Kingsport lawyer Don F. Mason Jr. died Dec. 26 following a lengthy illness. Originally from Alabama, Mason earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee in 1976, and a Master of Business Administration and a law degree in 1979. He practiced law from 1980 until his passing, maintaining a general practice with a focus in labor and employment law. Other practice areas included discrimination, workers' compensation, personal injury, social security disability, and civil mediation and arbitration. Mason served as president of Legal Aid of East Tennessee from 2015-2016 and was a member of its board of directors from 2010-2020. Visitation is today from 4-5:30 p.m. EST at Colonial Heights Christian Church. A celebration of life will follow at 5:30 p.m. EST. Memorial donations may be made to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, 311 W. Walnut St., Johnson City, TN 37604 or by calling 423-928-8311.

Tyree B. Harris IV died on Nov. 19 at age 80 according to his law firm. He graduated from Washington & Lee University in 1967 and from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1970. Upon graduation, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, where he served in the JAG Corp from 1970 until 1973. Harris returned to Nashville to join the firm of Hooker, Keeble, Dodson & Harris (later Dodson, Harris, Robinson & Aden). In 2011, he formed his own firm of Harris, Brown & Associates, where he practiced until his death. He moved to Lexington, Virginia in 2020, and was very active with the Moot Court Program at Washington & Lee University while continuing to practice law in Nashville.

Memphis attorney Matthew Kristian Eggleston died Nov. 28 at age 53. Eggleston practiced as a public defender in Memphis and later worked in Nashville for the Tennessee Drug Interdiction Program until his death. He earned his law degree in 1997 from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. A memorial service will be held at a later date at Legacy Golf Course in Springfield. Donations in Eggleston’s honor may be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Tommy Thompson, one of Tennessee’s longest-serving district attorneys, died Dec. 12. He was 78. Thompson had been appointed district attorney in the state’s 15th Judicial District (which includes Jackson, Macon, Trousdale, Smith and Wilson counties), in 1977 and remained in that position for 44 years. He retired in 2021. A 1969 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, Thompson began his professional career as an assistant district attorney in Nashville and later practiced law with his father in his hometown of Hartsville. Visitation will be held on Dec. 19 from 2-8 p.m. at Anthony Funeral Home, 337 McMurry Blvd. E, Hartsville 37074 and on Dec. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at Hartsville First Baptist Church, 773 E. McMurry Blvd. Funeral services will follow the visitation on Dec. 20 at the church. Interment with military honors will take place after the service at Hartsville Memorial Gardens, 25 Cemetery Ln. Memorial donations may be made to the 15th Judicial District Child Advocacy Center, the Alzheimer’s Association or a charity of the donor’s choice. The Tennessean has more on Thompson's life.

Lawrenceburg lawyer Charles W. “Charlie” Holt Jr. died Dec. 10 after a full day of work, according to his law firm. He was 74. Holt earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law in 1976 and began his legal career in Smyrna. He soon moved back home to Lawrenceburg and began practicing with William E. “Bill” Boston in the firm now known as Boston, Holt & Durham. In addition to nearly five decades of private practice, Hold also served as county attorney for Lawrence County for more than 30 years. He was an active member of the Lawrence County and Tennessee Bar associations and was a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. Visitation will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST with services immediately following. Arrangements are being handled by Neal Funeral Home.

Former Tennessee House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick has died at age 63 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS. A Chattanooga-area Republican, McCormick served seven terms in the state House of Representatives beginning in 2004. He was named chair of the Budget Subcommittee and later as House Majority Leader. Following his retirement, McCormick joined the Ingram Group to pursue a lobbying career. The Tennessean has more on his life, while Chattanoogan.com has reaction from his colleagues.

Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Ron Durby died Dec. 9. Durby earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee and practiced with the Legal Aid Society and attorney Clarence Shattuck before being appointed Hamilton County clerk and master in 1986. He went on to serve 18 years as a general sessions court judge. Visitation will be held at Red Bank Baptist Church on Dec. 13, beginning at 11 a.m. EST.  A celebration of life service will follow at 1 p.m. with burial afterward at Hamilton Memorial Gardens. The church is located at 4000 Dayton Blvd., Chattanooga 37415. Read more about his life in this obituary.

Nashville attorney Patricia Lee Newton died Nov. 30 at age 77. She graduated from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law in 1975 and practiced law at Gilreath & Associates in Knoxville. Newton moved to Nashville in 1978, where she became an assistant public defender for Metro Nashville government. In 1981, Newton began her 45-year career with the Tennessee state government, during which she held numerous leadership roles. Visitation will take place on Dec. 13 from noon to 2 p.m. CST, immediately followed by a funeral mass at St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows Church, 328 Rep. John Lewis Way N, Nashville 37219. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, 765 Nonaville Road., Mt. Juliet, TN 37122.

A service and celebration of life for Memphis attorney Stuart Kenneth R. "Ken" Shuttleworth will be held Dec. 11 at Calvary Episcopal Church, 102 N. 2nd St., Memphis, TN 38103, according to an email announcement from the law firm of Shuttleworth PLLC. The service will begin at 2 p.m. CST, with a reception to follow at the church. Shuttleworth died July 26. A private family ceremony previously was held in Florida.

Douglas Malcolm Carey, a 2023 graduate of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, died Nov. 27 at his home in Crozet, Virginia. He had been working as a civil litigator for The Crone Law Firm in Memphis. Carey grew up in Virginia and New York. He attended the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs where he focused on track, theater, the circus arts and martial arts. He attended SUNY Oswego and graduated with a dual major of philosophy and biochemistry in 2016. Outside of work, he was a certified personal trainer and was passionate about power lifting and running. A memorial service is being planned at the University of Virginia Chapel in Charlottesville, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the TSC Alliance of Silver Spring, Maryland.