DEATHS
John Henry Franklin, retired pastor of churches in Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee and longtime pastor of Everett Hills Baptist Church, Maryville, died March 21. He was 85. John is survived by his wife Betty, three children, four grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Parker “Spencer” Johnson, retired Pastor of Shepherd Baptist Church, Chattanooga and other churches in Georgia and North Carolina, died March 7. He was 78. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary. He is survived by two daughters and a granddaughter.
Taft “T.E.” Nethery, retired pastor of Lorraine Baptist Church, Michie, and other churches in Alabama and Mississippi, died March 27. He was 88. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Rosa Mae. He is survived by two children, eight grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.
David Steven Webster, retired Tennessee pastor whose longest pastorate was at East Maryville Baptist Church, Maryville (22 years), died March 10. He was 88. While he remained a member of East Maryville, Webster served as interim pastor of several churches in Maryville and one church in Alcoa. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Wanda, two children, five grandchildren, and several great grandchildren.
Frank Ingraham
Frank Ingraham, a longtime advocate for ministries and causes in both the Southern Baptist Convention and the Tennessee Baptist Convention, died March 20. He was 93. Ingraham practiced law for 60 years from 1954 until 2014. He argued a 1986 case on behalf of the Tennessee Baptist Childrenís Home that preserved the organizationís right to privacy in filing its 990 Form with the Internal Revenue Service. The ruling protected not only the childrenís home but all religious organizations from having to disclose the identities of individual donors. He also served on the SBC Executive Committee, leading the Committee on Convention Finances and Business in the early 1980s. Ingraham was a Sunday School teacher for more than 60 years, according to a family obituary. He first served at Belmont Heights Baptist Church, Nashville, where he grew up, and at First Baptist Church, Franklin, now Church of the City. He was also a deacon at both churches and was elected to serve as one of the first elders of Church of the City.