DEATHS
Anderson
Morris Lynn Anderson, 73, died on April 18, 2025, in Maryville.
He was born on May 13, 1951, in Metropolis, Ill.
Anderson was a full-time evangelist and Founder and President of M.A.N.N.A. Ministries. Prior to becoming an evangelist, he was pastor of Dotson Memorial Baptist Church of Maryville, First Baptist Church of Pigeon Forge, and Central Baptist Church in Winchester, Ky.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lyndall and Sarah Mizell Anderson; one brother, Robert Anderson; and two sisters, Margaret Sielbeck and Linda Trout.
He is survived by his wife, Darlenia Anderson, whom he married on July 26, 1970, at the First Baptist Church of Metropolis, Ill. Other survivors include two daughters, Angela McKenzie of Durham, N.C., and Sarah Anderson of Maryville; and five granddaughters, Mary Margaret and Laura McKenzie of Durham, and Courtney, Ashley, and Hannah Parrish of Maryville.
First Baptist Church Hohenwald, during a Palm Sunday service, bid farewell to Lisa Anderson, who retired after a 34-year tenure as their office manager. The congregation gathered to honor Anderson's commitment to the church community. “I don’t look at myself as just a secretary or office manager — this has been my ministry,” Anderson reflected during the ceremony. “Thank you seems so inadequate to try and convey the gratefulness I have toward this church.” Throughout her career, Anderson saw significant transformations within the congregation while serving alongside four different pastors. Though she will be retiring from the church, she said she will still be seen around the church in the years ahead. Anderson, center, is seen with Mark and Cynthia Proctor from the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
