Ted Medley age 87 of Florida, and a native of Lancaster, TN, passed away on April 25, 2024.
Ted was born in Silver Point, Tennessee, on March 19, 1937. His parents were Stanton and Jodie Medley. At an early age, his parents began to instill in him the values of religion, candor, commitment, competency, moral courage, individual responsibility and persistence. These combined values were the foundation upon which he built his life. The ethics by which he tried to live were to serve something greater than himself and his own self interests. He never achieved all his goals in life, however, he never stopped trying.
His family moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1944. Ted thought the Detroit school system was excellent. They returned to Lancaster, Tennessee, in 1951.
He enrolled at Gordonsville High School in the fall of 1951 and graduated in the spring of 1955. He was the valedictorian of the class and captain of the football team. He attended Tennessee Technological University and graduated in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in Social Science. While attending college, he was a cadet in the Reserve Officers Training Corps and received a Regular Army commission as a 2nd Lieutenant of Field Artillery. He graduated from college on Friday and reported to his first unit on Monday. It was his honor to serve his country as a soldier for 30 years. The Army was a way of life that he thoroughly enjoyed. He said that if he had an opportunity to relive his life – he would again be a soldier. Command was his forte and he believed that U.S. soldiers were the finest in the world.
He was a veteran of the Vietnam War and was a graduate of both the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. While a student at the War College, he earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg State University in Pennsylvania in 1980.
At his military retirement ceremony in August 1989, he was the seventh soldier to be inducted into the Sixth Infantry Division’s prestigious honor society, the Arctic Light Circle of Honor. He was also awarded the Legion of Merit which is a distinctive award of honor recognizing distinguished service to the nation.
He had the good fortune to marry Barbara Ann Cooksey of Guthrie, Oklahoma, in August 1960. She made his life a joy until cancer took her life in May 2002. The Cookseys made Ted a part of their family and he so appreciated it. Barbara was an outstanding Army wife. They produced three wonderful children, Sharon, Howell, and Philip. Ted loved his children. Each was intelligent, honest, and productive and had a generous measure of common sense. Each was a success in their profession and the part of the world they lived in was better because of their contributions to their communities. Howell and his wife Lisa have three children: Lucy, Paige and Brett. Philip and his wife Juanita have two sons: Peter and Mark. Ted knew that his daughters-in-law were exceptional and that his grandchildren were intelligent, attractive and demonstrated proper decorum under any circumstance.
God called Howell home January 27, 2020. Howell shared 35 years of unconditional love with Lisa and bestowed the same love on his children. Howell’s children called him the greatest dad ever.
Ted knew friendships take effort to make and work to keep. He particularly valued the friends who helped him during the illness, death and the aftermath of Barbara’s passing. They gave more than they expected to receive. Ted knew that if one did not make new acquaintances as he advanced through life, he would soon find himself left alone. He found comfort in his friendships throughout his life.
Ted and Rebekah Lee Bass Carlson were high school sweethearts who reunited after 48 years and married in June 2004. Becky restored the joy of living to Ted’s life. They reside in Florida. They traveled extensively and visited 51 countries and 37 states. Becky’s daughter, Caryn, son Micheal, and daughter-in-law Dawn welcomed Ted into their family. Becky’s older grandchildren, Caitlin and Tyler embraced Ted and Ted served as a grandfather to Becky’s youngest grandchild, Nathan Carlson. Ted’s children were equally delighted by the addition of Becky into their lives. The Carlson and Medley families bonded, gave strong support to the marriage, and had several enjoyable reunions.
Ted had one sibling; a brother named Mark. Their relationship was special and treasured by Ted. Mark was a teacher and high school coach who had a very positive impact on the lives of many students. Statistics substantiate his phenomenal record as a high school coach. He is one of the most successful coaches in the history of Tennessee high school football. Mark and his lovely wife, Candice have three marvelous children: Jessica, Zac and Lauren.
From God’s grace came Ted’s family, friends and his possessions. He knew that both his wives were a gift from God.
Col. Ted Medley will be buried in the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. at a later date.
