William Kenneth Mashburn Sr

William Kenneth Mashburn, Sr., loving husband, father, grandfather, and brother, died at his home in Sweetwater on Saturday, July 29. He was 91. He lived an incredible life and is at rest after a long battle with cancer. Born on April 6, 1926, to Enoch Abraham (E.A.) and Anna Elizabeth, Mr. Mashburn beat the odds of a premature birth to establish himself as a man of tremendous energy and work ethic. His long life was filled with accomplishments and sprinkled with enough loss and heartache to render any normal person bitter, but he was an eternal optimist, seeming only to fight harder with every blow. He always looked on the bright side, and could often be heard musing about just how very blessed and fortunate he had been in life. Not a single Thanksgiving dinner prayer went by without him thanking God for the blessings in his life, entreating all present to be mindful of their good fortune. Perhaps even more astonishing than the many times Kenneth endured hardship and heartache without complaint was the way in which he derived so much satisfaction from work, any kind of work from fixing a broken toilet to building a church. He was happiest at work. His early life on a farm taught him the value of hard work and preparedness. He moved to Michigan as a young man to work in the thriving factories of Detroit. That’s where he met his beautiful future wife on a blind date. Once he laid eyes on Kit McCartt, he knew he had to marry her. After winning her over, they were married on February 25, 1950, and started their family in Michigan. They eventually returned to Tennessee, where Kenneth’s deeply engrained passion for farming led him operate a 200-acre farm for a number of years. He and Kit added more children to their family over the years, reaching a total of 6. Eventually, they moved to town where he continued farming on the side in addition to operating other business ventures. The magnitude of his life’s work would take volumes to write down. He was known to say “we’re burning daylight” because he didn’t like to waste time. And, he didn’t. Up until very late in his life, he was up before the sun with his cup of coffee and his Bible. He could be found early in the morning at his office, reading the newspaper. Late in life, when his vision was failing, and he could no longer read, his dear wife would lovingly read his Bible to him at night, which brought him a great deal of comfort. Even more remarkable than the long list of Mr. Mashburn’s accomplishments, was the way in which his life was truly transformed and shaped by the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. He was a man who tolerated little error, but those who knew him before and after he placed his faith in Jesus Christ could attest to the numerous ways in which he became a gentle man, full of love and grace for those around him. Not a visit with him would go by that he wouldn’t take you by the hand and make sure that you knew just how much he loved you and how proud he was of you. His favorite Bible verse was John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He lived by that, devoting many years of his life to the distribution of Bibles through The Gideons, International, an organization that he believed was doing the most important work on the planet. He truly believed that lives are transformed by the Word of God and poured so much of his time into making sure that others could receive the same gift of eternal life that he had gratefully received. Mr. Mashburn was a devoted friend to many and truly valued his memberships in the Masons (32° Scottish Rite), Campers on Mission, and the Gideons. It brought him so much joy to attend these meetings. He traveled on several occasions to Brazil to help build churches with the Baptist Association of Monroe County. He was a long time member of Reed Springs Baptist Church where he happily served as a deacon and thoroughly enjoyed singing in the choir. In his spare time, he enjoyed listening to gospel and bluegrass music and discussing politics. He also really loved cornbread and milk. Mr. Mashburn is preceded in death by his parents, Enoch Abraham and Anna Elizabeth Hicks Mashburn; his daughter Janet; brothers Herdest, Charles, Louie, and Bill; and sister Louise. He couldn’t have been more proud of his family. He is survived by his devoted wife of over 67 years, Kittie McCartt Mashburn, whom he adored and long proclaimed as the most beautiful girl he’d ever laid eyes on. He had immense pride in his children and was always quick to tell anyone how proud he was of his whole family. He could tell stories about his children all day long and would often erupt in his wonderful laugh recalling some funny story from the years they all lived on the farm. He passed his strong work ethic onto each of his children and truly enjoyed hearing about their jobs. He loved the fact that all of his children lived near him in Sweetwater. His surviving children are daughter Linda Ghorley and husband Ernie; daughter Turrah Ghorley and husband Mike; son Kenneth Mashburn, Jr., and wife Teresa; son David Mashburn and wife Scarlet; and daughter Patty Hutsell and husband Rusty. His grandchildren were a source of great joy and entertainment to him. Papaw was deeply in love with each of his grandchildren, but Papaw Great seemed to get even more pleasure from hearing stories of his great grandchildren. The long list of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom Kenneth cherished as a blessing and heritage from the Lord, is as follows: Mikie Ghorley (children Brandon, Janet, Zachery, and Matthew), Amy Ghorley Haerr (husband Greg and children Roiya and Bella), Shane Ghorley (wife Jamie and children Aaron, Seth, and Turrah Nicole), Steffanie Mashburn Speck (husband Chad and children Cole, Cooper, and Callen), Corbin Ghorley (wife Angie and daughter Kaitlyn), Lacey Mashburn Mason (husband Hunter and children Addie Belle and Ace), Amanda Hutsell Galeotti (husband John and children David, Benjamin, Annabella, and Gabriel), Brad Hutsell (son Blake), Jake Hutsell, Callie Mashburn, Betsy Mashburn, and Luke Mashburn. He remained close to his siblings until death and cherished his moments spent with them. He is survived by his sister Phyllis Mashburn Moore (husband Charlie), sister Mary Mashburn Bredwell, and brother Glen Mashburn (wife Annette). Many nieces and nephews also survive him. Mr. Mashburn’s family would like to acknowledge a deep appreciation for Dr. Thomas Layman, who cared for Kenneth with an extraordinary amount of kindness and compassion, for special hospice nurse Patsy Moses with Amedisys Home Health, for his sweet and gentle caregiver Lesa Mashburn, and for his grandson Jake Hutsell who moved in to care for Kenneth and Kit and brought a great deal of comfort and security to Kenneth. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at Kyker Funeral Homes, Sweetwater, from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. with the funeral service to follow at 7:00 P.M. in Kyker’s Chapel with Rev. Charles Cassady officiating. Interment 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday in the Reed Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. The pallbearers for his funeral are his grandsons Mikie Ghorley, Shane Ghorley, Corbin Ghorley, Jake Hutsell, Luke Mashburn, Chad Speck, and Hunter Mason. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Gideons International. Please note that the donation is “In Memory of Kenneth Mashburn” and send to: The Gideons International Monroe County PO Box 821 Sweetwater, TN 37874

William Kenneth Mashburn Sr

April 6, 1926 - July 29, 2017