“ . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
p/o Joshua 24:15
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. from the chapel of the Taylor Funeral Home in Dickson, Tennessee, with Bro. Mitch Stevens officiating. Visitation will be on Friday, September 22nd from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. and continuing until the time of service. The place of rest will be in the Dickson County Memorial Gardens. To view a livestream of the service, please click HERE.
Douglas Ray (Doug) Bledsoe, age 93, of Dickson, Tennessee died peacefully at his home on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, with family members at his side. For the most part, he was a lifelong resident of Dickson County and was the last of 12 children born to the late Aubrey D. and Norvia Hutcheson Bledsoe. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Wilma Lorene Brown Bledsoe; by his grandson Matt Bledsoe; and by his brothers and sisters: Gladys Dedman, Aladee Tidwell, Beatrice Spencer, Harlan Bledsoe, Harvey Bledsoe, Grace Tidwell, Delmer Bledsoe, Willis Bledsoe, Hooper Bledsoe, Flora Odell Bledsoe and Henry Bledsoe.
Mr. Bledsoe was born in Dickson County, Tennessee on August 5, 1930 and graduated from Dickson High School in 1949. Always a sports fan, he took great pride in being a member of the only basketball team from DHS to ever appear in the State basketball tournament, with his team losing in the State tournament to a team anchored by Doug Atkins, who would go on to become an All Pro NFL player. In addition to his love of sports, Mr. Bledsoe also enjoyed gardening and making music with his friends.
Mr. Bledsoe married Wilma Lorene Brown on December 23, 1950, in Corinth, Mississippi, beginning a marriage that would last almost 71 years, until Mrs. Bledsoe’s death in May 2021. The two of them were avid sports fans, following locally the Dickson High School Dragons and the Dickson County High School Cougars. In his early adult years, Mr. Bledsoe played baseball for the team in Wrigley, Tennessee, and was known as Dusty by his teammates. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bledsoe were also avid fans of the Atlanta Braves and the Vanderbilt Commodores’ sports teams.
Mr. Bledsoe had two distinct careers, with the first one being as a Foreman for Bush Building Company of Nashville, Tennessee. During that portion of his life, he was honored to have the opportunity to participate in the construction of several large public works projects in Tennessee and Kentucky. As they began their family, Mr. and Mrs. Bledsoe settled back into Dickson County and remained there for the rest of their lives. In his second career, Mr. Bledsoe worked in the floor covering and home improvements business, eventually establishing Dickson Tile and Linoleum Center in Dickson, along with his partner, Clyde Eaton.
Mr. Bledsoe was a faithful member of the Oak Avenue Church of Christ for many years and was very humbled and honored to serve as a teacher and a Deacon in that congregation for several decades. The Bledsoe family as a whole would like to acknowledge his special caregivers in the last years of his life, Brittany and Donnie Miniard and Kathy and Bill Vetter.
Mr. Bledsoe is survived by his two children, Danny Bledsoe and his wife Barbara of Dickson, Tennessee and Kathy Vetter and her husband Bill of Dickson, Tennessee. Also surviving are his five grandchildren: Jason Bledsoe; Brittany Miniard and husband Donnie; Brandon Vetter and wife Emily; Kaci Bledsoe; and Shane Vetter. His legacy continues by having 11 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandson.
Casket bearers will be Brandon Vetter, Donnie Miniard, Shane Vetter, Chasyn Bledsoe, Eric Bledsoe and Ryan Bledsoe.
