Fredie Braswell

On Thursday December 23, Fredie L. Braswell was called home to be with the Lord in his own bed, surrounded by the people he loved the most. We all lost a good one that day.  To know ol’ Fred, or Poppaw, or Pops (just don’t call him “Fat Pappy” or he’ll fake getting mad at you, especially to his great/grandkids, prompting them to keep calling him that over and over) was to be a part of his family, and boy, did he love his family big! His most beloved was his wife of 67 years, Sue Braswell, and according to him “is the finest woman in this here town!”

From the age of 7, when he got his first job slinging newspapers in Nashville to support his mom and siblings, to his time in the Air Force, and then as an Engineer in the Nashville fire department for 26 years, Fred constantly worked hard to provide for his people.

Always a servant, he was equally comfortable keeping the nursery at church (always the babies!  He loved babies so much he would sometimes go up to complete strangers and baby talk with their infants), as he was driving the fire truck and giving endless piggy back rides to his grandkids even after long days of work.

An avid Tennessee Volunteer fan, he invented a dance for every time the Vols scored a touchdown, and he was most excited to “wocka-wocka” in person at the fiesta bowl in 1998 when they won the Natty!

Ol’ Fred loved any home cooked meal, prepared almost always from scratch by his “Susie”. The best meals happened when friends and family would gather around the table, too!  The table was supposed to fit 4 comfortably, but it wasn’t uncommon to squeeze 8 or even 10 folks around to feast, laugh, and spin a few yarns.  Hopefully if you are reading this, you’ve had the privilege of eating at the Braswell’s table.  It was open to everyone.

In all, Fredie was a great man, husband, father, and Poppaw.  All who knew him are sure gonna miss him.  When we would hug him bye after visits, he would always shout “I love you the most and the best, and I said it first!”  And that he did.

He is survived by his loving wife, Sue Braswell;  sister, Ruth Jones; daughter, Pam Bergeron (Lee); grandchildren, Blake (Jaclyn) and Kera (Zoey); and great grandchildren, Lilly, Samuel, Charmayne and Rex; and lots of nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life is currently planned for Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 11:00 am (visitation at 10:00 am) at their church, Westwood Baptist Church, 6100 Charlotte Ave, in West Nashville.