JOHN SHELTON WILDER, SR.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR JOHN SHELTON WILDER, SR., lifelong resident of Fayette County and longtime Somerville attorney who served as Lt. Governor and Speaker of the Senate for Tennessee for many years, died Friday, January 1, 2010. Mr. Wilder was 88 years of age and died following a brief illness.

Funeral services were conducted at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, January 3rd at Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland with visitation for family and friends from 11:30 a.m. to service time. A private interment was in Belmont Cemetery near the family residence. Peebles Fayette County Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

John Shelton Wilder, Sr. was born June 3, 1921, in Fayette County to the late John C. Wilder and Martha Shelton Wilder. He was educated in Fayette County public schools, attended the University of Tennessee's College of Agriculture and was a graduate of the University of Memphis School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and married his late wife of 63 years, Marcelle Morton Wilder, in 1941.

Active in the Methodist Church, he served as Lay Leader and Sunday School teacher at the Braden Methodist Church for the past 50 years. He was a Mason, Scottish Rite, and Shriner, and a member of Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity, Tennessee Judicial Council, Tennessee Bar Association, and National Conference of State Legislators Legislative Leaders.

Mr. Wilder served on the Board of Directors of the Oakland Deposit Bank, Somerville Bank & Trust Company, Cumberland Savings Bank and Cum-berland Bancor Holding Company. He was involved in the management of Long-town Supply Company, a family firm founded in 1887, and was engaged in farming, cotton ginning and practicing law from 1958 to the present.

Mr. Wilder was a key organizer and original member of the Fayette County Soil Conservation District Board, established in 1950, and served as secretary-treasurer and chairman of the board. "Use without abuse" was his motto and his interest in the conservation movement saw him active at both the state and national level. He served as president of the Tennessee Association of Soil Conservation Districts in 1959. He was inducted into the National Association of Conservation Districts Southeast Region Conservation Hall of Fame in 2006.

Mr. Wilder also served as a member of the Fayette County Quarterly Court which later became the Fayette County Commission for 18 years.

Mr. Wilder was an avid aviator, holding advanced ratings and has enjoyed flying for over 50 years. He was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005.

Mr. Wilder served 2 two-year terms in the Tennessee Senate in 1959 and 1966. He was elected to four-year terms in 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. He served as Speaker of the Senate and Lt. Governor of the state of Tennessee for 18 consecutive terms, which made him one of the longest serving freely-elected legislative leaders in the world.

In 1975 in Fayette County the Governor renamed the Tennessee Youth Development Center located in Somerville to be the John S. Wilder Youth Development Center. Mr. Wilder was instrumental in getting numerous industries in his district and was able to secure a hospital and nursing home for Fayette County.

The John S. Wilder Tower at the University of Memphis was dedicated to him in 2003. A John S. Wilder bronze bust was dedicated by Friends of Wilder and is located in the Fayette County Courthouse in Somerville, TN. There is a John S. Wilder Community Center located in Grand Junction, TN. Senator Wilder had recently established the John S. Wilder Institute for Public Service at Lambuth University in Jackson, TN. It is dedicated to educating students in non-partisan public service.

Mr. Wilder was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Marcelle Morton Wilder on June 7, 2004. He is survived by two sons, Shelton (Judy) Wilder of Fayette County and David (Patti) Wilder of Collierville; his brother, Dr. Wiggins Wilder of Memphis; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Active casketbearers were Jarod Wilder, Jess Wilder, Jim Wilder, John Wilder III, Joseph Wilder, and Mike Williams.

The family request that memorials be directed to the Braden United Methodist Church, 230 Hwy 59, Mason, TN 38049 or to the Belmont Cemetery Association, 7285 Hwy 64, Oakland, TN 38060.