Peggy Halbrook Tanksley

PEGGY HALBROOK TANKSLEY, resident of Bright Glade Health and Rehab Center formally of Batesville, MS went peacefully home to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, March 8, 2009 at Methodist Germantown Hospital as the result of a stroke on February the 7. Peggy lived a long and happy life and loved to be surrounded by her family and friends. She loved the Lord and taught us the importance of putting Him first. She also taught us the beauty of this world through her love of flowers, animals, and classical music. Undeniably, it is a great loss and a rendering of our hearts, but what a sweet homecoming and glorious gain for her. Peggy grew up in the Mississippi Delta at Belzoni MS and was a true Southern Belle. She graduated from Belzoni High School and attended Harding College in Sercy, AR. After college she went to work in Oak Ridge, TN where she met her husband, Pete Tanksley. They were married on August 6, 1948, and lived in Nashville, TN. After several moves and two loving children, the family settled in Batesville, MS. Peggy was a member of the Batesville Garden Club and the Batesville Church of Christ where she was involved in many different aspects from teaching little ones Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and served as the Church Secretary. She was retired from the South Panola School District where she worked as an elementary school secretary. She was preceded in death by her parents Mr. and Mrs James Porter Halbrook Sr., her husband Radford Douglas (Pete) Tanksley Sr., her brother James Porter Halbrook Jr., her sisters, Mary Victoria Paine and Kathleen Elizabeth Davis. She is survived by her sister Sarah Thornton Halbrook of Bright Glade Health and Rehab, Memphis TN. Her son Dr. Radford Douglas Tanksley, Jr., and his wife Liane Tanksley of New London, CT, her daughter Sissy Tanksley Criss and her husband, Robert Criss of Memphis TN, her grandchildren, Rachel Criss Black and husband Lt. Andrew Black of Dover, DE, Ethan Douglas Tanksley and wife Tricky Tanksley of New London, CT, Meredith Jordan Tanksley of New York, NY, and Mary Caitlin Tanksley of New London, CT. Memorial Services will be held at Memphis Funeral Home Poplar Chapel on Thursday, March 12 at 2 p.m. Visitation will be held prior to the service from noon until 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent in Peggy Tanksley’s memory to one of the following; Harding University Graduate School of Religion, Memphis TN, Methodist Alliance Hospice, or the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County. We would like to thank the Nursing Staff on 3 South at Methodist Germantown Hospital, Dr. Clay Jackson, Dr. Joseph Weems, and Mary Huebner RN of Methodist Hospice for the kind and compassionate care of our mother. They have truly been an example of the hands and feet of Jesus. Memphis Funeral Home Poplar (901)725-0100 www.memphisfuneralhome.net