Mrs. Mildred Laverne Bearden's Obituary
Mildred ‘Laverne’ Bearden, 88, passed away on Monday, July 5, 2021, at her home, in Nashville, Tennessee. Born August 8, 1932, in Clarksville, Tennessee, she was the daughter of the late Rev. James ‘Garner’ Swift and Claire Dawson Swift and was also preceded in death, by an infant brother, James Wesley (JW) Swift.
She is survived by her husband of 73 years, William E. ‘Bill’ Bearden; sons James W. Bearden (Sheila) and Thomas E. ‘Tommy’ Bearden; daughter Barbara A. Bearden (Deborah); grandchildren Amy Bucy (Brad), Jenna Gunnels (Josh), and Christy Feldman (Jake); great grandchildren Aubrey, Addison, Ava, Mason, Asher, and Judah. She had many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews who played a part in making her life full of love and joy.
She was a loving and faithful wife, a mother who loved her children with all her heart, and a delightfully fun grandmother and great-grandmother. In fact, the love just swelled in her, so that when you showed up at her door, you might just get love pats on the cheeks, to the point that it hurt. One little “ouch” from you, and you would see that big smile and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Nothing made her happier that being surrounded by her family.
Laverne and her husband, Bill, were long-time members of Inglewood Baptist Church, where she taught a young married couples Sunday School class. She challenged these couples with the truths of Bible study, they challenged her with the big outdoors. Most notorious of these adventures, was a white-water rafting trip down the Ocoee River. Her own children are still amazed, that their mother, who could not swim and did not really like the water, bowed to the power of persuasion. If ever there was evidence that she loved her class members, this was it.
She helped in the church nursery and is remembered for adding her beautiful alto voice to the choir. From a young age, she enjoyed playing the piano at church and at home, and, even as her memory failed, she never forgot how to play the beautiful old hymns she first learned in the church that her father pastored.
As a young mother, Laverne sold Avon, making door-to-door deliveries with children in tow. She retired from the Davidson County Public Schools system where she started in food services but finished her career as a teacher’s aide, touching the lives of many elementary school-aged children.
Her family will remember her as woman who loved the Lord and lived according to Matthew 22:37-39, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind . . . Love your neighbor as yourself. Laverne was a good neighbor. She cooked for neighbors in need, enjoyed planting flowers, and took pride in keeping a beautiful lawn.
A Celebration of Life Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, July 10 at 2:00 PM at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Nashville. The family will receive friends and visitors three hours prior to the funeral, from 11:00-2:00. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Goodlettsville.
Pallbearers will be Brad Bucy, Josh Gunnels, Michael Settles, Larry Hankins, Henry Bearden, David Watson, and Bill Mayton.
Arrangements entrusted to Spring Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery, 5110 Gallatin Road, Nashville, TN 37216. “Where Nashville Comes to Remember.”
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