Cora Mae Womac Kirby, 97, of Tullahoma passed away at her home on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. 

Cora was born in Big Spring on May 27, 1928, and grew up in and around Decatur and the Meigs County area. Her family were farmers, but also sold timber, ran a sawmill, and various other enterprises, and her father later served several terms as Meigs County Sheriff.  She was the first family member to graduate high school when she graduated from Meigs County High School, and then went on to attend McKenzie Business College in Chattanooga. Cora returned to Meigs County after her schooling and worked for several local businesses before landing a job at Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Oak Ridge, TN.   She was the head of the secretarial pool for one of the sections at Oak Ridge and this is where she eventually met her husband, Bill Kirby, a research scientist who was part of the wartime Manhattan Project.  They eventually moved to Tullahoma and she took on the important role of fulltime wife and mother.  She was full of life, loved to play bridge, sewed beautiful clothes for the family, and chauffeured her children to all the activities that made childhood so wonderful.

The family wishes to thank her friends and neighbors, and all her service providers like her yard service, HVAC repair, doctors and many others for being so kind and taking such good care of her in her later years.  Your kindness and generosity were much appreciated.  

Mrs. Kirby was the daughter of the late Oscar and Hester Crisp Womac and wife of the late William “Bill” Kirby.  She is survived by her daughter, Teresa Kirby and her husband Ray Linder of Primm Springs; her son, Bill Kirby of Franklin; stepdaughter, Pegeen Thornton and her husband Bill; two grandchildren; three great grandchildren; three great-great grandchildren; and niece Debbie Womac Goodwin. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a brother and sister-in-law, J.A. and Dot Womac; and niece, Jimmie Lynn Womac Kirkland (Jack).

A graveside service to celebrate Mrs. Kirby was held on Friday, Aug. 29 at Roselawn Memorial Gardens, 5350 NW Broad Street, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37129.

Tullahoma News – Sept. 28, 2025