William (Bill) Herbert Jolley died peacefully at the Veterans Home in Oxford, Mississippi on April 4, 2013 at the age of 96. He is survived by his three sons (Robert, William, and Charlie), his wife Sue and her four sons (Steve, Mike, Van, Michael, and Jim James), his three sisters (Ruth, Patty, and Coleen), as well as nieces and nephews scattered across the states. His sister Aileen died last month.
Bill was born on October 19,1916 to the Reverend and Mrs. C. N. Jolley, the oldest of 5 children. He graduated from Fulton High School in Fulton, Kentucky followed by his college years at Lambuth College (Jackson, Tennessee) and Memphis State University (Memphis, Tennessee) prior to receiving his DDS from the University of Tennessee Memphis in 1941.
Bill served his country during WWII as a Major working in the US Army Dental Corps. His service continued after his honorable discharge, through his activities in the US Army Reserve’s 330th General Hospital Unit as a Colonel commanding the Dental Section. After his discharge, he had a successful dental practice in Paris, Tennessee for 10 years before returning to the University of Tennessee in 1956 where he was appointed Associate Professor in Oral Medicine and Surgery. In 1958, Bill became the Clinical Director of the UT College of Dentistry. He was the only UT alumni to be Dean of the School of Dentistry (1952-1961), returning to that position as Acting Dean from 1969 to 1970. His career was long and distinguished. Among his proudest activities, he included being a founding member of the Tennessee Dental Alumni Association in 1960.
He and Sue Elliott Hedges married in 1979, enjoying retirement traveling in their RV. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Water Valley, Mississippi, where he served on the Official Board. Bill was an avid reader to the end of his life, surprising his care-givers by the depth of his interests in politics, the military, and pioneering of the west. In March 2012, he was honored by Mason Lodge No. 108 in Paris, Tennessee for “more than 65 years of outstanding service to his brethren”.
A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, April 9 at the Memphis Memorial Gardens at 1:30 pm in Memphis, Tennessee. Bill will be put to rest with his parents to whom he was devoted, following the service to celebrate a long, loving, and productive life.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Veterans Home, 120 Veterans Drive, Oxford, Mississippi 38655 where Bill resided for the last years of his life. Or, donations can be sent to the University of Tennessee, College of Dentistry, 875 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38163.