As some of you already know, today our hearts were deeply deeply saddened by Mom's passing.  However, we rejoice in the fact that she is in heaven and free of pain and suffering that was brought on by the stroke.  This past Monday we were called by the nursing home that mom was being taken back to Ft. Sanders hospital, as she had a Urinary Tract infection and an elevated white blood cell count and a 105 degree fever.  Additionally, we were told that fluid pressure was increasing around her brain. This meant she would need to move to comfort care within the hospital and made as comfortable as possible until her passing.  Without going into details, it was a very tough week on our family.  We spent every night loving over mom and praying for peace and grace for her.  As mom had done so during her tireless battle with health over the past two months, she again fought valiantly with grace and dignity over the past four days.  She passed away at 4:15 pm today and is now with Jesus.  

Her life was a blessing to many.  It was filled with laughter, travel and many friends made along the way.  It was a quiet life that was a great testimony for Jesus Christ.  She was so proud of her family and loved to show pictures of her grandchildren to her friends.  She loved Otis immensely and made many great memories in 57 years of marriage.  The major theme of her life is that she had a servant's heart.  She looked for ways to serve others and never wanted you to leave her house without giving you something.  If you ever mentioned that you liked something, you couldn't get out of her house without it.  She rarely complained and never wanted attention for herself.  She spoke nothing but positively of others.  She was selfless to the end and was a great wife, mom and grandmother.  She will be immensely missed by her family as well as others.

To celebrate her life we are going to have a celebration of life service on Saturday July 14th at Clicks Funeral Home Farragut.  Anyone that needs directions please give one of us a call.  Receiving friends will be from 5:30 to 7:00 and the Celebration of Life service will be from 7:00 to 8:00.  We would love to see friends and family as everyone is invited and would love to hear your stories of mom's impact on your life.  We also want to thank everyone for how we have been cared for over the past couple of months while mom was sick.  Your thoughts and prayers made a difference and were answered.  We are so thankful for the cards and visits.  They made a difference as we have seen the hands and feet of Christ through you.  

Finally, we know that mom is in heaven and pain free.  We celebrate her life and the legacy that she left behind.  She is loved and will be greatly missed.       

Sincerely,
Otis, Sam and Lisa