Willie "Carter" Horton (10-16-22) service 10-20-22

Willie “Carter” Horton, 86, of Cerro Gordo, Tennessee, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 16. He was born Nov. 8, 1935 to Elizabeth Cromwell Horton and Elmer Horton, the first son of a farm family of seven.

Mr. Horton was a corn, cotton and soybean farmer, and also a pig farmer; a hardworking man who took great pride in his work. Young and old alike respected his work ethics and his love and dedication to Hardin County.

He was raised at, and later owned, the Amos Hardin home place on the Harriet Hardin Hill in Hardin County in the Cerro Gordo community. This is where he spent his life raising his family, hunting and farming the bottom lands on the banks of Horse Creek and the Tennessee River. In his retirement years, he raised watermelons and freely shared them with anyone who might want a melon.

He was inducted into the military in January 1959 serving in the U.S. Army, with most of his military career in Korea with the 1st Battle Group, 17th Infantry, 7th Division, in South Korea near the DMZ.

He was a Baptist, a local politician serving as an elected official for 35 years on the Hardin County Highway Department Road Board, a Democrat and was quick to tell you he had many Republican friends who he respected highly. He would tell us from time to time, “He’s a Republican but a good friend of mine.”

He was an energetic man who enjoyed family, friends and neighbors, and of course his coffee shop buddies. He was an avid deer hunter with lots of tall tales and many great hunts with his brothers and nephews.

He is survived by his daughter, Carla Greenwood and her husband John of Tullahoma, Tennessee; one granddaughter, Brittany Greenwood and her husband Robert Overman; one grandson, John Greenwood Jr. and his wife Danae; great- granddaughter, Anzlee, great-grandson, Ayker of Tullahoma, Tennessee; sisters, Dorothy Cagle and late husband Buster; Marie Paulk and late husband Gene; brother, Bobby Horton and his wife Nita; Sandra Creekmore and husband Franklin, who Carter referred to as his brother with a different last name; and Dollie Horton, wife of late brother Lonnie Horton.

He was preceded in death by his eldest sister, Carolyn Horton Clement and her husband James Clement.

He had many nieces and nephews who looked up to him as not only an uncle but a friend and confidant; Shelley Clement Murphy (Boyd), Steve Cagle (Darlene), John Paulk, Donna Paulk Bloomquist, Teresa Horton, Rhonda Horton Davidson, Johnny Horton (Susan), Brad Creekmore (Penny) and Baker Evans (Caroline); and a host of great and great-great nieces and nephews.

He will be missed by all his family and friends and especially his lunch buddies at Bucktown.

Services were held on Thursday, Oct. 20, at Shackelford Funeral Directors of Savannah, with Tony Polk and Brad Bain officiating. Burial followed at Mt. Hermon Cemetery in Savannah.