William Walter "Walt" Goolsby, Sr.

William Walter "Walt" Goolsby, 95, of Kingston died July 6 following a brief illness. He was born August 26, 1917 in Livingston, Tennessee, the son of the late John Andrew and Effie Cook Goolsby. He was a man of many careers, first with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the creation of Dale Hollow Lake and Wolf Creek Lake in Tennessee and Kentucky. He was a decorated World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater, an industrial engineer at the Oak Ridge K-25 Plant and Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 35 years, and a real estate broker for West Town Realty in Kingston for 42 years, going to the family real estate office every day until the month before his death. He was a member of Roane Church of Christ and various civic groups over the years. A member of the Oak Ridge City Council in its early years, he later served in Kingston on the Roane County Election Commission, Library Board, and in many other civic endeavors. In 2009 Walt was honored by the Roane County Commission as a Roane Treasure and in 2012 by a Joint Resolution of the Tennessee Senate and House commending him "for his laudable career, his impeccable character, and his commitment to living the examined life with courage and conviction" and honoring him "for his lifetime of outstanding achievements, recognizing his years of distinguished service to his country and his community." He was a Life Member of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers and he was a tireless promoter of Kingston, his last effort being an article about historic Kingston in Smithsonian magazine's online feature "My Kind of Town" in 2012. Walt was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Ollie Rich Goolsby; sisters Robbie Lee Goolsby and Virginia Goolsby Coffman; and brother John Yeagley Goolsby. He is survived by his son Bill (wife Marty) of Knoxville; granddaughter Dana Goolsby Jones (husband Albert) of Pasadena, California; great-grandson Oliver Chapman Jones of Pasadena, California; sister Georgia Herren (husband Herman) of Clinton; and a host of nephews, nieces, and friends. The family will receive friends beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday July 11 at the Kyker Funeral Home in Kingston with a celebration of his life to follow at 7:30 p.m. Interment will be at Roane Memorial Gardens on July 12 at noon.

William Walter "Walt" Goolsby, Sr.

August 26, 1917 - July 6, 2013