Bill Cude (1-10-13) service 1-12-13

Bill Cude

Bill Cude, of Buena Vista, Tenn., was born in Rives, Tenn., on March 3, 1936, the son of the late James Robert and Maudie Elizabeth Culberson Cude.

Bill was a soil conservationist. He received his Bachelors of Science degree at UT Martin. He worked for the Soil Conservation Service in Huntingdon, Tenn., and Alamo, Tenn., for 30 years. Bill also worked for the Federal Department of Agriculture in Berrien Springs, Mich., Frostproof, Fla., and Ville Platte, La., where he was a food inspector. Bill loved farming and worked the Cude family farm in Rives, Tenn., from the time he was a little boy until his death. Always an avid conservationist, his passion in retirement was locating and purchasing abused and neglected farmland and restoring it back to its beautiful and natural state. He was a member of the Farm Bureau and Mount Nebo Baptist Church in Buena Vista, Tenn. He is a former resident of Berrien Springs, Mich., Frostproof, Fla., Ville Platte, La., Alamo, Tenn., and Huntingdon, Tenn.

Bill departed this life on Jan. 10, in Savannah, at the age of 76.

He is survived by his children, James Russell Cude and his wife Heidi of Lynn Haven, Fla., Robert William Cude and his wife Sondra of Counce, and Andra Lee McDowell and her husband Wayne of Savannah; six grandchildren, Brandy Carter, Amber Cude and John Cude, all of Counce, James Russell Cude II, Peter Michael Cude and David Francis Stadler, all of Lynn Haven, Fla.; two great grandchildren, Ashton Carter and Tristan Carter, both of Counce; four sisters, Sue Meadow of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Mary Virginia Gibson of Union City, Tenn., Janice C. Galbraith of San Juan, Puerto Rico and his twin sister, Betty Caldwell of Murfreesboro, Tenn.

In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his former wife, Roberta Lee Roberts Cude.

Services were held on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 3 p.m., at Shackelford Chapel in Savannah with Paul Childers officiating. Burial followed in the Memory Gardens at Savannah.