Mary Maxine Bozeman Salmon went home to be with the Lord on October 08, 2021, at age 99.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, David F. Salmon; parents, Angus Leon Bozeman and Mary Meadows Bozeman; and son-in-law Robert S. Rea. Survived by children, Donna Salmon Rea, David Angus Salmon (Benedicte Caneill), Mary Lynn Giles (Tony), Rebecca McGonagil (Don); grandchildren Lionel David Rea, Amy Rea Dills (Wayne), Rebecca Blair Giles, Mary Grace Giles Bundrick (Trey); great-grandchildren Rachel Ivy Dills, Regan Maxine Dills, Mary Taylor Bundrick, and Annie Virginia Bundrick. Cousins Robert K. Patton Jr. (Sue), Virginia Patton Saunders, and Miriam Bozeman Usry.
She graduated from Ward-Belmont (now Harpeth Hall) at the age of 16, entered Vanderbilt University as one of the two youngest students in the Freshman class, graduated from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes), and earned a Master’s Degree in Education from George Peabody College for Teachers.
Maxine and David were married in May 1945. After WWII ended, David earned a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Vanderbilt, and Maxine taught English at East Junior High. They lived in Nahant MA, Schenectady NY, and Oak Ridge TN while David worked with GE and ORNL, before returning in 1955 to Nashville.
She was a Nashville native. Ancestors on her mother’s side, Gillum and Coles, came to the area via Revolutionary War land grants. The Gillum family, from Charlottesville VA, settled in Russellville KY. The original Gillum home in Logan County KY is now an Airbnb. William Temple Coles Jr. sold his Smith County TN land grant in 1797 and settled in Lebanon TN. The Meadows family arrived in 1870. They floated down river from Kentucky on a homemade raft, stopping on the Cumberland River at Pennington Bend for supplies. Convinced it would be a good place to make a home, they purchased property, a portion of which is now The Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.
Maxine was a member of Campbell Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Westminster Presbyterian Church.
A private graveside service and burial will be held on Friday, October 15 at the Historic Spring Hill Cemetery.
