A Celebration of Life service for James Vertrees, age 77, of Palymra, TN, will be Saturday, January 21, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Sykes Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday, January 20, 2023, from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. at the funeral home and again on Saturday from 12:00 p.m. until the time of service.
James was born December 13, 1945, to Alvin and Audrey Vertrees in Jacksonville, FL. Graduate of Clarksville High School 1964 and Austin Peay State University 1975 MA Degree in Education. James taught with the Montgomery County School System for 26 years until 1997. He designed and built with his wife, a home and studio in Palmyra, TN in 1990 where he continued his pursuit of his second career which would span more than 38 years of his life. In that time, he made and sold thousands of pieces of his metal work across the country and internationally. James was known by his peers and the ” Fountainman”. Indoor and outdoor copper fountains were his specialty.
In addition to his parents, James is preceded in death by his loving wife, Kaye Vertrees.
He is survived by his children: James (Kristie) Vertrees Jr., Jack Vertrees, and Julee Miller; brothers, Thomas (Carolyn) Vertrees and Mark (Kay) Vertrees; grandchildren: Richard, Jeorja, John II, Dillon, Trey, Jackson, Thomas, and Charlie; and great-grandchildren: Aria, Winter, and Kent.