Former Court of Criminal Appeals Judge F. Lloyd Tatum succumbed to cancer at his home in Henderson on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. He was 93 years old. Judge Tatum was appointed to the Criminal Court of Appeals in 1976 by Governor Ray Blanton. He served on that court until 1986 and later became a senior judge.
Judge Tatum was born in Jackson, Tennessee on August 7, 1925 to James Royal Tatum and Olive Irene Leggett. He served as a radio operator during World War II in the United States Army Air Corps and was stationed at various bases in the U.S. just as the war ended. He later served in the Air Force Reserves and the National Guard.
After the war he attended Union University and received his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law in 1948. He was admitted to the Tennessee Bar Association in 1947. He served in the FBI for a short time before opening his law office in Henderson, where he practiced for approximately 25 years. During his practice he became friends with one client in particular, Buford Pusser. In the 1970s he appeared as an actor in the movies "Walking Tall" and "Framed." He was recognized by the Henderson/Chester County Chamber of Commerce in 2014 as its Outstanding Citizen/Lifetime Achievement recipient.
He was preceded in death by his daughter Mary Janice Tatum, first wife and mother of his children, Inadene Rogers Tatum, and his second wife Yvonne Dobbs Tatum.
He is survived by one daughter, Suzanne Loo (Wade) of Powder Springs, Georgia and three sons, Aaron Tatum of Memphis, Lloyd R. Tatum (Lynn) of Henderson, and Tim Tatum (Sharon) of New Kent, Virginia and seven grandchildren.
The family will receive friends and loved ones from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Shackelford Funeral Home in Henderson, Tennessee on Friday, June 14, 2019 and Saturday, 12 noon until 2:00 PM at Grace Baptist Church.
The Funeral service will be conducted at 2:00 PM at Grace Baptist Church in Pinson, Tennessee with Kentucky Congressman, the Honorable Harold Rogers and Eric Martin officiating. Interment with Military Honors will be at Henderson City Cemetery following the service.
