James "Gaga" Franklin Tatum, Jr.
March 23, 1935 — October 30, 2013
James Franklin "Gaga" Tatum, Jr., resident of Eads, retired silk screen artist for CCL Label in Collierville and husband of Jean Olson Tatum departed this life Wednesday morning, October 30, 2013 at the Methodist LeBonheur Hospital in Germantown where he had been a patient for eleven days. He was 78 years of age and died following a brief illness.
Services for Mr. Tatum will be at 2 Sunday afternoon, November 3rd at the Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland with visitation one hour before services. Interment will be Monday, November 4th at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis.
Mr. Tatum was born March 23, 1935 in Ripley, Mississippi. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Franklin Tatum, Sr. and Marie Frazier Tatum. He received his education in the Memphis City Public School System and attended Memphis State. He was married June 15, 1957 to the former Jean Olson, who survives.
Mr. Tatum was employed as a silk screen artist for CCL Label in Collierville for 40 years before his retirement in 2005. He was a former resident of Memphis before moving to the Eads Community four years ago. He was a member of White Station Baptist Church and enjoyed working with stained glass art, tomato gardening, collecting cookbooks and antique bottles, fishing and baking food for his family. He will be remembered as a family-oriented person who enjoyed special times with his grandchildren.
In addition to his wife of 56 years, Mr. Tatum is survived by his daughter, Sheila Whitworth (Joe) of Eads; his sister, Charlotte Dyer (Floyd) of Jackson, TN; his brother, Billy Wayne Tatum (Janet) of Memphis; two grandchildren, Shannon Haynes (Jason) of Memphis, Shawn Ware (Darris) of Memphis; and two great grandchildren, Jackson Haynes and Hudson Haynes.
Honorary casketbearers will be Jason Haynes, Darris Ware, Jimmy Rogers, Matthew Rogers, Alan Hale, Jon Tinkle and Gary Wilson.
The family requests that memorials be directed to the Hickory Withe First Baptist Church, 17675 Highway 196, Eads, TN 38028, The Tennessee Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, 95 White Bridge Road, Suite 209, Nashville, TN 37205 or the Memphis Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, 5352 Estate Office Drive, Suite 1, Memphis, TN 38119.