James Darryl Gregory

James Darryl Gregory, age 78, resident of Oakland, Tennessee, died Friday, December 31, 2021 at St. Francis Hospital in Bartlett, Tennessee after an extended illness.

A native Mississippian, he grew up in Mantachie, attended Itawamba Community College and graduated from Mississippi State University in 1968. After teaching in the Shelby County School System, he began a career in sales and retired in 2010 from COMSERV Services, LLC.

Gregory is survived by his wife of 52 years, Carolyn Dennison Gregory of Oakland, TN; his son, Joshua Alan Gregory (Ashley) of Dallas, TX; his grandson, James Gregory of Augusta, GA; his granddaughter, Maxine Louthan of Dallas, TX; his brother, Albert Overton (Lisa) of Murfreesboro, TN; and his sister, Patty Byrd of Brownsville, TN.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Jewell Overton of Brownsville, TN; his sister, Bonnie Patterson of Bells, TN; and his brother, Robert W. Overton, Jr.

An avid golfer who also enjoyed fishing, Gregory was a member for many years at Windyke Country Club, where his golf pals called him “Rock” and he won the senior club championship, before moving to his residence at Fair Oaks Golf Club in Oakland. His love and appreciation for golf provided many thrills, but none was bigger than seeing his son Josh coaching Augusta (GA) State University to two national championships.

Funeral Services for Gregory were at 11 A.M. Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at Fisherville First Baptist Church, where he was a member. Burial was at Fairview Cemetery in Newbern, Tennessee.

Those honored to serve as pallbearers were Bill Rapp, Larry Prater, Bobby Hall, David Milam, Chris Mullins and Nathan Patterson.

The family requests that memorials be directed to Fisherville First Baptist Church, 11893 Macon Road, Eads, TN 38028.