Jerome Carnel Hester, Sr.

Jerome Carnel Hester, Sr., resident of the Somerville Community, U. S. Army Veteran and husband of Dorothy Jean Hester, died Sunday, April 1, 2012 at his residence. He was 75 years of age and died following a brief illness.

Services of Remembrance for Mr. Hester were conducted at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, April 4th at the First Baptist Church in Somerville with Dr. Ken Story, pastor of the church, officiating. Interment with Honors by the Memphis Fire Department followed in the Memory Hill Gardens Cemetery on Raleigh-LaGrange Road in Memphis. Arrangements were provided by Peebles Fayette County Funeral Homes and Cremation Center – Main Chapel of Somerville.

Mr. Hester was born September 1, 1936, in Gates, Tennessee, the son of the late Millard Reed Hester and Lucy Belle Kendrick Hester.  He was educated in the Memphis Public School System and was married December 21, 1957 to the former Dorothy Jean “Dot” Brigman who survives.

Mr. Hester was a U.S. Army Veteran serving overseas during the Korean War conflict. He was a devoted member of the First Baptist Church in Somerville and was a Fire Marshall in the Arson Division for the Memphis Fire Department for 25 years before his retirement. After his retirement, Mr. Hester and his wife moved to Bolivar where he pursued his interest in antiques and restoration. He served for 4 years as Vice-President of the Bolivar Chapter of the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. He enjoyed participating in the restoration and fund raising of the organization, assisted in conducting tours of the area homes and attending the annual state meetings in Nashville. Mr. Hester was a member of the Bolivar Zoning Commission and a member of the Bolivar Rotary Club. He had been a  resident of the Somerville Community for the past 6 years and will be remembered as an avid record collector who loved music and attending record conventions throughout the United States.

In addition to his wife of 54 years, Mr. Hester is survived by his two sons, Jerome “Joey” Carnel Hester, Jr. (Cynthia) of Arlington, TN and Jason Christopher Hester (Jennifer) of Cordova; 5 grandchildren, Jeremy Hester (Amber), Justin Jolly, Jennifer Thornhill (Troy), Jaxon Hester and Kaylee Hester; 8 great-grandchildren, J.C. Hester, Peyton Hester, Kyndall Lee, Courtney Tackett, Mikah Jolly, Landon Jolly, Gracie Thornhill and Carter Thornhill; a brother and sister, Betty Ann Lemmon (Elvis) of Arlington, TN and Jerry Wayne Hester (Betty) of Memphis. He was preceded in death three months ago by his daughter, Regina Dawn Jolly.

Those honored to serve as casketbearers were Randy Churchill, Joe Buck, Bruce Good, Matt Taylor, Sammy Buford and Frank Newman.

The family requests that memorials in Jerome’s honor be directed to the First Baptist Church, 12685 South Main Street, Somerville, TN 38068.