Charles Deon Unthank, 74, of Lebanon, TN, passed peacefully into the arms of his Savior on Friday, December 17, 2021 at TriStar Summit in Hermitage, TN. Deon was born in East St. Louis, IL on December 8, 1947. He was a faithful member of Church of God Worship & Ministry Center in Lebanon.
Deon was an ordained minister and Gospel music singer. He founded AbsolutelyGospel.com, the industry’s leading website dedicated to Southern Gospel music, over 20 years ago where he gained prominence as an industry leader. In addition, he traveled with his own Gospel music group, The Sunday Edition, for over 25 years.
He is survived by his current wife Tammie (Gleaves) Unthank; children Aaron (Teri) Unthank, Leslie Unthank, Amy Marie (Mike) Zika, and Christopher (Noel) Unthank; step-children Olivia (Loren) Dougherty, Caleb (Cynthia) Midgett, and Hope (Brandon) Ivey; grandchildren Eli & Anna Cate Unthank; Donavan, Ashlee, & Emma Hill; Reilly, Hunter, Claress, & Layne Zika; Canaan, Asher, Noah, & Eleanor Unthank; Noah, Mary, & Moses Dougherty; Mallory & Aidan Grooms; Amelia & Mariah Midgett; and Benjamin Ivey; sisters Brenda (Harold) Downing and Cheryl (Gene) Gray, along with nieces and a nephew.
Deon is preceded in death by his previous wife Susan (Favre) Unthank, parents Bill & Evadean Unthank, step-son Scott Bandy, and niece Christy Gray.
A funeral will be held on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at Church of God Worship & Ministry Center (1007 Hartsville Pk, Lebanon, TN) at 2 PM. The family will be receiving friends and family from 12-2 PM. In addition, a special Celebration of Life Concert in honor of Deon’s accomplishments in the field of Gospel music will be held after the new year. More details will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Sunday Edition, Inc. (dba AbsolutelyGospel.com) to help cover medical and funeral costs. You can donate here: http://www.absolutelygospel.com/donate/ .
