Mrs. Earnestine Barnes Dedman, born July 31, 1930, passed away on September 4, 2026, at the age of 96. Earnestine, or Ernie as she was most often known, occasionally known as “Big Red,” was a heartbreaker in her youth until she spotted William (Bill) Dedman at a Saturday night dance. Though he was with another date, Ernie leaned over to her mother and declared that he was the man she wanted to marry, and by the next Saturday dance, they were on their way to what would become fifty-six years of marriage and adventure until his passing in 2018.

Ernie worked for Bellsouth as a telephone operator, in the days of real switchboards, for over thirty years. She met her best friends there, their own small group of Telephone Pioneers, who lunched and shopped together for decades. She was the last of her group and carried their memories and friendships with her always.

Fiercely independent and strong, Ernie lived on her farm, mowing the yard until she was 90, still driving, shopping, visiting family, and occasionally dancing, until illness finally caught her at 93. She moved to assisted living at Maybelle Carter Assisted Living near her great-niece, Nancy Denning-Martin and her husband, Danny Ray, and their children, Sophia, Jeremy, and Danielle, who enjoyed many adventures—from ICE! to dinosaur walks to TJ Maxx shopping sprees--with her in the last three years.

Ernie loved to laugh, to dance, to cut up, and to watch UT football. She enjoyed the Titans, classic TV shows, and truly classic country music. She loved a good wig, having her nails done, Mt. Dew, field corn, and fried chicken, but more than anything else in the entire world, she loved her family. She was immensely proud of her nieces and nephews—Jimmy (Sandra) Denning, Eva (Rob) Quinley Lynch, Allen (Cindi) Barnes, and Kathy Carrigan. Their love and support wrapped around her like a constant hug, and she would light up with their visits, calls, and stories. She spoke of them to anyone who would listen and built a legacy she wanted to pass to them and their families. She was blessed to know she had done that and more. Earnestine Dedman was well and truly loved.

Ernie is survived by her nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, and even great-great-great nieces and nephews as well as brothers-and-sisters in-law and cousins. Ernie was blessed with a long and deep friendship with the Martin family from Kentucky, with some special relationships with nurses and caregivers at Aviva Maybelle Carter over her years there, with friends she made at Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and other friends of Nancy’s, especially Mimi Fondren, all of whom often visited and helped provide care. She was thankful for care provided by Alive Hospice in her last months.

Graveside services for Ernie will be held at 2 PM Sunday, September 6, 2026at the Gallatin City Cemetery, conducted by Danny Ray Martin.  There will be no visitation prior to service.