Marjorie Earlene Ragsdale Hernandez Obituary
Marjorie Earlene Ragsdale Hernandez was the only child of Earl Ragsdale and Mary Louise Lane. She was born in Detroit, Michigan on August 13, 1924. Shortly after she was born her family moved back home to Nolensville, Tennessee. She grew up on her grandparents farm in the Split Log Community (now part of Brentwood) in a time when there was no electricity or indoor plumbing. Until 1935, she attended Split Log School, a one room school.
At the age of 10 her father died. Shortly afterwards, she and her mother moved to Nashville where she attended Tarbox Elementary School. After her mother remarried, the family moved to Smyrna where she attended Smyrna High School and graduated Salutatorian of her class.
She started college at Middle Tennessee State but when WWII started, she left school to work as a waitress at the Officer’s club at Sewart Air Force Base in 1942. She continued working at Sewart until 1970, working her way up to a position in supply management. She was one of the last people to leave when the base closed. She worked at Capitol Airways for a short time before taking a position at First Tennessee Bank. After 15 years there, she retired in 1987 as a Credit Reporter. As a member of the American Business Women’s Association, she was voted Woman of the Year and Governor Phil Bredesen appointed her Aide De Camp.
Her retirement days were busy and fulfilling. Before her mother died in 1989, she enjoyed spending many wonderful hours with her. She was a very active bridge player and enjoyed participating in a bowling league into her 90’s. She trained her dog Digger to be a therapy dog and visited nursing homes with him. Always an animal lover, she enjoyed her many other dogs including Chip as well as Mona’s cats.
She enjoyed tracing her family roots and was the family historian. She was a member of the Nolensville John Nolen Chapter of the Daughters of American Revolution, the Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, the Daughters of 1812, the Daughters of the Confederacy, and an active member in the Nolensville Historical Society. She was a member of First Families of Tennessee. She made many valuable contributions to local history through her the written and oral histories she has left. In 2018, the Tennessee state DAR recognized her as a Tennessee Treasure.
She was well-known for her friendly disposition, always smiling, having never met a stranger. She loved traveling, especially visiting her grandsons when they lived in Europe. She was a cook who could make something out of nothing. She loved baking and her family simply loved her cinnamon rolls. She enjoyed participating in many community social groups and always really enjoy the ministry and the fellowship the church offered. She also was an active participant in political campaigns over the years.
Marjorie passed away in the early morning hours of February 13, 2020 at the age of 95 and a half. She is survived by her 3 children, Mona Hernandez, Rosemary Smith (Bart), and Myron Palmer (Teresa). She has 4 grandchildren, Gary Mason, Russell Smith, Abby Palmer and Lauren Palmer and three great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations to community and historical organizations are requested.
Visitation will be Saturday, February 15, 2020 from 11:00am to 8:00pm at Woodfin Chapel, Smyrna. Funeral services will be Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 2:30pm at Woodfin Chapel, Smyrna. Graveside services will be Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 4:30pm in Nolensville Cemetery in Nolensville, TN.
The Family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts and support. We appreciate your calls and visits during our time of bereavement.
