Gaile T. Hughes Mann

On Wednesday, December 20, 2023, our dearly beloved, Gaile Teresa Hughes Mann departed this life. She felt her illness would close the earthly chapter of her life, sooner than she hoped; however, this prepared her with thankfulness and gratitude for a close relationship with God. To feel HIS Holy Spirit and witness HIS presence until her last breath was a blessing and comfort.

Born to the union of Darlena Wyatt Hughes and Clay Alfred Hughes. The first child of three siblings, Gaile received her high school diploma from Hillsboro High School, continued her education at Belmont College, and Knoxville College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. She continued her collegiate experiences at the University of New Orleans,
and there she earned a master’s degree in communication and earned a master’s degree in English from Tennessee State University.

Gaile worked for a local television station, Channel 17. Her job duties were working the cameras and cable system, and not so pleased with the heavy labor part of the job, Gaile often shared “the heavy lifting” of the job, ended her career in television. Her communication training next led her to Knoxville College, where she worked as a DJ at the radio station that
WJBE formerly owned at the time by the singer/entertainer, James Brown. Gaile so fondly shared “I did not talk, only played records” all the time during this employment, again sharing like television, radio was not for her. Returning to Nashville, and was employed by the Nashville Urban League, where her duties was operating the women’s shelter and helping others to seek employment in the Nashville area and its surrounding communities. Also, during her tenue at the Nashville Urban League, Gaile met and married Vincent Mann on November 7, 1987. Her latter employment/work career conducted at Tennessee State University (TSU) and included 25 years of loyal service. There she served under the Office of the Dean, in the Department Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering as an Administrative Assistant IV, where she was awarded the outstanding employee award. In addition, she taught English during summer school programs.

Gaile loved her church. She joined Tabernacle Baptist Church as a teenager where she served under the pastoral guidance of the late Reverend Roosevelt Evans, the late Richard D. Hunt, and the current Pastor Darin G. Freeman Sr. She often spoke highly and complimented Pastor Freeman for his innovative ability to introduce different methods, ideals, and encouraging all to be open minded to progress, production and producing something great for God in the spiritual development of the church’s ministries.

Gaile felt that she had made a lot of choices in her life, some good and some bad. While visiting her brother’s church, Greater Christ Temple Apostolic Church, where Bishop Sherman L. Merritt, Sr. serves as the pastor. An invitation to baptism was extended, Gaile and her mother accepted the invitation and they both were baptized in the name of Jesus and filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues that very same day. Gaile said that was the greatest choice she ever made.

Gaile was a very active member of Tabernacle Baptist Church, where she served as the minister of Christian Education for over 15 years, taught Sunday School, produced plays, children church director and initiated the STEM program for the youth dept. After Gaile became the minister of Christian Education, one of her closest friends (Jo’Etta) suggested to her that she needed a youth director. Gaile replied “I’ve got one, you. Gaile also wrote material for the Sunday School
primary department for the Sunday School Publishing Board for a year. That was a proud
accomplishment for her.

Gaile had many things she was interested in. She was full of ideas, dreams, and hope in Christ! Gaile was a quiet thinker, you would not know what she was thinking until she walked up to you and would say “Let me run something by “yah what yah think”? She said casually one day, out of the blue “I wrote a song” yeah, I wrote a song. Gaile had written her first song “In Due Time.” Which rose to #79 on the Gospel Billboard Cart, she was so proud of this accomplishment. In addition, she was anticipating her second song “Faith and Righteous” to be recorded in 2024.

Gaile enjoyed visiting and dining out at different types of food places such as, Indian, Thai, and Chinese Cuisines. She had a wide variety of tastes. One of her closest friends (Willa) had stated that when they dined together those spices Gaile would choose would catch her off guard at times. And knew that she would not be caught off guard again, but knew the next time, to be prepared for Gaile. In addition to being very health conscience and particular about what she ate, Gaile liked to walk and would exercise as often as she could in the morning. Gaile was somewhat reserved, not a lot to say depending on who she was around. But she was very humorous in her own way, not quite all the time, sometimes she could be straight forward, demanding, and a little feisty at times, we all have our ways.

Gaile recognized where she could be most helpful. Therefore, she spent quality time with her niece Tramona and with her nephew D’Angeles trying to educate and giving advice to Tranita, Kenneth, and Antoine whenever the time presented itself. Also, helping her sister-in-law (Sherron) while she was continuing her education by proofreading her papers from time to time. She joked about Gaile marking her papers up in red marks to show where corrections needed to be made. That was just Gaile being an educator.

Gaile has twenty aunts and uncles. She has a large family with a lot of cousins. Gaile smiled with loving pride when she would say “I know all my cousins. The long summers, the family gathering, cookouts and the family reunions. Gaile was always excited about getting back down into the country. Down in the country and so excited about mule day in Columbia, TN Some of the counties that she so happily grew up in places like Gravell Hill, Theta, and Godwin, TN on the land of her Uncle Thomas and Matilda (Auntie Tilly). She was Mu-dear way before Madea. Their home was always open to everyone. These were the places Gaile would meet with all her cousins. When the catfish started cooking, she was there, those times and memories were dear to her heart.

If you couldn’t find Gaile out at 100 Oaks, Green Hills or at church, then go straight out her sister Sheila. Gaile loved her sister Sheila, not with a lot of words, but she demonstrated her love. Gaile and her brother were like two peas in a pod, always there for one another. When Gaile and her brother were children, Gaile could not pronounce his first name (Harvatha) so she
just starts calling him “Bruh”.

Gaile’s mother told them “Don’t fight each other, stay together and love one another”. The bond of love between the three was never broken. Gaile would encourage you to stop and take time and examine your relationship with your brothers and sister but, most of all with your relationship with JESUS.

Leaving to cherish her memories, Husband, Vincent Mann; Devoted brother, Harvatha (Sherron) Hughes; Devoted sister, Sheila McCullough; Nieces, Tramona Alderson, and Tranita McCullough; Nephews, D’Angeles Giron, Kenneth Dunlap, Antoine Burton; Others, Sister-in-law, Linda Mann, Dorothy (Joe) Bond, Pauletta (Bobby) Bond; Brother-in-law- Veron Mann and a host of cousins and friends. Closets friends-Jo’Etta Alderson, Nashville, TN, Willa Evans, Nashville, TN, Sandra Burden, New Orleans and Lynn Twillie Darby, Knoxville, TN.