Mrs. Dixie Hilda Stone Phifer, age 91, of Sparta, passed away Sunday, May 24, 2026, at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.
Dixie was born November 3, 1934, in Sparta to the late Dennis T. and Daisy Lee Steele Stone. She had a work career spanning from switchboard operator to retail sales, most notably with JCPenney and Wal-Mart. She enjoyed traveling domestically and abroad, living in both Spain and Saudi Arabia during her life. She will be fondly remembered for her love of baking and feeding people, often sharing her baked goods at Wal-Mart.
In addition to her parents, she is also preceded in death by her husband Donald Arzie Phifer, who died June 19, 2005; grandson Leroy Joseph “Lee” Willmann, III, who died December 15, 2022; sisters Evelyn Dean Fleaher, Sandra Lewis and Paula Tompkins; brothers Charles D. Stone, Jimmy V. Stone and Bobby H. Stone.
Surviving family members include her three children, Rita Willmann of Aurora, Colorado, Sharon (Douglas) Berry of Roswell, NM, and D.K. Phifer of Sparta
Grandson: Isaiah Phifer
Great-grandchildren: Dakota (Alexis) Willmann and James Willmann
Sisters-in-law: Elizabeth Sparks Stone of Cookeville and Bonita Stone of Maryville, TN
A host of nieces and nephews also survive.
Funeral services were conducted at 1 pm on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in the Chapel of Hunter Funeral Home with burial in Bransford Davis Cemetery. The family received friends after 11 am on Wednesday at Hunter Funeral Home. David Copeland officiated.
