Gerrald Bland

Funeral services for Rev. Gerrald D. Bland, 84 of Lenior City, TN and formerly of Monterey will be held Friday December 28 at 7 p.m. (E.S.T.) at Click Funeral Home in Lenior City. Graveside services and interment, with military honors, will be Saturday December 28 at 12 noon (E.S.T.) at Lakeview Cemetery. Rev. Jeff Bowen will officiate. He died Tuesday evening December 25, 2012 in the Ben Atchley Veterans Home. Rev. Bland was the son of the late Guy and Laura LeConger Bland. He was a retired Baptist minister serving many churches throughout Tennessee including Monterey First Baptist Church where he served as Pastor from September 1, 1977 until December 31, 1990. Rev. Bland was a U.S. Army Veteran and retired from the Tennessee National Guard Reserves. He was an avid gardener who loved to share his bountiful crops with friends and neighbors. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Kate Bowery Band (whom he married August 23, 1952 in Bristol, TN); daughter and son-in-law, Kay and Wayne Vespie of Madison, KY; son, Lynn Bland of Lenior City; grandchildren, Megan Bland, Katie Vespie, and Julie Shelton; and great grandchildren, Beckett Shelton and Emmaline Vespie.