How the widow of Williamson County's longest serving commissioner will remember him

Longtime county commissioner Bert Chalfant died on Aug. 24, leaving behind a long legacy of public service.

Chalfant was first elected to the county commission in 1986 and served for a total of 32 years, including its explosive population growth. The 86-year-old had just won re-election in the county's general election earlier that month and was embarking on his ninth term as county commissioner, representing District 7 in Brentwood.

Chalfant was the county's longest-serving commissioner.

Days after his death, Betty Jane Brindley Chalfant, his wife of 40 years, reflected on her husband's unwavering drive.

"He took things very disciplined and he always planned ahead so I'm trying to be very organized, disciplined, and very respectful," she told The Tennessean on Monday as she finalized plans for her husband's funeral services, scheduled for the following day.

Chalfant and his wife, both Nashville natives, met First Presbyterian Church when the church split into two; they both began working in its Sunday school.

In other news: Margo Price debuts new podcast, drops latest single 'Been To The Mountain'

More from Anika Exum: Fisk University parts ways with president Vann Newkirk

They married in 1982.

And in recent years, she could be seen assisting him as he walked to and from every county commission meeting. She sat through every meeting and watched as he contributed thoughts and votes.

"He was so devoted to the county and devoted to the hospital," Betty Jane Brindley Chalfant said. "He was the most senior commissioner and he was the most knowledgeable.

"So, why would he sit at home? I wanted to keep him up and going as long as I possibly could... When you love somebody so much you just do everything you can to help one another."

In past elections and terms, Bert Chalfant shared his passion for the local public school system, as well as Williamson Medical Center and its work as a nonprofit hospital.

He served on the hospital's board of directors for 25 years.

Wife: 'He loved the military'

Bert Chalfant's decades-long commitment to local government and health occurred after banking and military careers.

He retired from a 25-year banking career across the Middle Tennessee region as president of First Tennessee Bank of Rutherford County — only after serving 33 years in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army reserves from which he retired as a full bird colonel.

While in the Army Reserve, he taught several courses at the United States Army Reserve Forces School in Nashville. After being released, Chalfant was called back and served in Operation Desert Storm.

Bert Chalfant helped to establish a Casualty Notification Division, said his wife, and he personally delivered notice to next of kin in honor of fallen service members.

"He loved the military. If he could've been in the Army today, he would have been," Betty Jane Brindley Chalfant said. "Very much, that was his love... And he was very interested in God, home and country.

"That was his commitment."

Chalfant was diagnosed with lung cancer in March.

After moving into Williamson Medical Center in recent weeks, Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson arrived at the hospital, sitting in his hospital bed days before his death.

"So, he was committed to serving," Anderson said. "And he did an outstanding job when he was healthy... He was stellar," Anderson said. "The (district) lines changed over the years but he was continuously re-elected.

"He always kept his district at the forefront, but when it came to bigger issues, he supported in making this the community that we have today and he'll be greatly missed."

Before Anderson was mayor, he and Bert Chalfant were new county commissioners who started at around the same time.

While Bert Chalfant served his eighth term as county commissioner, fellow District 7 commissioner Tom Tunnicliffe served his first.

"He always lead by example and was always a gentleman," Tunnicliffe said. "He had history I didn't have and it was very helpful on certain issues that would come up."

And even as two Brentwood leaders who sometimes disagreed, Bert Chalfant made it so that difference of opinion didn't change their relationship as friends and colleagues.

New renderings: Proposal for Nashville's East Bank neighborhood around stadium

More: One man fatally shot at Lucky's Bar & Grill on Stewarts Ferry Pike

Filling Bert Chalfant's shoes

Coinciding with this year's state general election, Williamson County will hold a special election for Bert Chalfant's District 7 seat on the county commission on Nov. 8.

The candidate qualifying deadline is Sept. 14.

"I just hope that there's someone devoted to the best interest of Brentwood," Betty Jane Brindley Chalfant said.

The deadline to register to vote in the coming election is Oct. 10 at 4:30 p.m. Williamson County residents can register online at www.williamsonvotes.net or in person at the Tennessee Department of Safety Driver Testing Centers, the Department of Human Services or the Williamson County Health Department.

Voter registration forms can also be obtained at any Williamson County library or at williamsoncountyvotes.net.

Anika Exum is a reporter for The Tennessean, part of the USA Today Network — Tennessee. Reach her at aexum@tennessean.com, 615-347-7313, or on Twitter @aniexum.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bert Chalfant, longest serving Williamson County commissioner, dies