William "Bill" Vernon Neblett

 William ‘Bill” Vernon Neblett passed away peacefully at home following a long battle with COPD and congestive heart failure June 10th, 2026 at the age of 67. Born October 5th, 1958 in Morristown, Tennessee, he enjoyed a rich childhood of mischief, lake days, and finding the true love of his life, percussion. Proud member of the Morristown East High School Hurricane band, he transformed his childhood pursuits into a love for teaching as he entered adulthood.. He first joined his father at Enka, BASF, and later at MAHLE to make ends meet for his two daughters. Those two daughters’ interest in following his marching band footsteps reignited his passion for teaching and led to his greatest achievements later in life. Once his children had children of their own, he moved into teaching and mentoring a legion of young percussionists full time. From helping 5th graders hold their first drum sticks to writing parts for high school halftime shows, he truly lived his dream and left a lasting impact on more people than he will ever know. His greatest achievement was watching one of his students make All State before he left this earth. He loved to see the passion for music in others and his ability to foster a small spark of interest into a burning flame was truly extraordinary. In addition to teaching, he found a community of friends and colleagues who supported him on so many levels beyond their summer afternoons on football fields. He treasured those friends as much, if not more than his family. 

He is now playing timpani and marimba in heaven alongside his father, Robert ‘Bob’ Neblett, mother, Charlotte Hurst Neblett, and sister, Nancy Seal. Those of us left on earth to cherish his memory include his daughters, Jessica Davis and Emily Patterson (Mark); his grandchildren, Michael Davis, Jack Davis, and Eli Neblett; his nephews, Jeremy Seal (Mary) and Josh Seal (Jessica); ;his great-nieces and his great-nephews, Telisa Johnson (Cortney), Traynor Seal, Jessica Bolling, Taylor Sheffield, Jacob Sheffield, and Jamasen Sheffield; and his uncle, William ‘Bill’ Hurst. 

In honor of his decades of teaching music to the youth of the Lakeway area, the family would like to request donations be made to the Morristown West High School Band, One Trojan Trl, Morristown, TN 37813. The family will have a private ceremony to celebrate his life and legacy.

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