Dr. James Summers' Obituary
Dr. James Thomas Summers, age 80, passed away on Wednesday, December 26, 2018 in Hendersonville, Tennessee. James was born on November 4, 1938 in Nashville, Tennessee to the late John Swaney Summers and Dora Josephine Whitfield Summers.
James attended elementary school at Richland School in Nashville, Tennessee and then went to high school at Bellevue High School of where he graduated at the top of his class. He later attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville and continued his education at Florida State University of where he graduated with a PhD in Chemistry and then worked on his post doctorate studies at Florida State University and the University of Texas.
He had a wide variety of work experiences throughout his life. He held multiple part-time positions in his early years such as working as a painter’s helper, working as a laborer, working the jackhammer and driving for Oman Construction Company, in the sales department at Sloan Department Store in Nashville and in the research department at Tennessee Eastman Company in Kingsport, TN.
He also worked for Florida State University as a Research assistant from 1960-1964; University of Texas as a Research Fellow from 1964-1965; worked for DuPont Textile Fibers as a Research Chemist from 1965-1981; he also worked as a research associate at DuPont from 1981-1999 and he served limited service at DuPont from 2000-2002.
He can also be remembered for many of his accomplishments, including being listed in the Who’s Who’s in Science and Chemistry.
He was affiliated with several professional organizations such as, Phi Beta Kappa, American Chemical Society, Florida State University: Boosters and Alumni Association.
He had multiple activities such as golf, fishing, boating, hunting, collecting Indian artifacts, photography, gardening and teaching Sunday school.
In addition to his parents, he is also preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Elisha Thomas Summers and Mary Jane Conquest Summers; maternal grandparents, Charles Thomas Whitfield and Mattie Caroline Hall Whitfield; siblings, Clyde Summers, Glynn Summers, Raymond Martin, Shirley Adams, Patricia Wright and Faye Williams; daughter, Sarah Suzanne Cossler Summers.
James is survived by his wife of sixty years, Mary Joyce (Long) Summers, who is the daughter of Johnnie Raymond Long and Bessie Ella Tinnin Long; daughters, Caroline Grace Krueger (Lori Rauli) and Amanda Love Hardin (Ron); grandchild, Kaden James Cossler. He is also survived by a host of relatives and friends.
Visitation will be held on Monday, December 31, 2018 from 10 am until the time of service at 12 noon at the Historic Spring Hill Cemetery. Interment will follow in the Historic Spring Hill Cemetery.
Spring Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery has been entrusted with the final care of Dr. Summers.
Spring Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery, 5110 Gallatin Road, Nashville, TN 37216 (www.springhillfh.com).
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