
A Christian Southern Gentleman’s working tools of life were fallen from his hands at 12:17 a.m. Christmas Day morning December 25, 2024 at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville with his family at his bedside. He was admitted there Tuesday morning December 17th after suffering a fall at his Plunketts Creek Circle home.
Mr. Fred B. Grisham of the Rock City Community was pronounced deceased at 12:43 a.m. after going into cardiac arrest.
Mr. Grisham is at the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home where his funeral services will be conducted on Sunday afternoon December 29th with his church pastor, Eld. Junior Dickerson, officiating. Burial will follow beside his wife Carolyn, in the College Park section at the Smith County Memorial Gardens.
A Masonic Chapel service by Carthage Benevolent Lodge # 14 F & A M will be conducted on Saturday evening December 28th at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
A member of the Carthage Benevolent Lodge for over 50 years, he received his entered apprentice degree on October 14, 1957, was passed to the degree of fellowcraft Mason on November 18, 1957 and was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on December 23, 1957. He had served as a Past Master at both the Carthage Benevolent Lodge # 14 F & A M and the New Middleton Benevolent Lodge # 249 F & A M.
The Grisham family will receive friends at Sanderson in Carthage on Saturday December 28th from 2 p.m. until the closing of the Masonic Service at 6:30 p.m. and again on Sunday from 12 noon until the funeral services at 3 p.m.
Born Fred B. Grisham on July 5, 1933 in the Elmwood Community and was one of three sons and a daughter of the late William Oscar Grisham who died at the age of 62 on June 22, 1962 and Edith Louanna (Louannie) Proffitt Grisham who died at the age of 84 on September 28, 1985.
His only sister, Allie Doin Grisham Culbreath died June 25, 2010 at the age of 89 and his two brothers, Bobby Kenneth “Cotton” Grisham died December 24, 1996 at the age of 61, and A.J. Grisham who died March 9, 1991.
Mr. Grisham was a member of the 1951 graduating class at Smith County High School where it was stated in the “51 Owl Annual” “As his inclinations, so his opinions”.
At the home of the late Eld. L. O. Barclay on November 28, 1957, Mr. Fred was united in holy wedlock to Carthage native, the former Carolyn Louise Gibbs.
Mr. Fred’s wife of over sixty-five years, Mrs. Carolyn Gibbs Grisham served honorably as Smith County Court Clerk for twelve years from 1978 until not seeking re-election in 1990. She preceded him in death at the age of 85 on December 14, 2022.
Mr. Grisham was a Veteran of the Unites States Army serving our country during the Korean War.
Mr. Grisham was a retired over-the-road driver for William Hayes Lines, Campbell 66 Express, and Yellow Freight, spending over 30 years in the freight business before retiring in 1991 and where he had a record of almost four million miles of accident-free driving. He and both brothers were charter members of Teamsters Local Union # 480.
He was saved in March of 1963 while at the wheel of a B-61 Mack driving for William Hayes Lines and was baptized into the full fellowship of the South Carthage Missionary Baptist Church by then pastor, Eld. Benny Maggart and after he and Carolyn constructed a new home in the Rock City Community moved their membership by letter from South Carthage to the Plunketts Creek Missionary Baptist Church, where he remained a faithful and dedicated member until his death. He had also served as a church Deacon for many years at both South Carthage and Plunketts Creek.
Surviving are his two children, a daughter, Leah Grisham Gregory and husband Richard of South Carthage; son, Lendon Grisham and wife Tina Silcox Grisham of the Rock City Community; four grandchildren, Campbell and Cade Gregory of South Carthage, Kasey Smith and husband Brent of Farragut, TN, Kelsey Scudder and husband David of the New Middleton Community; three great-grandchildren, Regan and Davin Scudder of the New Middlton Community and Sawyer Smith of Farragut; sister-in-law, Sue Sloan Grisham of the Pavilion in South Carthage.
The Grisham family requests memorials to the Plunketts Creek Missionary Baptist Church.
Pallbearers: Campbell & Cade Gregory, David Scudder, Brent Smith, Doug
Crawford & Travis Grisham.
Honorary pallbearers: Deacons of the Plunketts Creek Missionary Baptist Church:
Mark Cookston, Larry Taylor Wilkerson, Jimmy Owen, Tommy Mofield
Horace Gene Blades, and Teamsters Local #480 and retirees.