Talmadge Carver

Talmadge Grayson Carver, age 77, of Algood, TN, passed away August 14, 2021, at Cookeville Regional Medical Center in Cookeville, TN, after several years of fighting multiple medical issues. He was a long-time member of Poplar Grove Baptist Church. Talmadge’s life celebration will be Saturday, August 21, at 1:00 p.m. at the Cookeville chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home. Dr. Jason Groe of Poplar Grove Baptist Church will officiate. The family will receive friends from 11:00 a.m. until service time. Interment and memorial service will be at Lakewood Memorial Park, Jackson, MS, at a later date. He is survived by a loving and devoted wife of 32 years, Barbara Kent Carver; two daughters, Catherine “Cathy” Danton (husband William “Billy” Danton), grandsons, Grayson Danton, and Dylan Danton, all of Hendersonville, TN, and granddaughter Alison Danton of Denver CO; and Cynthia Helen “Cindy” Paull (husband Eric Paull), granddaughter Madie and grandson Evren all of Bloomington, IN; two brothers, James Carl Carver (wife Ginger Carver) of Starkville, MS, and Kirk Langston Carver of Brandon, MS, and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by two stepsons, Ken Weaver (wife Cindy), step granddaughters Kayla and Hannah of Madison, MS, and Randy Weaver (wife Patsy) and step grandson Zachary of Madison, MS. He was preceded in death by his parents, Helen Langston and Allen Grayson Carver of Clinton, MS, and his brother William Herbert "Billy" Carver of Tucson, AZ. Born in New Orleans on October 30, 1943, he never passed up a chance to celebrate that heritage with a bowl of shrimp creole, seafood gumbo, boiled shrimp, or red beans and rice. And there was always room for a slice of Key Lime pie, Gambino’s King Cake, or Kayla’s homemade pecan pretzel Rolos. The 1962 Class of Clinton (MS) High School is still a close network of friends and Talmadge will always be a cherished part of that group. Stories of that time and subsequent reunions are classified. Baseball was a love of his and he was catcher on his high school baseball team. After graduation he enlisted in the Air Force, was a proud Veteran, and patriotic citizen. A favorite joke of his was that when he got out of the service, he couldn’t get into college, so he went to LSU. Talmadge had many fond memories of his girls growing up, especially of coaching girl’s softball. To his daughters Cathy and Cindy, he was not only their softball coach but their personal coach as well. Talmadge began his career with the phone company in Raleigh-Durham, moved to Cookeville, and retired as Engineering Manager with GTE in 1995. Tal was highly thought of by those he worked with. In retirement, he maintained the facilities and properties of Poplar Grove Baptist Church. Along with being Poplar Grove’s “Mr. Fix It”, he enjoyed a good cup of coffee and jesting with the staff. You could always call on Mr. Tal. Woodworking was something he enjoyed and usually worked with exotic woods like walnut or cherry. His work was usually clearcoated to bring out the natural beauty of the wood, but everyone knew that his favorite colors were Bayou Bengal purple and gold, and USA red, white, and blue. Talmadge said so many times over his first cup of coffee how blessed he is to have our beautiful home to wake up to. “Thank you, God.”, he would say. He was so caring of Barbara, encouraging her to visit friends and family. “You go. I’ll take care of the animals.” Talmadge was a a right hand for Barbara and an active non-member of the Putnam County Master Gardeners. He was always with the group helping to build projects and going out for food and water. He cared about others, always smiling and never one to sit around doing nothing. He was “as handy as a pocket on a shirt”. He loved helping others and held traditional American values. He was a man that you could count on to do the right thing and do it well. If you needed a decision made, he was the one to make it. By the same token, if you wanted to know what he thought, he would tell you. He always welcomed family and friends with a smile and firm handshake. Family coming in was a busy time for him with shopping, shopping, shopping. He never complained about being sent back out for yet one more thing. All the cashiers knew him by name. Many friends have said they would always run into Tal at Walmart. Talmadge participated in Cooking on the Square from its first year until he was physically unable to do so. He was known by everyone for his Red Beans and BROWN rice. Since his birthday was the same week, It was only appropriate that we celebrated at that festive event with the wonderful Cajun food, friends on the square, and authenic King Cake ordered up from Gambino’s in New Orleans. Laissez Les Bons Temps Roulez! In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to Upper Cumberland Habitat For Humanity, 728 E. 15th St., Cookeville, TN 38501, or to Poplar Grove Baptist Church, 4365 Rocky Point Rd., Cookeville, TN 38506. Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements (931)526-6111. Share memories and condolences at hhhfunerals.com