| Sources |
- [S76] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume III, 1974-1986, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 10 Jun 1978.
John Sherrod Sexton obituary
- [S25] Smith Mortuary Company, www.smithmortuary.com, 10 Jan 2013.
Scott Dewayne Sexton obituary
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 20 Jun 2008.
Howard Sexton
August 02, 1939 - June 20, 2008
Birthplace: Iowa City, Iowa
Resided In: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Visitation: June 22, 2008
Service: June 23, 2008
Cemetery: Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens
Howard Sexton, age 68 of Pigeon Forge, passed over on Friday, June 20, 2008 at the Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee. Mr. Sexton has served on the City of Pigeon Forge, City Council since 1981, including serving as Vice-Mayor. He was a member of the Pigeon Forge Planning Commission, a former member of the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport Authority, a member of the Pigeon Forge Volunteer Fire Department, and a volunteer for the Pigeon Forge Police Department. He was partners with Alex Davis in D&S Builders.
Survivors:
Wife: Sue Sword Sexton
Daughters: Debbie Vineyard, Beverly Fugate
Son: Scott Sexton
Grandchildren: Tyler Vineyard, Jackie Fugate, Zack Sexton, Derek Sexton
Brother and sisters: Reece Sexton of Morristown, Wilma Latham and husband Bob of Seymour, Portia Williamson of Sevierville
Special niece: Teresa Yoakum
Family friends: Carla Lane, Michelle Reed
Memorial donations may be made in Howard’s name to the American Cancer Society, c/o Teri Newman, 3629 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 37863.
Pallbearers will be Anthony Yazel, Zack Sexton, Tyler Vineyard, Derek Sexton, Kevin Williamson, and Westin Bryant.
Funeral service 10 AM Monday in the West Chapel of Atchley Funeral Home with Rev. Wayne Cook officiating. Interment will follow in Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens. The family will receive friends 5-8 PM Sunday at Atchley Funeral Home, Sevierville. (www.atchleyfuneralhome.com)
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 23 Jun 2008.
Pigeon Forge City Commissioner Howard Sexton dead at 68
By: JENNIFER ALEXANDER Staff Writer June 23, 2008
PIGEON FORGE - Anyone who knew Howard Sexton would describe him as an unselfish pioneer for Pigeon Forge, one who loved his family and the city in which he lived and worked.
Sexton, who died Friday at the age of 68, was in his 27th year on the City Commission. He has served on the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. Before being elected, Sexton was a volunteer fireman and an auxiliary policeman, according to City Manager Earlene Teaster.
"He was very active with the city. He was faithful, loved the city of Pigeon Forge. Family and the city - those were the things he loved so dearly. He was a very unselfish person, a true friend to the city," Teaster said.
Sexton had battled lung cancer for some nine years, but he never let the disease keep him down.
"He was a real fighter, never willing to give up," Teaster said.
"He never let (the cancer) keep him down," Vice Mayor Kevin McClure said. "He was always joking or kidding around. He was a fighter and I admired him for that."
McClure, first elected in 2005, said he'd known Sexton most of his life.
"He was an honorable man and he gave me a lot of advice," McClure said.
McClure said Sexton had been a mentor to him during his time on the commission.
Former Mayor Ralph Chance served on the City Commission with Sexton for 20 years.
"He was very instrumental in getting the city of Pigeon Forge where it is today," Chance said. "His role was a positive, direct one, getting the city to be a premier tourist destination. He was devoted to taxpayers, the guests, and everything involved with tourist industry. He wanted Pigeon Forge to be a great place to live as well as a great place to visit."
Chance said he was proudest of working with Sexton to land new businesses and improve tourism.
Sexton had been in the construction business since 1972, according to his business partner Alex Davis, who is also partial owner of D&S Construction in Pigeon Forge.
"I worked with him for eight years. He was a great friend and a mentor to me," Davis said. "Howard helped me get started in this business, gave me an opportunity to work with him."
Davis said he and Sexton started their business in 2000.
"I loved sitting around and listening to Howard and his friends talk about the old days in Pigeon Forge. He loved the city, you know. He loved life and to tell me about the old days," Davis said.
A resident of the city of Pigeon Forge for more than 30 years, Sexton and his wife Sue had three children and four grandchildren.
The City Commission has postponed Monday's scheduled meeting to June 30.
For details on the funeral and a complete obituary, see Page A4.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 24 Jun 2008.
A good public servant: Howard Sexton loved Pigeon Forge and served it long and well
Public service can be a thankless job. Those who do it and do it well are to be treasured. Howard Sexton was one of those who did it well. Sexton, who died last Friday at the age of 68, served 27 years on the Pigeon Forge City Commission. Last year he resigned from the Planning Commission after a number of years of service to that board.
Sexton was a gentleman, but he also was fighter. Diagnosed with lung cancer nine years ago, he wouldn't let the disease win - at least not without a fight. He fought it hard for nearly a decade before cancer won out. But he never stopped his service to the city and the people, although he left the Planning Commission last year largely due to health concerns.
Sexton spent much of his adult life serving the city he so dearly loved. He was a volunteer firefighter before he got elected to the City Commission. He even had a stint as an auxiliary police officer. After he was elected he and others were instrumental in taking Pigeon Forge from a sleepy city next to Gatlinburg and making it a destination in its own right. The opening of Dollywood helped, but Sexton understood that to win their share of tourists and tourist dollars, you had to be aggressive and supportive of business and commercial development.
Sexton, Ralph Chance, the late Bill Maples and others were critical to Pigeon Forge carving out its own niche. It hasn't always been the thriving little city it is now. Many point to the World's Fair in Knoxville as a pivotal time for the city, when it drew fairgoers looking for some diversion. They passed through Pigeon Forge on their way to Gatlinburg and noticed the fun things to do in the city. Sexton supported projects that helped make the city a hot spot for tourists. Former Mayor Chance said Sexton was a major factor in Pigeon Forge becoming a major tourist destination, a legacy Sexton surely accepted with pride.
With his ready smile and easygoing manner, Howard Sexton endeared himself to the people of his beloved city, and in turn they kept re-electing him and showing support for what he was doing.
We have lost some major players in Sevier County in recent weeks: former Pigeon Forge City Commissioner BiIl Maples, former Gatlinburg Commissioner Luther Ogle and now Howard Sexton. These men lived long, fulfilling lives and helped their communities along the way. They'll be missed, but their work will live on. That's as they would have wanted it.
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name Bride's First Name Bride's Maiden Name County Date of Marriage File #
SEXTON KENNETH H EDNA S [NOT GIVEN] WASHINGTON 06-10-1987 27013
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