| Sources |
- [S76] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume III, 1974-1986, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 22 Apr 1974.
Hattie Williams obituary
- [S84] E-Mail, Carroll McMahan [cmcmahan@scoc.org], 30 Jul 2007.
- [S47] Sevier County, Tennessee and its Heritage, Sevier County Heritage Book Committee, (1994, Don Mills, Inc.), 206.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 11 Nov 2014.
Clyde McMahan, 84, was Johnson and Galyon superintendent
Clyde McMahan, 84, died Saturday at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville. He was a life-long resident of Sevierville before moving to Knoxville two years ago.
In 1949, McMahan started working in the commercial construction business as a laborer for Foster Creighton Construction. By the time he retired, in 1994, he had worked his way through the ranks and was project superintendent for Knoxville-based Johnson & Galyon Construction Company.
“Clyde was a skilled carpenter producing quality work and was a respected leader,” said James S. Bush, Johnson & Galyon retired chairman of the board. “He exemplified the qualities of skill, responsibility and integrity-the qualities on which Johnson & Galyon has built its reputation. “
Johnson& Galyon projects McMahan had an impact on include Riverview Tower, Howard Baker Federal Courthouse, Cherokee Country Club, the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center renovation, the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital addition, Baptist Hospital of Cocke County, and Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center additions and renovations.
McMahan was the father of Sevier County historian and Upland Chronicles columnist Carroll McMahan, and Janice McKinley, senior vice-president and chief nursing officer for Covenant Health Corporation.
Other survivors include his wife of 65 years, Louise McMahan; daughters Nina Reagan, Terry Montgomery and Debbie Atchley; son Gary McMahan; and eight grandchildren, nice great-grandchildren, three brothers and two sisters.
The family will receive friends4-6:45 p.m. Tuesday with funeral service to follow at 7 p.m. in the West Chapel of Atchley Funeral Home.
Interment is 11 a.m. Wednesday in Shiloh Cemetery.
“Clyde always gave a full day’s work on the job and inspired the people around him to do the same,” Bush said. “He was a true asset to Johnson & Galyon or nearly three decades.”
CAPTION FOR PICTURE
Clyde McMahan is shown in front of the tree
his family donated in honor to Sevierville’s
Burchfiel Grove and Arboretum.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 20 Jun 2015.
Upland Chronicles: A son remembers his dad on Father’s Day
CARROLL MCMAHAN
Clyde McMahan pictured as a young man. He was the father of six.
Carroll McMahan (right), author of this column, with his father, Clyde McMahan, at Little Greenbrier Cove in December 1997.
Celebrating his last Father’s Day, in 2014 at Bays Mountain Park, Clyde McMahan checks out a tall tree.
The rolling stream of life rolls on.
But still the vacant chair
Recalls the love, the voice, the smile
Of the one who once sat there.
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds and the influence of fathers in society. The annual holiday can prove challenging for anyone mourning the loss of their dad. Losing your father is devastating, especially if you were close to him. Every father has a legacy. My dad's life was made joyful by family ties, fortified by hard work and grounded in traditional Christian principles.
My father, Clyde McKinley McMahan, started working in the commercial construction trade as a laborer for Foster Creighton Construction Company in 1949. By the time he retired, in 1994, he had worked his way through the ranks and was project superintendent for Knoxville-based Johnson & Galyon.
Born March 8, 1930, he was one of nine children of George McMahan and Nancy King McMahan. He and his brothers started working at their father's sawmill and on Cleo Burchfiel's farm at a very young age. Dad left school after the eighth grade and started working for local contractor Charlie Blalock.
At age 19 he married my mother, Louise Sims, and in the ensuing years they had six children who include my sisters Janice, Nina, Terry and Debbie, and my brother, Gary. Dad often told the story about being hired to work for Foster Creighton Company that was building the University of Tennessee College of Law building. He was scheduled to start work on a cold Friday in December.
But fate intervened. Instead of reporting to work in Knoxville as planned, he was at Broady's Hospital in Sevierville awaiting my arrival. With a wife and son to support, Dad eagerly reported for work at his new job the following Monday.
In the four and a half decades that followed, working for companies such as such as Foster Creighton, V.L. Nicholson, Melson, Rentenbach, and Johnson & Galyon, Dad built a legacy of which he was very proud.
"Clyde McMahan was a skilled carpenter producing quality work and was a respected leader," said James S. Bush, retired chairman of the board of Johnson & Galyon Construction Company. "He exemplified the qualities of skill, responsibility and integrity – the qualities on which Johnson & Galyon has built its reputation." Dad left his impact on several landmark construction projects throughout Knoxville and the surrounding areas.
Among the buildings that stand in part as a testament to his work are the Howard H. Baker Jr. United States Courthouse, Riverview Tower and Cherokee Country Club. The Fort Sanders Medical Center renovation, the East Tennessee Children's Hospital addition, Baptist Hospital of Cocke County, and additions and renovations at Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center can also be noted among his achievements.
His family is rightly proud of his fine work ethic. But his wife and children feel his crowning achievement was being a devoted husband and respected father. He was the glue that held us together, the peacekeeper, and our Rock of Gibraltar. He sat at the head of our table, literally and figuratively.
In the end, all we have left are memories, bits and pieces of time we've spent together. No matter how long the time, it never seems like enough. Our memories are as varied as the personalities of the big brood he raised.
Collectively we recall our dad taking us on much anticipated Sunday drives, swimming with us in the river at Flint Rock swimming hole in Emert's Cove or at our cousin's place in Richardson's Cove, and teaching each of us how to drive a car. He was an armchair cowboy, and we all knew not to interrupt him during an episode of "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," or "Wagon Train."
I always remember his strong, gentle hands – holding my little hand as I crossed the street, supporting and guiding me as he taught me to walk and ride a bicycle. I treasure his trademark idioms such as "Well, I'd be dag gone," or "Do I look like I'm made out of money?"
Haircut day was a special bonding time for me and my dad. That was when I got to ride shotgun to Conley Sims' barbershop in Sevierville on Saturday afternoon. I vividly remember entering through the door beside the brightly striped barber pole, the smell of talcum powder, and the shoe-shine stand.
I loved to go with my dad to my grandfather's sawmill, where the loud buzzing of the saws and pleasant fragrance of fresh-cut timber filled the air. Those were special times shared between my father and me.
My dad was not perfect. He possessed an Irish temper, and we never wanted to ignite his short fuse. He ran a tight ship and managed to maintain discipline with ease. He did not always offer compromise as an option. Although we sometimes questioned his authoritarian position, in retrospect we realize he knew what was right and best for us.
Dad was proud of his heritage and his progeny. Leading by example, he showed us how to be good sons and daughters by the respect he displayed toward his own parents. And most importantly, he always loved and respected our mother. His love for family was deep and indisputable.
After we were grown, Dad walked my sisters down the aisle and served as my best man. He relished the role of grandfather and eventually that of great-grandfather. He was held in high regard by his in-laws, whom he treated as his own.
Surrounded by the overwhelming love and presence of his beloved family, my father died on Nov. 8, 2014, at age 84. His once strong, steady hands had grown weak and trembled. It took all the strength and faith I had to finally let go. Reflecting, I realize how lucky I was to have him as a role model. I have always been proud to be his son.
Carroll McMahan is special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce and serves as Sevier County historian.
The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments, contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: Clyde Mcmahan
Event: Census
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: District 3, Campbell, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Age: 0
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Birthplace: Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1930
Immigration Year:
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Enumeration District Number: 0012
Family Number: 481
Sheet Number and Letter: 25A
Line Number: 6
NARA Publication: T626, roll 2235
Film Number: 2341969
Digital Folder Number: 4548149
Image Number: 00502
Household Gender Age
Parent George Mcmahan M 28
Parent Nancy Mcmahan F 26
Lucele Mcmahan F 7
Nina Mcmahan F 5
Ray Mcmahan M 2
Clyde Mcmahan M 0
Effie Cain F 19
Lynn Knight M 27
Haskel Dunn M 29
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 8 Nov 2014.
March 8, 1930 - November 8, 2014
Resided in Knoxville, TN
Clyde McKinley McMahan, age 84, a life-long resident of Sevierville before moving to Knoxville two years ago, passed away peacefully Saturday, November 8, 2014 at Parkwest Medical Center with his beloved family at his side.
Born March 8, 1930, he was a son of George McKinley McMahan and Nancy King McMahan who preceded him in death along with his granddaughter Jacqueline Reagan, sister Nina Smelcer, and brothers Ray and Eugene McMahan.
He was a member of Sevierville Church of God and retired as a superintendent for Johnson & Galyon Construction after working 44 years in the commercial construction trade.
Survivors:
Wife of 65 years: Louise McMahan
Children and spouses: Carroll McMahan and wife Michelle, Janice McKinley and husband Rudy, Nina Reagan, Terry Montgomery and husband Frank, Debbie Atchley and husband Rick, and Gary McMahan
Grandchildren and spouses: Nathan Widmer, Jasmine Hardin and husband Scott, Jedediah Reagan and wife Amy, Nancy Cherry and husband Nick, Robert Montgomery and wife Melissa, Daniel McMahan and wife Lauren, Russell Montgomery, and Michael McMahan
Great-grandchildren: Kahli Hardin, Campbell Hardin, McClain Hardin, Juliet Montgomery, Noelle Montgomery, Hank Cherry, Abigayle Cherry, McKenzie McMahan, Ryan McMahan, and Hunter McMahan
Brothers and spouses: Howard McMahan and wife Pauline, Charles McMahan and wife Lillie, James L. McMahan and wife Jeri
Sisters: Lucille Watson and Bonnie Whaley
Nephews and nieces: Ray Watson, Susan Howell, Linda Kupferer, Steve McMahan, Jeff McMahan, Doyle McMahan, Greg Whaley, Dennis McMahan, Jentri Linn, and Jason McMahan
In lieu of flowers, those who wish may contribute to the parsonage fund of Sevierville Church of God, 1018 Oak St., Sevierville, TN 37862, or to the charity of their choice.
Family will receive friends 4-6:45 PM Tuesday with funeral service to follow at 7 PM in the West Chapel of Atchley Funeral Home with Rev. James McFalls officiating. Graveside service 11 AM Wednesday in Shiloh Cemetery. (www.atchleyfuneralhome.com)
- [S147] Find a Grave, (Memorial: 138527099).
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