Joe Routon, Sr. ~ Obituary

Services for Joseph Routon Sr. of Paris were conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church in Paris, where he was a member for 70 years and had served as a deacon, Sunday school director and member of the choir.

Jerry W. Massey and Charles Orr officiated. Burial followed in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation was Saturday and Sunday at Ridgeway Funeral Home.

Named as pallbearers were Bobby Jelks, Jim Roberts, Lyman Black, Harlan McCartney, John Van Dyck and Roland Parkhill.

Honorary pallbearers were Ansil Boals, Bryant Williams, Ewell Orr, Jerry Lee, Jim Galey, Lewis Wallis, Rex Herrington, Sam Tharpe, Wayne Tubbs, Bobby Flowers, Homer Spain, Dan Knowles and Gordon Owen.

Routon, 81, died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at Methodist Hospital North in Memphis.

A Paris native, he was born Oct. 2, 1921, to Stephen James Routon Sr. and Pearl Sanders Routon, now deceased.

He was married on Nov. 1, 1942, to the former Virginia Rucker, who survives.

He also leaves four sons: Phil (Marsha) Routon of Paris, Joe (Joyce Ann) Routon Jr. of Haddonfield, N. J., Dr. Bob Routon of Humboldt and Ed (Jan) Routon of Nashville;

Three daughters: Amy (Monty) Montgomery of Franklin, Elizabeth “Boogle” (Charlie) Bradley of Brentwood and Velma (Tim) Huggins of Cordova;

Seventeen grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

He also was preceded in death by two brothers: Stephen J. “Jim” Routon Jr. and William S. “Billy” Routon; one sister: Catherine Burton; and a brother-in-law: Ray B. Burton.

The family requests memorials be made to the First Baptist Church music department, 313 N. Poplar St. Paris.