Jimmy Douglas Townsend

Jimmy Douglas Townsend passed away from natural causes on February 9, 2025
after many years of relatively poor health. He departed from Jackson, close to the
place he arrived – Paris, Tennessee, after having lived and traveled all over the
United States. He was born in Paris on February 3, 1938, to Johnie and Treva
(White) Townsend. His grandparents were Homer and Minnie (Malone) Townsend
of Paris, and J. B. and Opal Estelle (Haddock) White of McKenzie. Estelle
married Oscar Reynolds of McKenzie after she became a widow.
Jimmy is preceded in death by his wife, Marg Townsend, and is survived by his
son from a previous marriage, Joel (Patricia) of Piperton, TN. He is survived by
two Grandsons, Stephen (Kayla) of Germantown, TN, and John (Katherine) of
Collierville, TN. He had seven great-grandchildren. Jimmy’s Great-grandchildren
from Stephen are Samuel, Emmaline, and Hannah. His Great-grandchildren from
John are Patrick, John “Jack”, William, and Andrew. He became very close to
Wanda Pinkston of Paris and her family, as she was his caregiver for several years.
Jimmy loved the theater and always loved to act. He taught at Messick and
Trezvent High Schools in Memphis and directed some drama productions there.
Along the way, he performed in productions at Memphis State University and
directed at Memphis Little Theater. He had a short-lived political involvement in
Shelby County, but eventually ended up in sales, selling everything from men’s
suits at the old “Sears Crosstown” in Memphis to point-of-sale equipment and
ATM machines through a company in Maryland.
Funeral arrangements have been made through McEvoy Funeral Home in Paris,
TN. Jimmy's funeral service will be graveside in Maplewood Cemetery at 12:00
p.m. on Monday, February 24, 2025. He will be interred next to his parents in
Maplewood Cemetery.