CHILDRESS, FRED GRAY JR - age 58 "made it to the promised land" in Glacier, Montana on Saturday, July 24, 2010. Viewing and visitation will be held at 12:00 Noon on Saturday, July 31 at Norris United Methodist Church, 62 Ridgeway Rd, Norris TN, with a service commemorating his life at 2:00 PM and a reception following. Fred was born and raised in Norris and graduated from Norris High School. He received his bachelor's degree in Economics from Emory & Henry College in Virginia and later completed his master's degree in Information and Telecommunications Systems Management from Capitol College. Over the course of his life, he worked as a Labor Economist and Systems Developer for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a Business Intelligence Administrator for IdleAire Technologies, and an entrepreneur and business owner. He resided in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where he was actively involved in political activism as an advocate for individual sovereignty serving as President of the Tennessee Liberty Alliance. He was part of the Oak Ridge Chorus and he owned and operated a popular local restaurant, The Gourmet Caf� and Market, with his wife, Marcia, for two years. Fred enjoyed all outdoor activities including hiking, motorcycling, kayaking, and swimming in Norris Lake. He also enjoyed music and singing, at one time singing at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy as part of the Emory and Henry Concert Choir. His last weeks were shared on Facebook with inspirational pictures and comments of his personal journey to National Parks in Colorado, California, Washington, Oregon and finally Montana. Fred was a loving and devoted father and he will be greatly missed by many friends and family. Fred was preceded in death by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. William G. Lenoir and Dr. and Mrs. Robert T. Childress. Survivors include his wife and step-daughter: Marcia Childress and Athena Strasel; his three children: Meredith Childress, Robert and wife Vanessa Childress, and Kathryn Childress; their mother and step-father, Carolyn and Mark Taylor; his parents: Fred and Louise Childress; sister and brother-in-law, Cynthia and David Hopper; brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Phyllis Childress; sister-in-law Julia and her husband, Renato Inserra; niece and nephews: Hilary Hopper, Seth Hopper, and Drew Childress; and numerous aunts and uncles and cousins. Arrangements are with Holley-Gamble Funeral Homes. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tennessee Liberty Alliance, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, or ProPeace