Doc Wells

Doc Wells passed away Thursday morning, May 18, 2017, after battling various health problems for a little over a year. He was born in 1928 and was almost 89 years old. With initials for a name, he was better known as Doc, Daddy or Pawpaw.
Doc was raised in the small West Georgia community of Felton, near the Haralson County/Polk County line. He was the youngest of 11 children born to George Washington Wells and Selma Wright Wells in a household that also included his niece and nephew. His mother died when he was 5 or 6 years old and he was raised by his older siblings, mostly his sisters, who remained fiercely protective of their youngest brother, even as adults.
He was a veteran of the U. S. Army, having served in the Korean War. When he returned from Korea, he settled in Chattanooga to be near other family members who had moved here and ended up living in the same house in East Chattanooga, near the watering trough, since 1958. He spent his work life in the factories and foundries around town, including Corley Manufacturing, Wheland Foundry, Lockheed and Koehrig Southern/Lorain, which is now Komatsu, before finally retiring from the maintenance department at UTC.
Until his disease robbed him of his ability, he was never at a loss for words. He loved to tell (and retell) stories about his youth (peeing in the water bucket; chasing an older brother through the woods to keep him from running naked through the revival meeting at the Methodist Church; and turning an angry groundhog loose in a beer joint), about the men he served with (Paul, a soldier from California; Manning, a soldier from Kentucky; and Joe, a local soldier who wondered whether he would ever find his way back to Ooltewah from Korea), and about the men he worked with(especially Robert Duke and Curtis Gossett).
Doc became a Christian in 1968 and was a member of Silver Crest Baptist Church ever since.
He was preceded in death by his father, mother, all ten of his brothers and sisters, and Randy, a son, who died as an infant.
He is survived by his wife, Glenda Faye Talley Wells, better known as Pat; sons, Ricky (Katie) and Ron (Gina); 5 grandchildren, at least 8 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends on Sunday, May 21, 2017 from 2-6 pm at the Highway 58 Chapel of Turner Funeral Home. Graveside service will be on Friday, June 2, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Chattanooga National Cemetery.
Special thanks to his nieces, Angie Brown, who was a tremendous help taking care of him while he was sick. He will be greatly missed. You may share your memories at www.turnerfamilyfuneralhome.com
Arrangements are by Turner Funeral Home, Hwy 58 Chapel, and 3913 Webb Road, Chattanooga, TN. Phone 423-622-3171