JANE GRAY "BUNNY" SOWELL

JANE GRAY "BUNNY" SOWELL of Columbia, TN died October 5, 2015 at the age of 68. She was a licensed funeral director, embalmer, co-owner and corporate secretary at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. She graduated from the Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science in 1967. She attended the University of Virginia Medical School in Charlottesville to study corneal education. In 1974, she became the first woman and only Tennessean to be certified in that capacity. In the years since certification, she has attended courses for continuing education in this field as well as disaster preparation training and other funeral service related fields. She was a member of the National Funeral Directors Association, Tennessee Funeral Directors Association and the Georgia Academy of Graduate Embalmers. She conducted seminars for funeral directors and embalmers on compliance with the policies and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission. After serving her fist appointment of a two year term to the Tennessee State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers in the late 1980's, she was later elected to the National Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. Her latest appointment to the Tennessee State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers began on January 1, 2012 and continued on to the time of her death.