Franklin "Luke" Delano Easter

Franklin (“Luke”) Delano Easter, 89, passed away on September 20, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee, after a brief illness. He was preceded in death by parents Reece and Dixie Easter, brothers Paul Easter and Earl Easter, sisters Edith Easter Taylor and Sandra Easter Hendrickson, and daughter Amy Easter. He is survived by his devoted wife of 58 years, Donna McKellar Easter; children Josh (Laura) Easter and Amanda (Geoff) Safron; and grandchildren Frannie Easter, Jack Easter, Michael Hudgens, Evan Hudgens, and Michelle Hamilton.

Born April 25, 1934, in Harriman, Tennessee, Luke graduated from South Harriman High School and Carson-Newman College; he also held graduate degrees from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and Tennessee State University. Early in his career, he taught high school in Melbourne, Florida, and later taught and coached at Madison High School and Two Rivers High School in the Nashville area. In 1966, Luke joined the State of Tennessee’s Department of Education, ultimately serving as Director of Adult Education, Director of GED Testing, and Director of the Governor’s School. 

A member of West Nashville Phoenix Lodge #131 and St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Luke also was involved in many sports endeavors, primarily as a member of the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association, for which he officiated many regular season and postseason high school football and basketball games. He was a locker room attendant for the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators and worked at the scorers’ table for various local sporting events, including the SEC Basketball Tournament and NCAA Mideast Regional Basketball Tournament. In his later years, one could find Luke – clad in his red, plaid tam hat – roaming the sidelines at various local high school football games, performing whatever tasks the gracious athletic directors and coaches asked him to undertake.

Luke did not miss out on much in life (including, if you took his word for it, any and all penalties on the football field) and fought valiantly to attend his granddaughter Frannie’s wedding to her fiancé, Matthew Hogan, later this year. While he will miss out on the ceremony, he certainly will be there in spirit.

A memorial service to celebrate Luke’s life will be held Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:00PM at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, 4800 Belmont Park Terrace, Nashville, TN 37220. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the charity or institution of one’s choice.