Billie Baldwin Brandon, 86

A native of Warren County, she was a 1937 graduate of Central High School in McMinnville. She attended Vanderbilt University and the Harper School of Floral Design in Atlanta. In 1949 she and her brother founded Billie?s Flowers in Winchester, which she owned and operated into the late 1950s. She enjoyed gardening, decorating, entertaining and needlepoint and was active in civic affairs, flower shows and Girl Scouts.

Mrs. Brandon is preceded in death by her brother, Bob Baldwin in 2005; her mother, Nellys Cardwell Baldwin; and her father, Robert Baldwin. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Bill Brandon, of Gainesville, Ga.; daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Robert Bates of Murfreesboro; sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Rogers of Pulaski, Nelle Brandon of Pasadena, Calif., and Sue Baldwin of Winchester; six nieces and two nephews; and a host of friends at her home in WillowBrooke Court in Gainesville, Ga.

The funeral service was conducted at Watson-North Funeral Home on Monday April 30 with the Rev. Chris Steifort officiating. Interment followed at Franklin Memorial Gardens with friends and family members serving as pallbearers.

A memorial service will be held on May 3 at 2:30 p.m. (EST) at Lanier Village in Gainesville, Ga. For those so desiring, memorial contributions may be made to Odyssey Hospice or the charity of one?s choice. Online condolences may be sent to www.watsonnorth.com. Watson-North Funeral Home, 405 Sharp Springs Road, Winchester, Tenn., is in charge of arrangements.