Brion Leonard Ford, 56, youngest son of Tennessee Ernie Ford
Matthew Kruk
Late music legend's youngest son dies
BY TOM NETHERLAND
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD COURIER
Published: October 28, 2008
You could sense Jeffrey Buckner "Buck" Ford smiling through the phone Monday
from nearly 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles at the mention of his little
brother, Brion.
"Brion was nuclear," Buck Ford said. "My brother was my sense of humor."
Brion Leonard Ford, youngest son of Bristol, Tenn., native and country music
legend Tennessee Ernie Ford, died Friday at his home in White House, Tenn.,
of lung cancer at age 56.
Survivors include his wife, Vivian; son, Jarrod Michael Ford; three
grandchildren; and his older brother, Buck.
"On behalf of everyone from the Ford family, I want to tell everyone in
Bristol that the people in Bristol and the city of Bristol meant so much to
Brion," Buck Ford said.
Brion Ford certainly meant a lot to Blountville's Tim White, who painted the
country music mural on State Street.
"He was one of those guys that even if you didn't see him for several years,
when he came back around, we picked it right back up," White said. "I can't
believe he's gone."
Brion Ford was born Sept. 3, 1952, in San Gabriel, Calif. His brother said
he was strong of voice and character - traits inherited from his father.
"Brion was an accomplished singer," Buck Ford said. "He possessed a
tremendous amount of emotion and range as a singer."
As a child, Brion Ford was a lightning bolt of energy. Bristol, Tenn.,
native Dorothy Bibee, 90, grew up with Ernie Ford and they remained close
friends throughout his life. She said when he would return to Bristol, he
often brought his two sons along.
"They swam in the swimming pool out behind First Presbyterian Church," Bibee
said.
Some years ago, Bibee and her late husband, Charles Oakley, kept house for
the Fords at their home in California while they vacationed in Hawaii.
Occasionally they also babysat the Ford boys.
"Oh Lord, yes," Bibee said. "Brion must have been about 8 or 9. That little
one, he was the one you had to watch. Brion was full of mischief."
And full of life, Buck Ford said.
"There was an indefatigable sense of life in Brion," Buck Ford said. "Brion
was the very real embodiment of joy for life."
Funeral services for him will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. CST at Austin & Bell
Funeral Home, 533 Hwy. 76, White House, Tenn. (615) 672-5000. The family
asks that memorial gifts be given to a cancer center of the donor's choice.
TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at
feat...@bristolnews.com.
busgal
> http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/late_music_legends_yo...
May I recomend brother Jeffery's recent biography about his parents?