Obituary of Earl Gordon Cairns

Dr. Earl Gordon Cairns, age 90, passed away Thursday, April 14, 2022 in Chiefland, Florida. Dr. Cairns was born May 1, 1931 to the late Earl Gordon and Sophia Schmidt Cairns in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was a godly man and friend to everyone, affectionately called, “Buddy,” by many. As a minister for 68 years, he spent his life caring about people and where they would spend eternity. Before becoming a minister, he served in the U.S. Navy as a radioman on a torpedo plane stationed in Hawaii. He will receive military honors at his funeral. After marrying Betty Duke in 1950 in Chattanooga, TN, he began to attend seminary at Tennessee Temple School. Upon becoming a Baptist minister, he pastored churches in Pleasantville, Shelburne, Elkhart, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Barbourton in Ohio. He received an honorary doctorate from Indiana Bible College. Also while in Indiana, he served in the Indiana Civil Air Patrol, achieving the rank of Lt. Colonel as the Commanding Chaplain. After retiring, he moved back to Tennessee to help his wife care for her mother, Leona Deshon Dodd Duke, and continued to pastor churches in Manchester, including Westwood Baptist, Hillcrest Baptist and Boynton Valley Baptist. In continued service to his community, he also worked as a volunteer firefighter with the Summitville Fire Department, and spent 20+ years as a volunteer certified Arson Investigator with the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department. In this role, he helped provide security at large events, including the famed Bonnaroo Music Festival. When he wasn’t serving the community, he enjoyed being a devoted husband, son, loving father, grandfather, great-grandfather, adventurous uncle, and even a HAM radio operator. In addition to his father, mother, who died in childbirth with him, and stepmother who raised him, he is also preceded in death by his wife, Betty Duke Cairns. Dr. Cairns is survived by a daughter, Susan (Deshon) Winters; grandchildren, Cairn Deshon Hamilton and Tommy Dale Wilson; great grandchildren, Ashley Deshon Hamilton, Zachary Joseph Hamilton, Abigail Sophia Wilson, Mia Rose Turbeville. Visitation with the family will be held Friday, April 22 from 4-8pm at Central Funeral Home. Funeral service will be held Saturday, April 23 at 2pm at Central Funeral Home with his great nephew Rev. Dustin Duke officiating and family friend John Gaston leading worship. Burial will follow in Summitville Cemetery. Central Funeral Home is honored to serve the Cairns family.