Jerry Gammon

A 77-year-old astute businessman in Smith and Trousdale Counties and a gentleman who was a prodigy at marketing, Mr. Jerry Wayne Gammon Sr., ended his earthly journey on Sunday morning June 22, 2025 at 4:38 a.m. with his family at his bedside. He was pronounced deceased at the family's Morris Drive home at 5:30 a.m. by Gentiva Hospice who had lovingly assisted the family with his care. Mr. Gammon had gallantly battled prostate cancer for fifteen years.
Funeral services are scheduled to be conducted on Thursday afternoon June 26th at 1 p.m. from the Carthage United Methodist Church with the church pastor, Rev. Tom Pierce officiating. Family members will deliver the eulogies. Burial will follow in the Garden of Gethsemane at the Smith County Memorial Gardens.
Military graveside honors will be by the United States Army detachment from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Visitation will be on Wednesday afternoon June 25th from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home and on Thursday June 26th at Sanderson in Carthage from 10 a.m. until leaving for the church at 12:40 p.m.
Mr. Gammon was born Jerry Wayne Gammon on June 1, 1948 at the former McFarland Hospital in Lebanon and was brought home to the Gammon family home in the Russell Hill Community where he was reared until the family relocated to the Tanglewood Community in 1969.
The eldest child of two sons and a daughter, he was the son of Lafayette native, the late Willie Cephus Gammon Jr., who died on June 10, 1994 at the age of 64 and Russell Hill Community native, Martha Christine Hesson Gammon, who died May 12, 2002 at the age of 72.
A brother, Jackie Howell Gammon preceded him in death on October 15, 2023 at the age of 72 and a brother-in-law, Harry Lee Davis Jr. preceded him in death at the age of 70 on June 13, 2024.
A member of the 1966 graduating class at Smith County High School, he majored in science and mathematics, played football the final three years of high school, was a member of the "C" club and Pep club, was in the high school chorus his senior year and also his senior year was in the Spring Festival and Fall Festival.
The statement made of him in the "66 annual was; "To be strong is to be happy".
Mr. Gammon attended Cumberland College in Lebanon for two years before entering military service.
He honorably served our country with the United States Army during the Vietnam War, serving eleven months and twenty-nine days in Vietnam with Company C 2nd Battalion in the 61st Army Infantry from July 9, 1969 to July 7, 1970. While in Vietnam he served as a light weapons infantryman.
He was inducted on February 5, 1969 and honorably discharged with the rank of Sergent at Fort Carson, Colorado on December 23, 1970.
For his meritorious service he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, a Combat Infantry Badge, a Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal with a 60 device.
Mr. Gammon before entering service, attended the Cumberland College in Lebanon for two years and following military service graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a Bachelor Degree in Marketing.
At the Carthage United Methodist Church in Carthage on July 10, 1971, he was united in marriage to Carthage native, the former Suzanne Davis, daughter of the late Harry Lee Davis Sr. who was co-owner of Smith County Motor Co., the Ford dealer in Smith County, and the late Clara Davis.
Being the consummate marketing achiever, he had purchased the Ben Franklin Store on Main Street in Carthage from Glen Sanderson and after the establishment of the Gammon Center, he relocated the store to the Gammon Retail Campus.
There he also established the Smith County Shoppers Guide, which main purpose was to advertise the grocery store weekly specials and other Gammon businesses along with some local news.
In1969 Jerry's father opened Gammon Texaco at the site of the present McDonalds Restaurant in Carthage which the family owned and operated until 1976. In the fall of 1976, they purchased the Edith McDuffee home beside Sanderson Funeral Home and constructed the Carthage I.G.A. which opened on December 6, 1978 to much fanfare. The family all worked there and later the store became known as Foodland and after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Gammon Jerry acquired all the interest of the store.
Jerry also operated Pep-A-Roni's, the Carthage Skating Rink located in the basement of Foodland, and a Rent-A-Center, all on the Foodland complex.
The Gammon family had leased a space to John Wood, who owned and operated the Pill Box Pharmacy until John's retiring and purchasing the W.R.K.M. Radio Station.
Later Jerry purchased a shopping center in Hartsville where he co-owned the Foodland there, an E-Z Storage complex and was owner of the Hartsville Discount Tobacco Shop located on the Foodland Shopping Center property.
Mr. Gammon was a devoted member of the Carthage United Methodist Church where he taught Sunday School, sang in the choir and was a member of the finance committee.
Surviving in addition to his wife Suzanne of almost fifty-four years are their four children, Heather Gammon of Carthage, Christy Gammon England and husband Paul Allen of Parsons, Tennessee, twins, Julie Gammon Wyatt and husband Luke of Nashville, Jerry Wayne Gammon Jr. and wife Jodi of Carthage; sister, Jeanette Gammon Watts and husband Bruce of Carthage; five grandchildren, Bennett Wayne Gammon, Suzanna Freddie Gammon, Millie Jo England, Clara Frances England and Lawson Wayne England; sister-in-law, Pam Hiett Davis of the Riddleton Community; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Alan and Suzette Davis Long of the Turkey Creek Community; many, many beloved nieces and nephews.
The Gammon family has requested memorials to the Carthage United Methodist Church.
Honorary pallbearers: "The Bandits": Kerry Sloan, Tom McCall and Garry Holliman &
employees of the Hartsville Foodland.
Active Pallbearers: Gary Russell, Allen Wayne Silcox, Tom White, Jimmy Carter,
Dr. Jon Alan Long, Brent Long, Jeffrey Davis, Matthew & Jesse Watts