Finding a specific tribute in a small town can honestly feel like a needle-in-a-haystack situation if you don’t know where the locals actually post. In Winchester, Tennessee, the pulse of the community often runs through one specific spot: the Moore-Cortner Funeral Home. If you’re looking for Moore-Cortner Funeral Home obituaries, you're probably not just looking for a date or a time. You're looking for a story.
Most people think an obituary is just a dry list of facts—birth, death, survivors.
That’s a mistake.
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In Middle Tennessee, these write-ups are basically the final word on a person’s legacy. They’re where you find out that "Big John" wasn't just a mechanic; he was the guy who grew the best tomatoes in Franklin County and never missed a Friday night football game.
Where to Find the Latest Moore-Cortner Funeral Home Obituaries
Let’s be real: Google is great, but it can be messy. If you search for a name and "obituary," you might get five different websites that all look the same, some of them trying to sell you flowers before you even know when the service is.
If you want the actual, verified information, you’ve basically got two reliable paths.
First, the official Moore-Cortner Funeral Home website is the source of truth. They have an "Obituary Listings" section that lets you filter by the last 30, 60, or 90 days. It’s simple. No fluff.
The second spot is Legacy.com. They partner with Moore-Cortner, so the info is usually mirrored there.
Recent Tributes from January 2026
To give you an idea of how active the community is, just look at the last week. As of January 15, 2026, the home has handled services for several well-known local figures.
Paul Walker Durma was just listed today, January 15. Then you have Angela Jeanene Tobitt, who passed on January 13, and Lee Edward Goddard, whose service was just a couple of days ago. It’s a busy time for the staff at 300 First Avenue NW, and these digital records are often the first place family members from out of state go to leave a "Hugs from Home" message or order a plant.
The "Cortner" Connection: More Than One Location?
This is where people get tripped up.
You’ll see names like Jennings-Moore-Cortner or Watson Funeral Home popping up in your search results. Are they the same thing?
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Sorta.
The Cortner family has been in the business for generations. Bob Cortner bought the original Moore Funeral Home back in 1966. Since then, his son Jim and grandson Robert (who is a fifth-generation employee, by the way) have expanded.
- Moore-Cortner (Winchester): The main hub on First Avenue.
- Jennings-Moore-Cortner (Lynchburg): If the person lived over toward the Jack Daniel’s neck of the woods, the obituary might be listed here instead.
- Franklin Memorial Gardens: This is the cemetery side of things.
If you can't find a name on the Winchester site, check the Lynchburg location. Families often have ties to both, and the obituaries are hosted on separate pages even though the same family runs the show.
What Makes These Obituaries Different?
Most big-city funeral homes use templates. They’re boring.
But in a place like Winchester, the Moore-Cortner Funeral Home obituaries often include these tiny, specific details that you won't find in a standard template.
Take Don Moore’s obituary from a while back. It didn't just say he liked art. It mentioned he was famous for the paintings on his outbuildings and that people knew his house as the one with all the "UT things" and drawings. That’s the kind of stuff that makes a tribute feel human.
When you’re reading these, look for:
- Church Affiliations: In Franklin County, this is usually the lead paragraph. Whether it’s Decherd First Baptist or Trinity Episcopal, it’s a huge part of the local identity.
- Nicknames: You’ll often see names in quotes, like Linda "Mammie" Kate Cauble. If everyone knew her as Mammie, that’s how she’s listed.
- Specific Passions: Whether it's "tinkering with lawn mowers" or being a "32nd Degree Mason," the details are what matter.
How to Write a Tribute That Actually Matters
If you’re the one tasked with writing one of these for Moore-Cortner to post, don't overthink it.
You don't need to be a professional writer. You just need to be honest.
Start with the basics: Full name, age, city of residence, and the date of passing.
Then, move into the "meat" of the story. Instead of saying "He loved the outdoors," say "He spent every Saturday morning on Tims Ford Lake, even when the fish weren't biting."
The Survival List
One thing Moore-Cortner is very diligent about is the list of survivors. It’s a tradition in Middle Tennessee to list everyone.
We’re talking spouses, children (with their spouses' names in parentheses), siblings, and often a specific count of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It’s a way of showing the "reach" of a person’s life.
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Common Misconceptions About Local Obituaries
A lot of people think that once an obituary is off the front page of the website, it’s gone.
Not true.
The Moore-Cortner site keeps an archive that goes back years. You can search by first or last name using their "Advanced Search" tool. This is actually a goldmine for people doing genealogy research in Franklin County.
Another big misconception? That you have to pay for a massive newspaper spread.
While the Winchester Herald Chronicle is the local paper, many families are moving toward digital-only tributes. They’re easier to share on Facebook, and they allow for more photos without the "per-inch" cost of print.
Practical Steps If You Are Searching Right Now
If you are looking for information on a current service, here is what you should actually do:
- Check the "Service Date" filter: Sometimes the date of death was a week ago, but the service isn't until this weekend. Using the service date filter on the Moore-Cortner site is much faster than scrolling.
- Look for the "Reception" info: Moore-Cortner has a Family Reception Center. If the obituary mentions a meal or gathering, it’s often held right there at the facility, which has parking for over 100 cars—a rare thing in downtown Winchester.
- Sign the Guestbook: Even if you can’t make it to the service, the family gets a permanent record of everyone who signed the online guestbook. It matters more than you think.
If you’re trying to send flowers or a "Hugs from Home" gift, do it directly through the link on the obituary page. It ensures the delivery goes to the right room at the right time. Funeral directors handle the logistics, so you don't have to worry about the flowers arriving after the casket has already left for the cemetery.
The most important thing to remember is that these Moore-Cortner Funeral Home obituaries are more than just notifications. They are the community’s way of holding onto someone for a little bit longer. Whether you're a lifelong resident of Winchester or just someone trying to find a long-lost relative, these records are the most direct link to the history of Franklin County.
Next Steps for You: Go to the official Moore-Cortner website and use the "Search" bar at the top right. If the name doesn't pop up immediately, try searching just the last name and filtering by "Last 90 Days." This usually catches any spelling errors or maiden name confusion.