Buried in Roane Memorial Gardens Cemetery, grave 143 B, Garden of Gethsemane section, just at the top of this section next to the curve in the road going around this section, above the kneeling Jesus, across from the marker that says "Garden of Devotion".
Roane County News, Monday, 4 Mar 1974, Issue 1110, pp 1&2:
"A 32-year old Rockwood man died early Friday morning when this car (picture insert) collided head-on with a truck on Highway 27 about three miles south of Rockwood. The driver of the truck was unaware he had collided with the car, and the victim and vehicle were not discovered for some 30 minutes after the 12:30a.m. accident"
"A Rockwood man who was a superintendent at Southern Silk Mills in Spring City was killed early Friday morning in a head-on car-truck crash on Highway 27 near the Glen Alice community. Howard L. Willett, 32, died instantly when the car he was driving went out of control and slammed into a 1967 International truck loaded with antiques. His death was the third this year in Roane County as a result of a traffic accident. The driver of the truck, Otis McCoy Wilson, 43, of Somerset, Ky., told officers his truck had "blown up", and he was unaware there had been a collision. The car and body of Willett were not discovered for some thirty minutes after THP Troopers Earl Hall and Buddy Patton arrived at the scene. Wilson was injured in the accident, but apparently not seriously. He was taken to Chamberlain Memorial Hospital at Rockwood. The truck was enroute to Alabama. Deputy Sheriff Bill Norman came by the scene of the accident a short time after it occurred at about 12:30a.m. Deputy Norman said the truck driver was flagging traffic, and told him "his truck had exploded." Willett's body, strapped in the automobile by a fastened seat belt, was found at the bottom of a 20-foot embankment. Trooper Hall told the News the Willett car was traveling north on Highway 27, and apparently went out of control. It veered off the right side of the highway, traveled some 200 feet and went across the road into the path of the southbound truck. The transmission was thrown from the car, and the motor was knocked from the vehicle. Officers said the cab of the truck was torn away, the front wheels were knocked away, and the motor was gone. The bed of the truck was overturned in the highway. Willett was apparently enroute from his job at Southern Silk Mills, where he worked an evening shift. Trooper Hall said the driver of the truck told him he did not see any automobile headlights and was unaware he had collided with a vehicle. Funeral services for the victim were held Sunday afternoon in the chapel of Booth Funeral Home, Rev. Jeff Grote officiating. Burial was in Roane Memorial Gardens. Among the survivors are his wife, Mrs. Gennie Willett, two sons, Thomas and Eric Willett; and a daughter Laura Willett, all of Rockwood; his father, Spurgeon Willett, also of Rockwood; mother, Mrs. Marietta Boarque, Memphis; brother, Spurgeon Willett, Warren, Michigan; and a sister, Mrs. Lon Laws, Lenoir, North Carolina." Following this article were pictures of the truck stating: This is the cab of the truck, ripped from the chassis in a crash with a car near Rockwood early Friday morning. The driver of the car was killed in the collision, and the driver of the truck apparently escaped serious injury. A wrecker prepared to remove the trailer portion of the truck from the scene of the fatal wreck near Rockwood early Friday morning. This portion of the truck flipped in the highway, and the cab, motor and front wheels were ripped away by the impact. (Staff photos were by Bill Hall)
Roane County News, Monday, 4 Mar 1974, Issue 1110, pp 1&2:
"A 32-year old Rockwood man died early Friday morning when this car (picture insert) collided head-on with a truck on Highway 27 about three miles south of Rockwood. The driver of the truck was unaware he had collided with the car, and the victim and vehicle were not discovered for some 30 minutes after the 12:30a.m. accident"
"A Rockwood man who was a superintendent at Southern Silk Mills in Spring City was killed early Friday morning in a head-on car-truck crash on Highway 27 near the Glen Alice community. Howard L. Willett, 32, died instantly when the car he was driving went out of control and slammed into a 1967 International truck loaded with antiques. His death was the third this year in Roane County as a result of a traffic accident. The driver of the truck, Otis McCoy Wilson, 43, of Somerset, Ky., told officers his truck had "blown up", and he was unaware there had been a collision. The car and body of Willett were not discovered for some thirty minutes after THP Troopers Earl Hall and Buddy Patton arrived at the scene. Wilson was injured in the accident, but apparently not seriously. He was taken to Chamberlain Memorial Hospital at Rockwood. The truck was enroute to Alabama. Deputy Sheriff Bill Norman came by the scene of the accident a short time after it occurred at about 12:30a.m. Deputy Norman said the truck driver was flagging traffic, and told him "his truck had exploded." Willett's body, strapped in the automobile by a fastened seat belt, was found at the bottom of a 20-foot embankment. Trooper Hall told the News the Willett car was traveling north on Highway 27, and apparently went out of control. It veered off the right side of the highway, traveled some 200 feet and went across the road into the path of the southbound truck. The transmission was thrown from the car, and the motor was knocked from the vehicle. Officers said the cab of the truck was torn away, the front wheels were knocked away, and the motor was gone. The bed of the truck was overturned in the highway. Willett was apparently enroute from his job at Southern Silk Mills, where he worked an evening shift. Trooper Hall said the driver of the truck told him he did not see any automobile headlights and was unaware he had collided with a vehicle. Funeral services for the victim were held Sunday afternoon in the chapel of Booth Funeral Home, Rev. Jeff Grote officiating. Burial was in Roane Memorial Gardens. Among the survivors are his wife, Mrs. Gennie Willett, two sons, Thomas and Eric Willett; and a daughter Laura Willett, all of Rockwood; his father, Spurgeon Willett, also of Rockwood; mother, Mrs. Marietta Boarque, Memphis; brother, Spurgeon Willett, Warren, Michigan; and a sister, Mrs. Lon Laws, Lenoir, North Carolina." Following this article were pictures of the truck stating: This is the cab of the truck, ripped from the chassis in a crash with a car near Rockwood early Friday morning. The driver of the car was killed in the collision, and the driver of the truck apparently escaped serious injury. A wrecker prepared to remove the trailer portion of the truck from the scene of the fatal wreck near Rockwood early Friday morning. This portion of the truck flipped in the highway, and the cab, motor and front wheels were ripped away by the impact. (Staff photos were by Bill Hall)
Buried in Roane Memorial Gardens Cemetery, grave 143 B, Garden of Gethsemane section, just at the top of this section next to the curve in the road going around this section, above the kneeling Jesus, across from the marker that says "Garden of Devotion".
Roane County News, Monday, 4 Mar 1974, Issue 1110, pp 1&2:
"A 32-year old Rockwood man died early Friday morning when this car (picture insert) collided head-on with a truck on Highway 27 about three miles south of Rockwood. The driver of the truck was unaware he had collided with the car, and the victim and vehicle were not discovered for some 30 minutes after the 12:30a.m. accident"
"A Rockwood man who was a superintendent at Southern Silk Mills in Spring City was killed early Friday morning in a head-on car-truck crash on Highway 27 near the Glen Alice community. Howard L. Willett, 32, died instantly when the car he was driving went out of control and slammed into a 1967 International truck loaded with antiques. His death was the third this year in Roane County as a result of a traffic accident. The driver of the truck, Otis McCoy Wilson, 43, of Somerset, Ky., told officers his truck had "blown up", and he was unaware there had been a collision. The car and body of Willett were not discovered for some thirty minutes after THP Troopers Earl Hall and Buddy Patton arrived at the scene. Wilson was injured in the accident, but apparently not seriously. He was taken to Chamberlain Memorial Hospital at Rockwood. The truck was enroute to Alabama. Deputy Sheriff Bill Norman came by the scene of the accident a short time after it occurred at about 12:30a.m. Deputy Norman said the truck driver was flagging traffic, and told him "his truck had exploded." Willett's body, strapped in the automobile by a fastened seat belt, was found at the bottom of a 20-foot embankment. Trooper Hall told the News the Willett car was traveling north on Highway 27, and apparently went out of control. It veered off the right side of the highway, traveled some 200 feet and went across the road into the path of the southbound truck. The transmission was thrown from the car, and the motor was knocked from the vehicle. Officers said the cab of the truck was torn away, the front wheels were knocked away, and the motor was gone. The bed of the truck was overturned in the highway. Willett was apparently enroute from his job at Southern Silk Mills, where he worked an evening shift. Trooper Hall said the driver of the truck told him he did not see any automobile headlights and was unaware he had collided with a vehicle. Funeral services for the victim were held Sunday afternoon in the chapel of Booth Funeral Home, Rev. Jeff Grote officiating. Burial was in Roane Memorial Gardens. Among the survivors are his wife, Mrs. Gennie Willett, two sons, Thomas and Eric Willett; and a daughter Laura Willett, all of Rockwood; his father, Spurgeon Willett, also of Rockwood; mother, Mrs. Marietta Boarque, Memphis; brother, Spurgeon Willett, Warren, Michigan; and a sister, Mrs. Lon Laws, Lenoir, North Carolina." Following this article were pictures of the truck stating: This is the cab of the truck, ripped from the chassis in a crash with a car near Rockwood early Friday morning. The driver of the car was killed in the collision, and the driver of the truck apparently escaped serious injury. A wrecker prepared to remove the trailer portion of the truck from the scene of the fatal wreck near Rockwood early Friday morning. This portion of the truck flipped in the highway, and the cab, motor and front wheels were ripped away by the impact. (Staff photos were by Bill Hall)
Roane County News, Monday, 4 Mar 1974, Issue 1110, pp 1&2:
"A 32-year old Rockwood man died early Friday morning when this car (picture insert) collided head-on with a truck on Highway 27 about three miles south of Rockwood. The driver of the truck was unaware he had collided with the car, and the victim and vehicle were not discovered for some 30 minutes after the 12:30a.m. accident"
"A Rockwood man who was a superintendent at Southern Silk Mills in Spring City was killed early Friday morning in a head-on car-truck crash on Highway 27 near the Glen Alice community. Howard L. Willett, 32, died instantly when the car he was driving went out of control and slammed into a 1967 International truck loaded with antiques. His death was the third this year in Roane County as a result of a traffic accident. The driver of the truck, Otis McCoy Wilson, 43, of Somerset, Ky., told officers his truck had "blown up", and he was unaware there had been a collision. The car and body of Willett were not discovered for some thirty minutes after THP Troopers Earl Hall and Buddy Patton arrived at the scene. Wilson was injured in the accident, but apparently not seriously. He was taken to Chamberlain Memorial Hospital at Rockwood. The truck was enroute to Alabama. Deputy Sheriff Bill Norman came by the scene of the accident a short time after it occurred at about 12:30a.m. Deputy Norman said the truck driver was flagging traffic, and told him "his truck had exploded." Willett's body, strapped in the automobile by a fastened seat belt, was found at the bottom of a 20-foot embankment. Trooper Hall told the News the Willett car was traveling north on Highway 27, and apparently went out of control. It veered off the right side of the highway, traveled some 200 feet and went across the road into the path of the southbound truck. The transmission was thrown from the car, and the motor was knocked from the vehicle. Officers said the cab of the truck was torn away, the front wheels were knocked away, and the motor was gone. The bed of the truck was overturned in the highway. Willett was apparently enroute from his job at Southern Silk Mills, where he worked an evening shift. Trooper Hall said the driver of the truck told him he did not see any automobile headlights and was unaware he had collided with a vehicle. Funeral services for the victim were held Sunday afternoon in the chapel of Booth Funeral Home, Rev. Jeff Grote officiating. Burial was in Roane Memorial Gardens. Among the survivors are his wife, Mrs. Gennie Willett, two sons, Thomas and Eric Willett; and a daughter Laura Willett, all of Rockwood; his father, Spurgeon Willett, also of Rockwood; mother, Mrs. Marietta Boarque, Memphis; brother, Spurgeon Willett, Warren, Michigan; and a sister, Mrs. Lon Laws, Lenoir, North Carolina." Following this article were pictures of the truck stating: This is the cab of the truck, ripped from the chassis in a crash with a car near Rockwood early Friday morning. The driver of the car was killed in the collision, and the driver of the truck apparently escaped serious injury. A wrecker prepared to remove the trailer portion of the truck from the scene of the fatal wreck near Rockwood early Friday morning. This portion of the truck flipped in the highway, and the cab, motor and front wheels were ripped away by the impact. (Staff photos were by Bill Hall)
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