Bill Stricklin
Written and submitted by Suzanne Stricklin Walther
February 4, 2026, William Joseph (Bill) Stricklin passed away in his sleep at the Etheridge House in Union City, Tennessee. Years of heart disease were not his demise, just bumps along the way. He was 93 years old and plumb tuckered out.
Edmaiston Mosley Funeral Home is in charge of cremation arrangements. There will not be a funeral or graveside service per Bill’s instructions. Bill’s grave is in the Stricklin family plot in the Ebenezer Cemetery near Troy, Tennessee.
Bill was born August 14, 1932, in Obion County to the late John Boyd Stricklin and Earline Elizabeth Cunningham Stricklin. Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife Melva Lynn Matlock Stricklin, his two brothers, John B. Stricklin, Jr., and Thomas D. Stricklin, and his niece Caroline Stricklin. Bill was a retired attorney who practiced law in Union City and Nashville, and a United State Navy Veteran.
Bill is survived by seven children, Alix Stricklin of Mt. Juliet, David Stricklin (Tracy) of Smyrna, Camille Kendall (Steve) of Troy, Suzanne Walther (Leonard) of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Stephanie Cochran (Craig) of Alamo, Natalie Wroten (Randy) of Tullahoma, Colin Cooke (Amy) of Brentwood, 2 sisters-in-law, 10 nieces and nephews, 22 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. Bill loved being a role model for young men and happily fostered sons of other parents during his lifetime. He is preceded in death by two of the dear young men he welcomed into his home and heart, Jim Hill, Jr., and Johnnie Smith.
Together with his older brother John and younger brother Tom, Bill grew up on the J. B. Stricklin family farm between Troy and Hornbeak. He learned to love and care for family, make do with little, be persistent, achieve goals, and serve his community. He also learned how to care for livestock, how to hunt and fish, how to garden, and how to get just about any type of vehicle to move at a rapid rate of speed. He served in the US Navy during the Korean War, stationed much of the time on a ship in the Mediterranean. During his naval training near Pensacola, Florida, he enjoyed taking leaves at home, zooming overnight through sleepy towns in Mississippi to make the long drive to and from base. He never outgrew his need for speed.
After his years of military service, he studied law at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, earning a Doctorate of Jurisprudence. He married Carolyn West in Union City, practiced law in Obion County, and raised 4 children. As an attorney he had partners who became lifelong friends, especially John Warner and the late Wayne Taylor.
Bill farmed and hunted for food and the pure fun of it. He loved bitterly cold mornings in a duck blind on Reelfoot Lake with his friend Richard Fickle. He milked a cow every morning to keep his family in dairy products. He tilled a huge garden with his children following behind digging their bare toes into the cool, loose soil. He slaughtered poultry and hogs in the yard, feeding hot cracklings to his young’uns from a large black cast iron cauldron over a wood fire.
Bill was an enthusiastic outdoorsman and a member of Ducks Unlimited. He enjoyed a good Labrador Retriever and bred several fine dogs over the years. He became well known for his hand carved duck decoys, beautiful and functional works of art. It seemed like he could whittle anything he set his mind to and always kept his pocket knife razor sharp. He also enjoyed building Eastern Bluebird nesting boxes using a design by Professor David Pitts. His love of wildlife never faded, and he enjoyed feeding deer and bird watching in his senior years. His friend David Kersey made him a small brand to burn into the bottom of his decoys and other carvings. He passed his love of woodworking down, and two of his grandsons used wood from his father’s pig barn to handcraft his wooden burial box for his ashes and branded it with his own brand.
Everyone who knew Bill knew he loved a good story. He listened to the popular storytellers of his time, like Cotton Ivy and Jerry Clower. He told his own stories, and sometimes borrowed stories, with great gusto and animation. He was an avid reader and devoured hefty tomes, especially appreciating the great works of Mark Twain and Louis L’Amour. He loved folklore. He read all of the Foxfire series and would demonstrate some of the old skills for his children. He made a lifelong study of the Holy Bible and enjoyed teaching Bible study classes.
Bill was an accomplished singer. He sang King David’s Psalms at the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Troy, Tennessee. He listened to the radio and learned to sing all the popular hits and show tunes. He sang with church choirs and the Union City Civic Chorus many years. His voice had a rich resonance that was a pleasure to hear. Even in his old age when he got forgetful, he could remember the lyrics to his favorite songs. He had eclectic taste in music and listened to Ray Charles and Willie Nelson singing Seven Spanish Angels and then a recording of the great hymn Be Thou My Vision one afternoon a few days before his death. Hearing and making great music was always a delight to him.
On July 14, 1988, Bill married Melva Lynn Matlock in Troy, Tennessee. Melva was the sunshine in Bill’s life. She brought out the best of him throughout their 33+ years long marriage. He spent the rest of his life deeply in love with Melva and her 3 children Stephanie (Craig) Cochran, Natalie (Randy) Wroten, and Colin (Amy) Cooke. Bill always said he loved having children, and Melva blessed him with some of the best. Between the two of them, they shared 7 children and accompanying in-laws, 22 grandchildren and 18 (and counting) great-grandchildren. Bill loved to brag about the ever increasing headcount of his progeny. He thoroughly enjoyed his role as Granddaddy. Together Bill and Melva built loving relationships. Bill was heartbroken when Melva preceded him in death in 2022.
Soon after marrying, Bill and Melva relocated to Nashville and enjoyed being active in their new community. They were the best of neighbors making friends everywhere that Melva’s teaching career moved them. Friends and family enjoyed their generous hospitality. They served the needy through many charitable organizations and were active in Christian faith communities in and around Nashville. Both expressed great love and ecumenical appreciation for various Christian fellowships and participated in worship and religious education in their communities. They were happiest when they were helping people in need. During his lifetime, Bill served as a chorister, choir director, and youth group leader in the Union City Presbyterian Church, as a Sunday school teacher, deacon, and elder in the Troy Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, a nursery staffer and deacon in the Brentwood Baptist Church, and Bible study leader in the Church of the Nazarene in Hermitage, Tennessee.
Bill was not a fan of funerals, especially the kind where someone is eulogized far beyond what his rare good qualities would indicate. He used to say that when he died, he should be laid out poker straight until rigor mortis set in, and then driven headfirst into a deep post hole. Eventually Melva convinced him that he should allow his mortal remains to be cremated and buried properly, at least for the sake of his loving survivors. He left hand-written instructions to be laid to rest without a funeral or graveside service. He insisted that his ashes should be buried in a wooden box so that he could decay into the soil. He also said that his gravediggers should be paid in beer. Is it any wonder that two of his grandsons requested to be his gravediggers?!
Bill was a Christian from his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior as a youth in the Troy ARP Church. A few years before his passing, Bill converted to Catholicism. He received the Rites of Christian Initiation at St. Thomas Hospital in a critical care bed after having a pulmonary embolism, choosing the humble fisherman St. Peter as his Confirmation Patron Saint. Bill thought he was on his deathbed then, but still had years of life ahead. He was a home-bound parishioner of St. Stephen Catholic Church while living at Rutland Place Senior Living in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. He became a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in Union City when he moved back to Obion County to the Etheridge House a few weeks before his death. He was especially grateful to receive the Anointing of the Sick, administered by Fr. Carl Gregorich, the Friday before his death.
Prayers for the repose of Bill’s soul and the comfort of his surviving family at this time of mourning are greatly appreciated.
The Messenger