Foscoe man dies from

tractor accident injuries

Local farmer Ned Jestes, 91, died Tuesday afternoon, June 2, from injuries sustained in a tractor accident Saturday at his Grandfather community home in Foscoe.

The accident occurred at approximately 2 p.m. when Jestes’ tractor with a Bush Hog attachment overturned, pinning him beneath. Jestes was airlifted to Johnson City Area Medical Center (Tenn.) where he succumbed to his injuries Tuesday.

Jestes graduated from Cove Creek High School in 1935 and farmed strawberries, blueberries, Christmas trees and cattle. He was honored for innovation at a 2006 Farm-City Banquet.

Jestes served as a district supervisor for the Watauga Soil and Water District, as a conservation aid worker for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and as a member of the American Legion, DAV, Watauga County Board of Adjustment, Farm Bureau and as a senior conservation statesmen.

Jestes was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving in World War II.

Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.

— By Melanie Marshall