Cecil Cathey

CECIL B. CATHEY Mr. Cecil B. Cathey, 80, retired principal of Brown Elementary School, died Monday, December 23, 2002 at his residence on Hilltop Drive. Funeral services will be conducted Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Oakes & Nichols with Rev. Thomas Smith officiating. Burial will be in the Cedar Hill Cemetery with military honors provided by Herbert Griffin American Legion Post #19. The family will visit with friends after 9:00 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Brown Elementary School Library. Notes of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.oakesandnichols.com. The west Maury County native was the son of the late William C. Cathey and Charlotte Peery Cathey. He earned a B.S. Degree from Middle Tennessee State University and M.S. Degree and beyond from Vanderbilt University and Peabody College. He began his career in education as principal of Woodrow School and as assistant principal of Highland Park Elementary School. Mr. Cathey was principal of Brown Elementary School for over 30 years. During World War II, he served in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in the European and Pacific Theatres of Operation. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Herbert Griffin American Legion Post #19 and Maury County Retired Teachers' Association. Survivors include his wife, Mary Lou Sawyer Cathey of Columbia; a son, William Blair (Brenda) Cathey of Columbia; a sister, Margaret Jane (Wayne) Cheatham of Franklin; a brother, Roy K. (Martha) Cathey of Columbia; nieces and nephews, Cathey Ann (Gary) Mason, Dawn (Tim) Crunk, Kenneth (Connie) Cathey, Michael (Marlene) Cheatham, Gary (Melissa) Cheatham. Active pallbearers are Keith Edlund, Leon Parks, Tommy Bates, Gary Mason, Tim Crunk, Kenneth Cathey, Michael Cheatham, Gary Cheatham, Louis Sawyer, Edwin Sawyer, Robin Sawyer. Honorary pallbearers include Billy Evans, Edward A. Cox, Curtis Riley, Bobby Potts, Bill Carden, Brown Elementary School staff and members of the Maury County Retired Teachers' Association.