Visitation, burial and a celebration of life event has been announced for former state senator and chair of the Tennessee Democratic party Roy Herron.
Herron died July 8 in Nashville — one week after the Tennessee wildlife resources agency said he was seriously injured in a jet ski accident on Kentucky Lake at Panther Bay, about 130 miles northeast of Memphis.
His wife Nancy Miller-Herron has announced that visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Martin, Tennessee on Friday July 15.
Videographers will be present at this citation so that attendees can make a video of their favorite "Roy story," which Nancy Miller-Herron said will be cherished by his sons and shared with his future grandchildren.
The service is said to take place at the church at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Burial will be at Sunset Cemetery in Dresden, Tennessee and a party celebrating Roy Herron's life is set tentatively at Blake's B-B-Q in Martin at 312 N. Lindell Street.
On Sept. 30, another "Roy stories" event is being planned by Herron's family for what would have been his 70th birthday. They said this event is planned tentatively for 1410 Rosa L. Parks in Nashville, Tennessee.
Herron served in the state house and senate between 1986 and 2012. Beginning in 2013 he served a two-year term as chair of the Tennessee Democratic party.
Lawmakers, universities and even a former vice president all paid tribute to the 69-year-old following his passing. In a public statement, state senator Raumesh Akbari of Memphis said the following:
"Roy Herron was a dedicated and joyful warrior for the causes he held dear. Behind that warm smile, he was as tenacious as they come and never better than when he was fighting for public schools, affordable healthcare and working families."
Former vice president and environmentalist Al Gore called Herron "a dear friend" who "always stood up for [Tennessee's] most vulnerable."