013

from six to eight at the funeral home.

I have corresponded with several African-American

Dedmons and some think the surname was taken

from slave owners. We know that was done in other

families. Of course there are other theroies as well.

DEDMON, DANNY RAY

Dedmon, Danny Ray, age 52,

of Lebanon, TN, died

Wednesday, January 23, 2013.

Danny was the son of the late,

Woodrow Wilson and Mary

Sue Reynolds Dedmon. He was

also preceded in death by his

sister, Nancy Lynn Dedmon.

He is survived by: Brothers - Charles (Jerrie) Dedmon,

Roger Dedmon, Frankie Dedmon and Bobby (Dawn)

Dedmon Sisters - Frances (Ronnie) McDowell, Jackie

Dedmon, Betty (Joel) Evans, Donna (Wallace) Roberson,

Becky (Darryl) Goins and Sherrye (Byron) Yarbrough.

Funeral services will be conducted 2 p.m. Saturday,

January 26, 2013 at Bond Memorial Chapel. Interment

will follow at Union Hill Cemetery, Brush Creek, TN.

Pallbearers will be Robert Barrett, Jackie Barrett, Barry

Barrett, Timmy Smith, Randy Johnson and James

Woodall. Flowers accepted or memorials may be made

to Caris Hospice.

Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday and 12-2 p.m.

Saturday at Bond Memorial Chapel, N. Mt. Juliet Road

and Weston Drive, Mt. Juliet, TN. (615)773-2663. Obit

Line (615)641-2663, www.bondmemorial.com.

There are several Dedmon’s living in the Middle

Tennessee area. I am not sure how they connect

to the tree. I received correspondence several years

ago, who thought they descended from Jonathan

and Susan Hunt Dedmon. Several families in that

area spell the surname D-E-A-D-M-A-N and a few

D-E-D-M-A-N. I had an uncle whose name was

Woodrow Wilson Dedmon, but not Danny’s father.

BETTY J. DEDMON

ABILENE- Betty J. Dedmon, 74, Abilene, died

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005. She was a homemaker. She

was preceded in death by a son, J. Charles Dedmon.

Survivors include a son, Daniel W. of Highlandville,

Mo.; a daughter, Kathleen Herndon Burkhardt of

Grapevine, Texas; a sister, Ann Tapp of Abilene; a

stepbrother, Les Morley of Bartlett, Tenn; a stepsister,

Betty Spellman of Clay Center; four grandchildren;

and three great-grandchildren. A memorial will be at

2:30 p.m. Saturday at Martin-Becker-Carlson Funeral

Home, 414 N.W. Third, Abilene 67410. Inurnment

will be in Abilene Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, me-

morials may be made to Hospice of Dickinson County

or Abilene Senior Center, in care of the funeral home.

The family will receive friends at 1 p.m. Saturday,

prior to the service at the funeral home