Joe Curry Peel

Joe Curry Peel was born in Humboldt, Tennessee, on February 15, 1943, and died at home in Nashville on June 19, 2024, following a brief illness. He grew up in Trenton, TN, and was a distinguished football player for Peabody High School. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in 1965 and M.A.T. in 1969. He taught at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as MBA and BGA. He worked for IBM before going to law school at UT Knoxville. He also did graduate theological study at St. Michael’s College in Toronto, Canada. After teaching and his work for IBM, Joe had a distinguished legal career.  He was a young attorney at King & Ballow in Nashville.  After that, he served for 39 years in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.  He became a recognized expert in the fields of state and local taxation, interstate commerce, and constitutional law.  He handled many of the most significant cases about Tennessee’s revenues, involving many millions of dollars and crucial principles of taxation.  Over the decades he often appeared in the chancery and appellate courts in Tennessee.  The matters that Joe handled set many important precedents in the areas of banking, insurance, and telecommunications.

He is predeceased by his parents, Japtha and Annie Laurie Peel. He is survived by his wife of 46 years and soul mate, Mary Margaret Alsobrook Peel, with whom he traveled numerous times to their beloved England and Europe. They enjoyed visiting art museums, stately homes, pubs, seeing concerts, plays and listening to Bluegrass music. He is also survived by their daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Peel-Shakespeare (Lyndon). of Adelaide, Southern Australia.

He served on the Board of the Shakespeare Oxford Society. He was an accomplished Handball player and served on the Board of Directors of the Downtown Nashville YMCA 1985-91. He was a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association and Churchill Society of Tennessee.

The service will be held at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Nashville, TN, on Thursday, June 27^th at 11:30 am with visitation beginning at 10:00a.m. Burial at Mt. Olivet cemetery will follow the service. Honorary pall bearers are Gareth Aden, Jeffrey Adkisson, Daniel Gremillion, MD, Barry Kolar, Michael Lewis and Olin West.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Friends of Music at St. George’s – In Excelsis Series, St. George’s Episcopal Church, Nashville, or to the charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, Nashville, TN (615) 857-9955. We proudly remain locally owned & operated.