Rev. Dr. Willie Gerald Newsom

Rev. Dr. Willie Gerald Newsom, 66, of Dyersburg, died Thursday, August 22, 2013 at his residence. He was born on January 5, 1947 in The City of Dyersburg, Tennessee; his father was the late Leslie Earl Newsom, died September 19, 1983; his mother was the late Mrs. Sue Davis Newsome, who died on September 17, 2011. Rev. Newsom graduated from Dyersburg's Alice Thurmond School, The Jennie Bell School and The Dyersburg High School. He attended for four years at The University of Tennessee at Martin from which he graduated with The Bachelor Of Arts Degree. He did post-graduate work credits from The Bethel College of Jackson, TN and received numerous post-graduate work credits from The Bethel college of McKenzie, TN. He did graduate work with The Memphis State University's Graduate Program held in Jackson, TN and had done graduate work at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He did much graduate work at The Memphis Theological Seminary of Memphis, TN. He earned the Doctor of Theology Degree from the Southern Bible Institute and Seminary of Thomson, GA, which is an accredited seminary; the seminary has branches in England, Scotland, Ireland, Honduras, Mexico and five American states. He was fully certified on a professional basis for teaching by The State of Tennessee Department of Education in Nashville, TN in the following academic areas: General Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Spanish and Bible. He taught in earlier times in four high schools. He graduated from The Reserve Officers' Training Program of The University of Tennessee at Martin with the rank of a Second Lieutenant in The U.S. Army Reserves and later graduated from The Brooke Army Medical Center of San Antonio, TX with The Medical Field Service Officer's Diploma. He served six years as an officer in The Reserves and received an Honorable discharge with the rank of first Lieutenant, having completed his required military service for his beloved country. He was fully ordained by The Southern Baptist church as a Minister Of The Gospel in 1971, having spent his previous years being brought up under the teachings of this nation's recognized largest Protestant church body. He accepted a position in 1982 as an Interim Minister of a supply basis with The United Methodist denominational work in Obion County, Tennessee. His ministry received ten awards from The United Methodist Church denomination, one of which was The Southeastern United States Conference on Evangelism Award for having the distinction of being the ministry that won The Highest Profession Of Faith Rate for the whole Memphis Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. His pastoral ministry won five service awards and "The Highest Rate of Church Growth Award" from The Memphis Annual Conference. He was the pastor whose ministry won "The Highest Number of Professions of Faith Award" for having lead Christ more souls than had any United Methodist church ministry in the approximately fifteen or more cities and towns or communities that composed the Dyersburg District of The United Methodist Church.His ministry won "The Highest Profession of Faith Rate Award" for The Dyersburg District of The United Methodist Church in addition to having won "The Highest Profession of Faith Rate Ward" from the Memphis Annual Conference for its scope of work through the area up to Nashville, TN. Thusly, his ministry may have been the one that not only lead the whole State of Tennessee in the number of awards received for their category for the same period of time, but it may have been the ministry that received more such awards than had any other ministry throughout The United States of America for the time frame considered. Rev. Newsom has spoken in more than sixty churches, spoke numerous times over Radio Station W.D.S.G. in Dyersburg on behalf of The Dyersburg Ministerial Association, spoke for The chapel Program of The Memphis theological Seminary, was Guest speaker for The Big Hatchie Association of Southern Baptist Churches at their Annual Gathering one year, was written about in newspapers and periodicals and was interviewed twice by tow multi-media. Rev. Newsom was elected to membership in The National Honor Society's National Beta Club and was written about in The Personalities Of The South. He holds recommendations from many outstanding Ministers of The Gospel. He personally taught Spanish to one family of future missionaries that later served God in Uruguay, South America. He did such free of charge. He had versatile writing talent, having written songs and poems. One of his poems was used by a nation-wide radio program for its Thanksgiving Offering in 1986; the poem was sent to hundreds of churches throughout American by that program. Dr. Newsom was honored by the Governors of Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and New Mexico with Colonelships. He was commissioned an Ambassador of Good Will of Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi by Governors of those States. He was conferred by the governor of North Carolina "North Carolina's State of the Hearts Award", The Tennessee Outstanding Achievement Award" by the Governor of Tennessee, and "South Carolina's Governor's Award of Appreciation" by its Governor. The Governor of Texas commissioned Dr. Newsom a Texas Admiral. He was awarded from the commanding General of the U.S. Army's Accession Command "The U.S. Army's Award of Excellence Medal". Dr. Newsom founded the Sounds of Joy radio and TV programs that have been inscribed on plaques in the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. The program is recognized each month in Power Source magazine and in CMP Magazine, both are nationally distributed publications. It is also mentioned in the annual publication, The Singing News Source Book that is also distributed nationally. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, August 25, 2013 Graveside at Fairview Cemetery officiated by Mr. Bill Revell. Curry Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Visitation will be from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. He is survived by his sister Peggy Gore of Mississippi and two brothers, Leslie Eugene Newsom of Memphis and Larry Dale Newsom of Dyersburg. Online condolences are available on our website- www.curryfuneral.com