Parsons mourns longtime Tennessee DOT engineer and family man

Walter J. Brasher, 84, a Parsons resident and retired materials test engineer with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, died Thursday, Jan. 8, at Alive Hospice in Nashville. A fixture in Decatur County engineering circles and a committed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Brasher’s passing is felt across Parsons, Decaturville and Bath Springs.

Born Aug. 22, 1941, in Decatur County to W.J. and Mary Ruth Cole Brasher, he spent his career testing materials that helped shape the safety and reliability of Tennessee’s roads. After retirement he remained linked to the local community through family and church activities. He is survived by his wife, Linda Pulley Brasher of Parsons; two daughters, Renah Holmes of Florida and Lori Brasher of Decaturville; and three sons, Walter Thomas Brasher of Clarksville, J. C. Richardson II of Indiana and Kyle Richardson of Idaho. He leaves 17 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, two daughters, a sister and two brothers.

His funeral service was held at Reed’s Chapel in Decaturville on Tuesday, Jan. 13, with burial at Lone Chestnut Cemetery in Bath Springs. Those gatherings brought together extended family and neighbors from across the county, underscoring the close ties in small communities where church and civic life frequently overlap.

Brasher’s death also highlights broader public health and social concerns for Decatur County. He passed at an urban hospice facility in Nashville, illustrating a common pattern for rural residents who must travel significant distances for specialized end-of-life care. That travel can place logistical and financial burdens on families and points to gaps in local access to hospice and palliative services in rural Tennessee.

As a retired state employee whose work contributed to public safety, Brasher’s life raises questions about how health and social services support retired public servants and their families in rural counties. The loss underscores the importance of community networks, local churches and extended family in filling gaps where formal services are sparse.

Neighbors and colleagues remember Brasher for steady service and deep family ties. For Decatur County, his passing is a moment to celebrate those contributions and to consider practical steps forward for rural eldercare—strengthening local hospice outreach, improving transportation options, and ensuring retired workers can access coordinated care near home. As families gather to remember him, the community can also use this moment to talk about how to better support aging residents across Parsons, Decaturville and Bath Springs in the years ahead.