William Gene Randles

William Gene Randles (Bill) crossed into the Light after an unexpected and brief illness on May 26, 2026, in Nashville, TN. His wife and best friend of sixty years, Lucy (Gore), daughters Elizabeth Webb and Jenn Randles, and sons-in-law Charles Webb and Nat Vaprin were all with him as he passed peacefully.

Bill was known for his kindness and sense of humor, and his dedication to the things that he loved. He was a lifelong music lover with an extensive vinyl collection ranging from jazz to musicals, bluegrass, dulcimer music, and many genres in between. An avid photographer, he often took hiking trips to his beloved mountains of Eastern TN and Western NC, capturing pictures of the flora and fauna he found there. He always felt most at home amongst the trees, flowers, and birds in the hills and valleys of Tennessee and North Carolina. He loved the many housecats that were companions during his life, where he could often be found with one on his lap as he watched television in the evening.

Bill was born on July 22, 1942, in Louisville, KY, to Mary Thelma (Davis) Randles and Henry Tyler Randles. The family later moved to Glendale, KY, where he grew up near the Louisville & Nashville railroad and tobacco fields. He moved to Nashville in the early 1960s and met Lucy in the Spring of 1966. They were married in October of 1966, and later moved to Knoxville, TN, where he graduated with a BS in Horticulture from the University of Tennessee. He was highly respected in his field, with some of the early years of his career spent as an extension agent in Macon County, NC, and later as Resident Horticulturist for The Hermitage, the historic home of President Andrew Jackson. He worked at Nissan Motor Manufacturing when they built their plant in Smyrna, TN. However, for most of his career, he was the Sports Turf Manager at Vanderbilt University, a position he held for thirty years. After his retirement from Vanderbilt in 2015, he began offering Pesticide Recertification and tutoring classes to help people obtain and renew their TDA mandated licenses.

During his career, he was a mentor, resource and friend to many, known for his dedication and willingness to share his vast knowledge of horticulture and the turfgrass industry with newcomers and veterans alike. One of his favorite achievements was the research of historical garden plans and planting specimens in the Hermitage gardens that were present during Andrew Jackson’s lifetime. He was also proud of suggesting the donation of ornamental cherry trees from the Nissan Corporation to the city of Nashville, which graced the riverside walk with their blossoms and leaves for decades. With all he accomplished during his life, the thing he was most proud of was his loving family that was the center of his world.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Thelma Seagroves, father Tyler Randles, stepfather Birl Seagroves, and brother Charles Donald Randles, Sr. He is dearly missed by his family and many friends.

A Celebration of Life will be planned for a later date. Donations in his memory can be sent to Friends of the Smokies (https://friendsofthesmokies.org) or the Nashville Jazz Workshop (https://www.nashvillejazz.org).