Philip Cavender

Philip Marshall Cavender was born on July 20, 1955 in Nocona, Texas and passed away on December 26, 2020 in Birmingham Alabama at the end of his lengthy battle with FrontoTemporal Degeneration (FTD).

He is preceded in death by his parents: Norman W. (Bill) Cavender and Marinel Raines Cavender.  He is survived by daughters: Katie Burch (husband Taylor) and Maggie Cavender, along with two grandsons: Sawyer and Hawkins Burch. Also surviving him are brothers and sisters-in-law: Paul and Debra Cavender, Brad and Shelley Cavender and Bart Cavender as well as his Cavender family nephew and nieces and their twelve children.

Phil sought to be a New Testament Christian and lived in full faith of the resurrection ... “but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

Phil grew up in Port Arthur, Texas graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School where he was a member of the golf team and various honors choirs. He proudly attended Florida College in Temple Terrace, Florida and later graduated from Auburn University where he was in the University Singers.

He was a long time successful financial advisor in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He was a Producing General Agent for Ohio National Insurance Company where he received the Paul E. Martin Award recognizing the unselfish giving of his time and talent to aid his community, the George B. Pearson Gold Sales Leadership Award on two occasions and numerous other awards. Phil was greatly honored when chosen to serve as the President of the Tennessee Association of Life Underwriters. He was a member of the Million Dollar Roundtable and it’s prestigious Top of the Table.

His many civic activities included the Rotary Club (a Paul Harris fellow), Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raider Athletic Program booster and former board member, advisory board of the Central Tennessee Better Business Bureau, and board member and patron of the Nashville Symphony.  Phil was a very positive person capable of delivering encouraging motivational talks both work related and to groups such as the MTSU football and basketball teams.

Phil will be lovingly remembered by his friends and Cavender nephews and nieces for his quick wit, jokes, hijinks and funny stories. Life was more fun when Uncle Phil was around. He loved children and among other things, he entertained them for many years with seasonal appearances in his Santa Claus suit.

A graveside service will be held on January 2, 2021 at Ebeneezer cemetery near Malesus, Tennessee where he will be a fourth generation of the Raines family to be interred. Officiating at the service will be his brother, Dr. Brad Cavender; Wilson Adams, evangelist at the Veterans Parkway Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and Jim Deason, evangelist at the South Cullman Church of Christ in Cullman, Alabama. In lieu of flowers the family encourages friends to consider charitable gifts to the Association for FrontoTemporal Degeneration  (theaftd.org) or to Florida College, Temple Terrace, Florida. The funeral is directed by Jefferson-Currie Funeral Home of Hoover, Alabama.