Luther Carlton Poole Jr. (Buddy Poole) passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on August 2, 2021, at the age of 88. He was a hard-working husband, dad, brother, “Papaw”, uncle, cousin, and friend, who never met a stranger and loved sharing stories with all those he met.
Buddy was born on March 3, 1933, in McAdams Mississippi to Luther C. Poole Sr. & Lois Thrailkill Poole. He was the middle child of three. He graduated from Canton High School in 1953, where he played basketball for the Tigers. He also attended and played basketball for the Holmes Junior College Bulldogs before joining the Army in October 1954 and serving 3 years of active duty. Buddy was on reserve and was honorably discharged in September 1962. He attended intelligence training at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana before being stationed in Anchorage, Alaska during the Korean War era.
After being discharged from the service, Buddy settled in Dumas, Arkansas where he owned a gas station and tire dealership. Buddy went on to work for Sunbeam Appliance Company where he was a purchasing manager. Buddy relocated his family in 1984 to Collierville, Tennessee after the Sunbeam plant closed in Dumas until he retired in 1992. After his retirement, he worked for Hoerner Box Company out of Tupelo, Mississippi until March 2018. Buddy loved the freedom and time he spent on the road “selling boxes”. He met a lot of great people and made lifelong friends while on the road. He loved to focus on the smaller to medium size customer that lived off the beaten path and down the gravel roads, so to speak.
Buddy served as a deacon for the First Baptist Church of Dumas, Arkansas and taught Sunday school classes for 9 years. He served on the Dumas City Council for numerous years, staying very active in the politics of the town he loved. He was also involved in the Lions Club and Kiwanis Club of Dumas. He was a die-hard and devoted Arkansas Razorback Fan who could be found attending their games just about every weekend in Little Rock, Fayetteville, & the yearly game between Arkansas & Ole Miss in Jackson Mississippi. He was very active with the West Tennessee/East Arkansas Razorback Club in its early years. After relocating his family to Collierville in 1984, they joined the First Baptist Church of Collierville.
He is survived by his wife Margie Poole, his sons-Mike Batson (Stephanie) and Marc Poole (Sarah), his brother Burt Poole, and sister Kathleen Power. He leaves behind 7 grandchildren-Nikki Haskins, Sarah Sessions, Kenzie Poole, Tyler Batson, Allison Batson, David Poole, and Ava Poole. He also leaves behind 4 great grandchildren and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Audrey Carr Poole, and children-Ann Carr McGee and Jeffrey Poole.
Visitation will be held on Saturday August 21, 2021 from 4-6pm at Collierville Funeral Home located at 534 W. Poplar Ave, Collierville, TN 38017. Buddy will be laid to rest at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in a private family service and entombment.
