Several people have called me after the stories about tattooing houses. One call was from Robert Lee “Bobby” Fields, whom I have not seen since school days and had not spoken with in over 60 years. It seems that Edgebert Lee and Melba Lovell had stopped by to see him and brought a copy of the Union County Shopper. Bobby and his wife now live at Strawberry Plains. Bobby retired from Bell South with 37 years of service.

In our conversation, Bobby asked, “What ever happened to Spanky?” That prompted this story.
Spanky was Gerald Wayne Beeler whose house was tattooed. The Beeler home was at the intersection of Monroe Street and the current Highway 33. I’m not sure how Gerald got the nick name “Spanky” but there was a radio program that had characters named Spanky and Alfalfa. I don’t remember just what year, but Max, whose parents owned the Beeler Hotel and a garage, worked at his father’s garage. When the City of Knoxville stopped running street cars and bought buses, Max became a diesel mechanic for Knoxville Transit Lines where he worked to retirement. I suppose the daily commute prompted them to move to Fountain City. Gerald, born July 29, 1938, then transferred to Fountain City Elementary School. He graduated from Central High School where he met his wife to be. For a short time he worked at McCampbell’s Service Station at Smithwood. After a few years he got a better job at Lay Packing Company, where he worked for 20 years. After that he became maintenance supervisor at NHC - Fort Sanders, where he worked to his retirement. Alice Lody Glenn, also of Maynardville worked there at that same time and then retired back to Maynardville .

Gerald married his high school sweetheart, Evelyn Marie Cox; and on April 7, 1961 they had twin girls–Melanie and Michelle. Some years later they had another daughter, Kimberly. After the girls were older, Evelyn worked for Home Federal Bank. They built a new house on Brown’s Gap Road. When she was still quite young, Evelyn developed a heart problem and had to have a heart value replacement. She recovered and had quite a few good years after the value replacement, but August 23, 1995 something happened and Evelyn died suddenly during the night. Evelyn was indeed the love of Gerald’s life and he never got over that terrible loss. As people have to do, he tried to go on with his life.

About 2005, Gerald was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and died March 28, 2007. Daughter, Michelle Vickers, is a Floral Manager at Kroger in Fountain City. Melanie married a Union County boy, Eddie Turner, and they lived near Chattanooga until Eddie retired, and daughter, Kimberly Weber, is a dental assistant in Knoxville.

Max, Joanna, Gerald “Spanky” and Evelyn are all buried at Pleasant View Cemetery in the northeast corner near Walkers’ Ford Road.

Photo Caption: Gerald Wayne “Spanky” Beeler, age 3-1/2.
Gerald Wayne Beeler