Oak Ridge Today

Obituary: Mary Jo Ellis

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Mary Jo Ellis

Mary Jo Ellis

Mary Jo Newman Ellis, 84, of Lenoir City, passed peacefully to her heavenly reward on Oct. 26, 2013.

She was born Aug. 7, 1929, in Soddy, Tenn., to the Rev. C.M. and Hazel Newman. She was the oldest of four children. The family moved to Lenoir City in 1941, when the Rev. Newman took the pastorate of the Sixth Ave Church of God. He pastored until 1950.

Mary Jo married the love of her life W. L. “Leroy” Ellis in 1947. They enjoyed 66 years together.

Mary Jo’s passion was for her church and her family. She retired after 20 years with Walmart of Lenoir City. [Read more…]

Obituary: Virginia Drake Killough

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Virginia Drake Killough

Virginia Drake Killough

Virginia Drake Killough, of Oak Ridge, died Oct. 21 at Harriman Care and Rehabilitation Center after a long decline with dementia.

Virginia was the daughter of Theodore and Hettie Sue Drake, who predeceased her.

She was born and raised in Maryville and graduated from Maryville High School. She attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and graduated with high honors with a major in English and a minor in French. After graduation, she worked for the University of Tennessee in the Office of Admissions and Records.

In 1965, Virginia and George G. Killough were married. They moved to Johnson City in 1966, where Virginia pursued graduate study in English and American literature at East Tennessee State University and qualified for a secondary teacher’s certificate. [Read more…]

Obituary: John A. ‘Smokey’ Diggs

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John A. “Smokey” Diggs of Clinton, passed away peacefully Saturday, Oct. 19, at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge following a brief illness.

He was born in 1939 to Margaret “Mutt” Cox Diggs and Arville Frank Diggs, both of whom preceded him in death.

He was a graduate of Lake City High School and Carson Newman College. He taught and coached football at Coalfield High School and Lake City High School. He and his wife, Linda, opened the stained glass studio, Pieces of Glass, in Oak Ridge in 1982.

Although retired, he continued to work part-time in the business. [Read more…]

Obituary: T.R. Williams

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T.R. Williams, age 69, of Kingston, passed away Friday, Oct. 18.

He was born Oct. 13, 1944, in Newport, the son of O. L. and Pauline Click Williams.

Mr. Williams retired from Martin Marietta Energy Systems, where he was a supervisor at the K-25 plant.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Williams of Decatur, Ala. [Read more…]

Hubert Owens

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Hubert Owens

Hubert Owens

Long-time Oak Ridger and World War II Veteran

Hubert Owens, age 91, son of George L. and Lula Owens, passed away on Oct. 19, 2013.

Mr. Owens was born in Crenshaw County, Ala., on Nov. 14, 1921. He was a former employee of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Technical Information Branch, where he worked for 30 years until his retirement on Feb. 28, 1983.

Mr. Owens served in the U.S. Navy 40 months at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base, and with Admiral Bull Halsey’s Third Fleet in the first Naval bombardment of the Japanese mainland on the USS Chicago, a Baltimore Class heavy cruiser, during World War II.

Mr. Owens formerly worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company as an agent when he and his newlywed bride, Reba Inez Owens, first came to Oak Ridge in December 1948. Later, in 1949, he became manager of the Reserve Life Insurance Company of Dallas, Texas, in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Betty Sue Dunning

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Betty Sue Dunning

Betty Sue Dunning

Betty Sue Dunning, 84, of Oak Ridge, passed peacefully on Oct. 18 after a long illness.

She was born Sept. 15, 1929, in Dardanelle, Ark., to the late John Cary (J.C.) and Rosa Lee Bowman, the seventh of nine children. The family was engaged in farming, and later moved to Wyatt, Mo., where she graduated from Diehlstadt High School in 1947.

She is a graduate of the St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in Cairo, Ill., and spent a long career working as a registered nurse, most recently at Oak Ridge Hospital of the Methodist Church (now Methodist Medical Center) and Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital in Oak Ridge.

On April 26, 1952, she married the love of her life, the late Donald E. Dunning, of Cairo, Ill. They enjoyed 58 years of marriage together, until his passing in 2010. The couple lived in Paducah, Ky., and in Cairo, Ill., before moving to Oak Ridge in 1960 with their three young children. [Read more…]

Arminta M. Robinson

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Arminta M. Robinson

Arminta M. Robinson

Arminta M. Robinson, age 98, of Oak Ridge went home to be with the Lord on Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, at the Brakebill Nursing Home.

Ms. Robinson was born Jan. 15, 1915, in Kingston to the late Robert Christian and Alyce Kelsay Ladd. She left her East Tennessee home and went to work at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, N.M. Upon her retirement from Sandia National Laboratory, she returned to her beloved East Tennessee and moved to Oak Ridge in 1978.

She was a dedicated member of Kern Memorial United Methodist Church and an active member of the community and touched so many lives with her deep concern for others and her wonderful positive spirit. [Read more…]

Ferdinand ‘Fred’ Mignogna

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Ferdinand “Fred” Mignogna, age 79, a resident of Oliver Springs, passed away Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge.

Mr. Mignogna was born Oct. 1, 1934, in Lawrence, N.Y. He continued living in New York until his move to Oliver Springs in 1993.

Fred was a retired auto mechanic and he attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oak Ridge. He was a U.S. Army Veteran who served during the Korean Conflict.

He enjoyed watching baseball, football, and NASCAR. [Read more…]

Virgle O. Reeder

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Virgle O. Reeder, age 75, a resident of Harriman, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge.

Mr. Reeder was born Oct. 23, 1937, in the New River Community of Anderson County. During his early childhood, the family moved to Oliver Springs. He later lived in Hazel Park and Madison Heights Michigan before moving back home to Tennessee in 1969.

He retired as a utility engineer at the Y-12 federal plant in Oak Ridge.

Virgil was an outdoorsman who enjoyed flower gardening, feeding and watching hummingbirds, and watching NASCAR. [Read more…]

Helen Faye Roberson

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Helen Faye Roberson, age 84, of Oak Ridge, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, at the Methodist Medical Center.

She was born Dec. 12, 1928, in Blackey, Ky., the daughter of John Preston Adams and Hassie Fields Adams.

Mrs. Roberson retired from the Oak Ridge school system, where she worked in the school cafeteria. She was a long-time member of Robertsville Baptist Church where, in earlier years, she was active in the Mothers Day Out program and involved in the childcare programs. She was also an avid animal lover.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by husband Kenneth Emanuel Roberson on Nov. 1, 1981, and by three brothers. [Read more…]