Effie Jones Overbey Duke

Effie Jones Overbey Duke, 94, retired laboratory technician at Union Carbide Corporation and resident of Cross Bridges Road, died Saturday, January 4, 2014 at Maury Regional Medical Center. Funeral services will be conducted Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church with The Rev. Davis Chackaleckel officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Friday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols. Notes of condolence may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com. Born in Como, Mississippi, she was the daughter of the late Alfred T. Overbey and Effie Ida Jones Overbey and spent her early life in Hohenwald in Lewis County. She was valedictorian of her graduating class at Lewis County High School and earned a B.S. Degree in Chemistry from the University of Mississippi at Oxford. Mrs. Duke was a communicant of St. Catherine Catholic Church. Her interests included tatting, flower gardening, hiking, and a love for dogs and other pets. Survivors include daughters, Mary Jo Duke Scott of Columbia, Mary Emma (Tom) O'Grady of Murfreesboro, Nanette (Bill Osborne) Duke of Knoxville, Anne Duke of Springfield; sons, Alex B. Duke, Jr. of Federal Way, Washington, Charles Edward (Emily) Duke of YaColt, Washington, Henry Duke, Etheridge Jerome Duke, and John Phillip Duke, all of Columbia; ten grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alex B. Duke, Sr. in 1992 and a son, James Duke. Active pallbearers will be Jeff Nix, Ray Prince, Ben Fleming, Jeremy Fleming, Ken Willeford and Kenneth Thompson. Honorary pallbearers include Kevin Thompson and David Price.