Marjorie Wylodean England

Marjorie Wylodean Downey England was born in Centerville, Tennessee, on Aug. 19, 1925, and passed away in Nashville on May 6, 2018, following a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Lee Downey and Sarah Margaret Roberts Downey of Centerville and 17 half siblings. She is survived by her husband of 72 years, George W England, a native of the Hassell’s Creek/Lyles area in Hickman Co., Tennessee; her daughter, Nancy (Reed) Fite, Hermitage, Tennessee, and son, G. David England, Nashville; three grandchildren, Jamie Fite, Melody (John) Gurley and Tim (Charissa) England; three great grandchildren, Isaac and Andrew England and Amelia Gurley; and numerous nieces and nephews. Mrs. England worked for the State of Tennessee after graduating from Centerville High School and married Mr. England at Central Church of Christ, Nashville, on Jan. 23, 1946. She became a full-time homemaker after the birth of their first child. When the position opened, she became a full-time secretary in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, serving at Glengarry and Turner elementary schools before serving for 25 years at the then-new Dodson Elementary School until her retirement. Mrs. England was an active amateur radio operator and held the call sign WA4HKU. She participated in and was actively involved in several clubs and their events, including the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Quarter Century Wireless Association, among others. She called the Tennessee Single Sideband Phone Net each Tuesday night for many years and was known to all of her “ham” friends as Miss Wylodean. She was an active member of Vultee Church of Christ from 1951 until she moved to Belmont Village, having taught numerous children’s classes and pitching in wherever needed. Her favorite work was her “bread ministry.” She loved making sourdough bread and delivering it to anyone who she felt was in need of encouragement. The family is grateful for the staff and caregivers of Belmont Village in Nashville, where Mrs. England resided since November 2016. There the staff helped fill her days with the hymns and songs she loved to sing and hum constantly. She was even lovingly dubbed “a walking jukebox” by one of her caregivers. Special thanks go to Christie Hendrich, memory care director; the nursing staff and personal PALs, and the staff of Caris Healthcare, all of whom took such good care of her and helped maintain her dignity as her disease progressed. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association , WKU Bike for ALZ Ride Across America , or Belmont Village Walk to End Alzheimer's .