Catherine Swafford Wilkerson

Minnie Catherine Swafford Wilkerson, age 83, of Dayton, died Tuesday, July 31, 2012 in Murfreesboro. She had lived the past 5 years with her daughter and son-in-law Cindy and Mickey Wallace in Mount Vernon, OH. She was born June 23, 1929 in Pikeville to the late Robert and Lena Mae (Lawson) Swafford. She was also preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Harold T. Wilkerson, sons, Gary Warren Wilkerson, Vann Lovell Wilkerson, Ted Ronald Wilkerson and Stephen Harold Wilkerson, brothers, Claudus Lawson and L. James Swafford of Kingsport and sisters, Christine Roberson and Mary Ellen Reynolds of Pikeville.
Catherine graduated valedictorian from Carver High School in 1948. As a military spouse, she was much traveled, living in San Francisco, CA, Richland, WA, Spokane, WA, Red Bank, NJ, Colorado Springs, CO, Wiesbaden, Germany and finally in Dayton, TN for almost 40 years. She worked both as a homemaker, raising seven children, and outside the home, for several years as a nurse’s aide in New Jersey and Colorado, then as an employee of Suburban Manufacturing Co. in Dayton, from where she retired after 25 years.
She was an active member of her local sewing club and the Dayton Community Choir. She was a longtime member of First Christian Community Church under the pastorate of Rev. Charles Johnson, where she was a member of the choir.
She is survived by her daughters Melody Lorraine “MeMe” Mays and Debbie Suzette “DeeDee” (Freddy) Swader, both of Murfreesboro and Sandra Lucynthia “Cindy” (Mickey) Wallace of Mount Vernon, OH, sister Mildred Hardy of Kingsport, two daughters-in-law, Caroline Wilkerson of Dayton and Shirley Wilkerson of Murfreesboro, twenty-two grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren, as well as a host of nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.
Funeral services for Catherine will be Sunday afternoon at 5:00 pm in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Charles Johnson officiating. She will be laid to rest with her husband in Chattanooga National Cemetery Monday morning at 11:30 a.m.
Please share your memories of Catherine on her on-line guest register at www.vanderwallfh.com .
The family is being served by the Vanderwall Funeral Home in Dayton where they will receive friends one hour prior to the funeral.