Respected educator and long-time Smithville Review columnist, penning her weekly window on the world – Dry Creek Flashes – Louise Frazier passed away Monday evening at the age of 101.
“Dry Creek is made up of valleys, hollers and hillsides,” she said in one of her last interviews about the place she called home. “We have a beautiful stream of water flowing through it. It’s fertile. I thank God for it.”
Born the daughter of a Baptist minister on July 2, 1917, Velma Louise Keyt Frasier began her journey in life without many earthly possessions.
“We had no money growing up,” she recalled, noting preachers didn’t make much back then. That left her with a quandary when it came time to go to college. However, she was able to take advantage of the National Youth Administration program in 1938 and go to MTSU where she earned a Bachelors and Masters in Education.
It was that education that prepared her for her next major step – setting up the school library system at Smithville Elementary.
“We finally got a new library when they built an addition on to the school on Bryant Street,” she recalled. “I saw 850 students every week.”
Louise also taught, at one point serving as teacher and principal at a one-room school called Junebug at Dry Creek. The highlight of her teaching career, she said, was teaching local attorney Sarah Cripps.
“She was blind and I thought ‘what am I going to do?’ but I found out quickly that Sarah might not be able to see but she had a brilliant mind,” she said. “I was so fortunate to have the privilege of teaching her.”
Along with her work with local schools and her passion for church, Louise enjoyed writing her newspaper column for over 70 years.
“I started by helping my mother-in-law, Lona Bell Frazier sometime around 1948,” she recalled. “I helped her out with the column for a while but when she got sick a few years later, I started writing it.”
The name first started as Dry Creek Community but got changed to Dry Creek Flashes. “I don’t know who changed it but it’s pretty good. I like it.”
Louise only missed a few issues due to illness back many years ago. She became unable to continue her weekly column a few months ago when her health faltered. The subject matter remained homey and focused on friends, family, church and community.
As for her advice to those wanting to succeed in life. “Work hard and be productive. “I don’t like being idle.
DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements for Louise. Funeral services will be conducted on Friday, January 11, 2 pm at the Dry Creek Baptist Church with Bro. Donald Owens and Bro. Kenneth Trammel officiating and burial following at DeKalb Memorial Gardens. Visitation with the family will be from 2 till 8 pm at DeKalb Funeral Chapel on Thursday, January 10, and Friday, January 11th, from 11 am until the time of the service at 2 pm at the church.
