{"id":14502,"date":"2026-02-09T10:08:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/?p=14502"},"modified":"2026-02-12T13:01:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:01:07","slug":"qualls-lonnie-cecil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/qualls-lonnie-cecil\/","title":{"rendered":"Qualls, Lonnie Cecil"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"tabs__panel__header obit-and-service__header\">\n<p class=\"tribute-dates edit-container\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Lonnie Cecil Qualls, age 95, was born in Pleasantville, Tennessee, on January 18, 1931, to Ernest and Mary Lou Stoltz Qualls. He passed peacefully from this life on February 8, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Lonnie was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Sarah Frances Chandler Qualls; his brother, Lee Qualls; and his sister, Pearl Murray.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">He is survived by his loving children, Connie (John) Fennell and Cecil (Donna) Qualls; his cherished grandchildren, Luke, Katelyn, Russell, and Katie; and his treasured great-grandchildren, Barrett, Callie, Owen, and Lainey. Each of them was a constant source of pride and joy in his life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Lonnie often humbly described the house he grew up in as a \u201ctwo-room shack,\u201d a testament to the simple and modest beginnings that shaped his strong work ethic and grateful spirit. A lifelong resident of Hickman County, his roots ran deep in the community he loved \u2014 except for the time he faithfully answered the call to serve his country in the United States Air Force. He rarely complained about anything in life, but he would good-naturedly recall that his only complaint about basic training was that it took place in Wichita Falls, Texas, during the sweltering months of July and August, when temperatures sometimes reached an almost unbearable 114 degrees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">After completing his service, Lonnie continued contributing to the nation\u2019s strength and innovation by helping build aircraft at Avco in Nashville, where he worked faithfully until his retirement. His patriotism was not just something he spoke about \u2014 it was something he lived through service, hard work, and dedication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">In 1955, Lonnie married the love of his life, Sarah Frances Chandler, after a friend who worked with her at Camp Nacome in Hickman County made the introduction. Their marriage was one built on devotion, partnership, and enduring love.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Outside of his career, Lonnie had a craftsman\u2019s heart. He loved woodworking and took great pride in his creations, sharing his talents as a member of the local Arts &amp; Crafts Guild. Whether building with his hands or investing in relationships, Lonnie valued patience, quality, and care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Above all, Lonnie loved his family, his community, and his country. He will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather; a proud veteran; and a man whose quiet strength, humility, and steady presence left a lasting mark on all who knew him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">His legacy of service, craftsmanship, perseverance, and love will live on in the generations he leaves behind.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tabs__panel__content\">\n<div class=\"obit-and-service__obituary\">\n<div class=\"obit-and-service__obituary__text\">\n<div class=\"obituary edit-container\">\n<div class=\"obituary-text edit\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Visitation with the\u00a0 family will be 11 Feb 2026\u00a0 from 4:00 PM &#8211; 8:00 PM at McDonald Funeral Home, Inc. &#8211; Hickman County.\u00a0 Funeral Services will be 12 Feb 2026 at 11:00 AM\u00a0 at McDonald Funeral Home, Inc. &#8211; Hickman County with burial to follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery, Centerville, TN.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lonnie Cecil Qualls, age 95, was born in Pleasantville, Tennessee, on January 18, 1931, to Ernest and Mary Lou Stoltz Qualls. He passed peacefully from this life on February 8, 2026. Lonnie was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Sarah Frances Chandler Qualls; his brother, Lee Qualls; and his sister, Pearl Murray. He is survived by his loving children,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/qualls-lonnie-cecil\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[247],"tags":[268,6266,726,409,1250],"class_list":["post-14502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mcdonaldfuneralhome","tag-chandler","tag-fennell","tag-murray","tag-qualls","tag-stoltz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14502\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/lewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}