Rev. Buford Owen Nivens, 80

Funeral services for Rev. Buford Owen Nivens, 80, of Allons will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday from First United Methodist Church in Livingston where the body will lie in state from 1 until 2 p.m. time for service. Burial will be in Bethel Cemetery in Allons where there will be a military service performed by the Honor Guard from the James T. Davis Memorial Post 5062 with full military honors. The family will receive friends at Speck Funeral Home on Thursday evening from 5 until 8 p.m.

Rev. Nivens died March 31 at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. He was born the oldest of nine children on July 4, 1926 in Overton County to the late James B. ?B? and Velma Cole Nivens.

He served in the U.S. Army during WWII where he was among the first U.S. occupation forces to land on Hiroshima after the bomb and was assigned to the motor pool as an ambulance driver to pick up the wounded. He married Ann Maxine Garrett Jan. 18, 1947 and raised six children. Together they answered the call of God to prepare for ministry. After graduating from Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo., Buford continued his education at Bryan College in Dayton and Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, receiving an M.S. in Education Administration. He served as a teacher and school administrator as well as church builder and pastor in Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Tennessee.

He is survived by his wife, Ann Maxine Nivens of Allons; sons and daughters-in-law, Gene and Diana Nivens of Oak Ridge, Gary and Donna Nivens of Maui, Hawaii, and Jim and Rachel Nivens of Columbus, Ohio; daughters and sons-in-law, Janie and Richard Cook of Modesto, Calif., Jacquie and Don Cartledge of Santiago, Chili, and Velvet and Ed York of McMinnville; 18 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters-in-law, D. Gene and Cindy Nivens of Indianapolis, Ind., and Charles and Beverly Nivens of Cookeville; and sisters and brothers-in-law, Pearl and Booze Mayberry of Indianapolis, Ind., Gwen Carter of Franklin, Ind., Kathleen Farmer of Whiteland, Ind., and Geri and Glenn Ruble of Indianapolis, Ind.

He is preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Edward Hayes and Danny B. Nivens.