William M. Perrigan

He was born July 22, 1924 in Jackson, TN to the late Jim and Patti Perrigan. He graduated from High School in 1942. Bill proudly served in Company B, 738th Tank Battalion (The Great Speckled Bird Outfit) as a gunner during WWII in Europe, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He attained the rank of corporal. After the war, Bill used the GI Bill to attend Lambuth College for two years. It was at Lambuth College where he fell in love and married Anita June Pettigrew of Jackson on May 26, 1947. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a law degree at Cumberland Law School in Lebanon in 1949.

After completing his law degree, Bill joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1951 as a special agent. He served for 29 years until retiring in 1980. After retiring, he sat on the bench as a juvenile judge for several years. He also practiced law and was a bailiff for general sessions court.

Bill was a member of First Cumberland Presbyterian Church where he taught Sunday School. He was a member of Fraternal Order of Police, Veterans of Foreign Wars and founding member of the local chapter of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI.

Bill is survived by his wife, June; his three sons, Dale and wife Page, Crossville, TN, their three children, Nathan, Julie and Bethany; Glen and wife Dianne, Tallahassee, FL, their three children, Chris, James and William; Keith and wife Julie, Brentwood, TN, their four children, Sara, Anna, William and Elissa; two great- grandchildren, Leigha and Riann.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a half brother, Clifford Pierce and half sister, Mattie D. Collie.

Funeral services for William Murray Perrigan will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, October 13th at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Jackson, TN. The Rev. Terry Hunley, pastor, will officiate. Entombment will be in Highland Memorial Gardens. Relatives and friends are welcome for a viewing at the Smith Funeral Home North on Wednesday evening, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and at the church on Thursday, from 10:30 to 12 Noon.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or First Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

May Bill's Memory Be Eternal.

George A. Smith and Sons North Chapel, (731) 427-5555.