Cyrus Beatty Gilmore, 88, passed away peacefully at his home June 1 surrounded by his family.

Cy is survived by Linda, his wife of 54 years, daughters Terry Barnes of McMinnville, Cyndy (Frank) Turner of Morrison and Karen (Brian) McGhee of Soddy Daisy, son-in-law Eddie Barnes of Manchester, grandchildren Bryant (Daphne) Campbell, Kellie (Michael) Parsons, Shellie (Keith) Duncan, Keri Barnes, Craig (Samantha) Hollis, Leslie (Chuck) King, and Jacob, Caleb, Jared and Rachel McGhee, nine great-grandchildren, sisters Ramona Shannon, Charlotte Cantrell and Margo Browning, and many nieces, nephews and friends. He was a member of Earleyville Church of Christ.

Cy was born Oct. 2, 1929 in Davenport, Okla., to Donald and Carolyn Gilmore, the youngest son in a family of nine children. He spent the first half of his life in Oklahoma and California where he worked in the oil fields and as an electrician. He served in the Navy during the Korean War, spending four years on the USS Hollister. He moved his family to Tennessee in 1969 where he began a career in construction. He helped build the Fall Creek Falls State Park facilities among other large projects across the Southeast as a construction superintendent for J.D. Mullican Construction.

Cy was a member of Cherokee Nation. He was honored with the Cherokee Warrior Award in Tahlequah, Okla., in 2014 for his military service. In 2016, Cy went to Washington, D.C. with the Screaming Eagle Honor Flight. He loved planting a large garden every year and sharing the bounty with friends and neighbors.

Although he will be greatly missed, we know he is at home with the Lord in a perfect new body with no more pain. A potluck dinner celebration of his life will be held at Earleyville Church of Christ on July 7 at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donate to A Soldier’s Child Foundation, asoldierschild.org, or St Jude Children’s Hospital.

Southern Standard
(McMinnville, Tenn.) June 6, 2018