Jesse F. Foreman

Jesse F. Foreman, 89, of Columbia, Tenn., died on Monday, January 13, at NHC-Maury Regional Transitional Care Center. Services will be held at 1:00 pm Saturday, January 18, 2020, at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home, 320 W. Seventh St., Columbia, with the Rev. Steve Thomas officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 pm Friday, January 17, at Oakes & Nichols. Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Wilmoth (Marshall) Foreman; son Jesse Walter “Walt” Foreman of Columbia; daughter Ellen Ruth Foreman of Nashville; daughter and son-in-law Mary Kathleen “Kate” Foreman and John Schweri of Summertown; brothers-in-law Buddy and Donald (Kathy) Marshall, both of Columbia; and several nieces and nephews, including Cindy (Ted) Choate of Columbia. He was preceded in death by his parents as well as brothers James and Penn Foreman and sisters Mary Deaton and Faye Hardin. Jesse was born on Dec. 15, 1930, in Humboldt, Tenn., to James and Pearl Harris Foreman. He graduated from Humboldt High School and attended Boys’ State in Lebanon, Tenn. In 1956, he was hired by publisher John Finney to be the advertising director of The (Columbia) Daily Herald. In the late 1970s, he founded The Foreman Co., for which he would work as a self-employed advertising consultant, architectural photographer and graphic designer for the rest of his life. His clients included Maury Regional Medical Center, Sloan Ford and various other businesses. A self-taught photographer, his images of Maury County landmarks – which grace the walls of several local businesses – are considered by many to be definitive. Soon after arriving in Columbia, Jesse became active in Theater Rondo, the local community theater at that time. Through the years, he acted in and directed numerous productions. Beginning about 1974 with Oklahoma, Jesse directed three major musicals that filled the Columbia Central High School auditorium throughout their runs. CHS band director Tommy Tucker provided orchestras composed of the school’s band members. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, where he was an elder and Sunday School teacher. He was a Paul Harris Fellow in the Columbia Noon Rotary Club. Other community service included years of leadership in the Maury County Arts Guild and as a founding member of Habitat for Humanity’s local chapter. Although Jesse could never afford to go to college, he financed four bachelor’s degrees — those of his three children and of his beloved younger sister Faye. The family thanks Dr. Andy Neilsen, physical therapist Betsy Hamilton and staff at NHC-Maury for their caregiving and caring. Honorary pallbearers are Jimmy Couch, David Edwards, Suzanne Fletcher, Tim Goar, Dick Green, A.C. Howell, Rita Williams Thompson, Terri Thompson and Mia Young. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. Memorials may be made to Habitat for Humanity Williamson-Maury (hfhwm.org), Watershed Public Theatre (watershedpublictheatre.org) or First Presbyterian Church.