Jerry Wayne Sweeney

Husband, father, friend, CEO, teacher, philanthropist and Vol Fan, Maury County native, Jerry Wayne Sweeney passed away in the early hours of June 11, 2018, surrounded by his family.

Jerry was most well-known for his thirty-five years of being the CEO and one of the founding members of Tennessee Aluminum Processors, a dross and scrap processing company with locations in Mt. Pleasant and Gadsden, Alabama.

Jerry’s life began in Winchester, on December 16, 1946 despite living most of his life in the Southport community in Maury County. He is a product of the Maury County school system, where he was active in student government, athletics, and extracurricular activities. A graduate of Columbia Central High School, Jerry moved to Vol Country, graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in business in 1969. After leaving UT, he began working as a fourth-grade teacher in Spring Hill, while coaching football. Jerry left teaching with the encouragement of a good friend, to work first for BF Goodrich and then in 1974, he began his career in the aluminum industry working at American Recycle. In 1981, Jerry founded L&S metals with his business partner Larry Lockamy and his brother John Sweeney. TAP was later founded in 1983.

Jerry served on the Board of Directors of the Aluminum Association and was involved in many other aluminum industry trade groups and associations such as ISRI (Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries) and TMS (The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society). He not only contributed his time but also his service in presenting and publishing multiple papers and articles in regards to secondary aluminum processing.

Jerry was a well-known philanthropist, giving back to our community his entire life. He was a part of multiple charitable organizations and fundraisers over the years, but some of the most notable are: The Lock, where he served as Chairman of the charitable golf tournament, raising over 400,000 dollars for the Center of Hope; The Columbia Central High School Band, where he not only sponsored the band but also purchased a van trailer to haul the band equipment; The Boys and Girls Club, where he was named a Jeremiah Milbank Society Member; Maury Alliance, not only was he a long time member, but also an investor; The Mount Pleasant Community Development Board; local sports teams; The Elks Lodge, where he worked to raise funds for the Elks Christmas shopping for underprivileged local families; The University of Tennessee Athletics, where he supported his love for UT.

Jerry’s longest running commitment was not to metal, but rather to his wife Jonell who survives him in their more than fifty-year marriage, and the family they created together. He loved his family, especially his grandchildren, and spent time with them up until the last moments. Jerry looked forward to the time he spent with his friends playing cards and traveling the world.

He is also survived by his daughter Jerusha (Ben) Pitts of Columbia; son Jared (Jessica) Sweeney of Columbia; granddaughters Jaye Clara Pitts and Vivian Sweeney; and grandsons Carter and Isaac Sweeney. He is also survived by his two brothers John (Mary Paul) Sweeney and Mike (Sheila) Sweeney of Columbia, and two sisters Kaye (Fred) Hahn of Brentwood and Dorothy (J.W.) Campbell of Columbia.

The family will receive friends from 3:00 until 8:00 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, in the chapel of Williams Funeral Home in Columbia. The service celebrating Jerry and his life will be held on Thursday beginning at 10 am, also at the funeral home. Rev. Joe Evans, Chaz Molder, and Charlie Norman will be officiating. Burial will follow in The Arbors at Polk Memorial Gardens.

The pallbearers that will serve for Jerry are Jon Sweeney, Corey Culberson, Kyle Rowekamp, Ben Varga, Joey Houser, Nathan Miller, Hery Purwanto, and Hunter Sternenenberg.

Honorary pallbearers will be Eddie Campbell, Bobby Lovell, Doug Mabry, friends of the aluminum industry, the employees of Tennessee Aluminum Processors, his Wednesday night card crew, and the Columbia Elks Lodge.

Special thanks to Stacey Lentz, Jerry’s long-time friend and assistant and to Dr. Jenny Helpern at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations in Jerry’s name to either to the National Cancer Institute at Building 31 Room 11A-16, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892 ( www.cancer.gov ) or to the Center of Hope at 2441 Park Plus Drive, Columbia, TN, 38401. ( www.centerofhopetn.org/ )

Williams Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. You may send the family condolences at www.williamsfh.com .