Obituary: Elizabeth Smelley Ball

Elizabeth Smelley Ball, age 98, of Oak Ridge, died on September 13, 2014.

Libby was born October 29, 1916, in McRae, Georgia, the daughter of James Monroe Smelley and Delia Mae Agee. She is preceded in death by her parents and her beloved sister Osie.

Libby graduated in 1936 from Friendship High School in Crockett County, Tennessee.

She and her late husband of 52 years, John Calvin Ball (1988) moved to Oak Ridge in 1944.

Libby was a 70-year member of New York Avenue Church of Christ.

In addition to working at Modern Recapping, where she made lifelong friends, Libby enjoyed selling cosmetics at several of Oak Ridge’s earliest retail establishments, including Service Drug, Pine Valley Pharmacy, and Proffitt’s Department Store.

Libby loved nothing more than to be surrounded by her family.

The Ball family matriarch is survived by her devoted children, Jim Ball, daughter-in law Jessie H. Ball, Sandra Kay Ball, Butch Ball, daughter-in-law Kay S. Ball; her beloved grandchildren, Missie Ball Bratton, Jim Ball Jr., Chris Ball, Stacy Ball Wallace, Sharie Ball Parks, and Ken Ball; and her precious great-grandchildren, Natalie Bratton Allison, Anna Parks, Eli Parks, Baylor Wallace, and MacKensie Ball.

The family received friends beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 20, at Weatherford Mortuary. The funeral began at 1 p.m. with the interment to follow at Oak Ridge Memorial Park. The services were conducted by Harold Scott and Dennis Winebarger.

Serving as pall bearers were Jim Ball Jr, Chris Ball, Ken Ball, Joe Parks, Joe Wallace, and Joel Allison. Honorary pall bearers were Eli Parks and Baylor Wallace.

The family requests that any memorials be given to Hillbrook Christian Camp, 3831 Copper Ridge Road, Knoxville, TN 37931. An online guest book can be signed at www.weatherfordmortuary.com.