Ray Franklin Koonce

RAY FRANKLIN KOONCE, age 89 of Jefferson City, Tennessee, passed away at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 13, 2002, at Life Care Center in Jefferson City following a brief illness. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Jefferson City where he served as a Deacon, Sunday School teacher, chairman of pastor search committee and served on many other committees. Mr. Koonce was a graduate of Mississippi College and obtained a Master of Regligious Education degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. He served in the US Army in Japan during World War II. He was Director of Guidance and Placement and professor of psychology at Carson-Newman College. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Susan Koonce Sonnen, and his wife of 59 years, Virginia Purdue Koonce. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Janis Koonce of Athens, TN; granddaughters, Ginger Koonce of Knoxville, TN, Katie Sonnen and Meredith Sonnen of Washington, PA; son-in-law, John Sonnen of washington, PA; brother and sister-in-law, William J. and Joyce Purdue of Jefferson City; nieces and nephews, Ann Bice of Jefferson City, Bill Purdue of Morristown, and Darrell Purdue of Kidder, MO. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 16, 2002, from the First Baptist Church of Jefferson City with Dr. Gene Wilder and Dr. Carey Herring officiating. Interment will follow in Jefferson Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on Saturday prior to services at First Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ray and Virginia Koonce Scholarship Fune, c/o Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, TN 37760 Arrangements by Farrar Funeral Home in Jefferson City, TN (865)475-3892