Newell Sanders (Hooper) Hurd

Newell Sanders (Hooper) Hurd passed away Sunday night , June 6, 2010, at Cocke County Convalescent Center at the age of 93 after a period of declining health. The daughter of Governor Ben Walter Hooper and his wife, the former Annabelle Jones, she was born in Newport on November 9, 1916 at the family home after her father had fulfilled his term as Tennessee's governor. The family later moved to Chicago after her father accepted a position as Chairman of the U. S. Railroad Labor Board and it was here that she began her education. Following the family's return to Cocke County in 1925, she continued her studies at Newport Grammar School and Cocke County High School. On March 11, 1935, she married Edward Floyd Hurd, a young attorney who came to Newport in 1931 to practice law with Dooley McSween and George R. Shepherd. The couple became the parents of four daughters. In 1936, she was the second Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Dogwood Festival Queen. She was also a charter member of the Newport Clifton Club and of the William Cocke Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Many teenagers of the 1950s-1960s will remember her as a teacher of ballroom dancing. She was also a Brownie Scout leader in the 1950s. For many years, she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Newport. In 1969 she was confirmed in the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation and was a devoted member as long as her health permitted. She served on the church's Mission Council on more than one occasion. She will be remembered as a gracious hostess who welcomed countless groups and individuals to her home in Carson Springs. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by one sister Anna B. (Hooper) Phillips and three brothers Ben Jones Hooper, James Randolph Hooper, and Lemuel Washington "Tige" Hooper. Survivors include her daughters Jane (Hurd) Ferree, Glendale Springs, NC; Frances (Hurd) Mullen and husband Maxwell, Newport; Sandra (Hurd) Scott and husband Stan, Nashville; and Annabelle H. Hurd, Hendersonville, NC; twelve grandchildren and their spouses: Alan and Michelle Christner, Louisville,KY; Edward and Charity Christner, St. Petersburg, FL.; Richard and Tracey Christner, St. Petersburg, FL; Pam Christner, St. Petersburg, FL; Bert and Janie Mullen, Newport; Missy and Shannon Howard, Louisville,TN; Betsy Bowman, Kiser,OR; Syd and Linda Bowman, Hendersonville, TN; Martha and Marcus Brown, Fairview,TN; Annabelle and Fritz Leonard, Castle Rock,CO; Allison Buchanan, Philadelphia,PA; and Ben Buchanan, Seattle, WA; and seventeen great-grandchildren. Additional survivors include one sister Janella (Hooper) Carpenter of Newport; several nieces and nephews including Randolph and Karen Hooper, Ben W. and Patsy Hooper II, and Jan Carpenter, and a special cousin Christine (Jones) Valentine, all of Newport; numerous other cousins and countless friends. Funeral services for Newell Sanders (Hooper) Hurd will be held Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 11:00 a.m., at the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, 304 Cosby Road, Newport. The family will receive friends at the church from 10:00- 11:00 a.m. prior to the services. Memorial gifts may be made to the church or to Library Friends, 383 East Broadway, Newport, TN 37821 or Charity of Your Choice. Family and friends may sign guest register online at: www.manesfunerlhome.com Manes Funeral Home is in charge.

Newell Sanders (Hooper) Hurd

November 9, 1916 - June 6, 2010