She was born Kay Lynn Coleman to Estes Graham Coleman and Anna Mae (Anne) Michener Coleman on September 27, 1944, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas, she graduated from Arkansas State University in 1966. That same year, she married James Gordon Frierson and began working as a high school journalism teacher.
When James accepted a job at Pittsburg State University, the couple moved to Pittsburg, Kansas. In 1972, they moved to Johnson City, Tennessee, where James taught at East Tennessee State University, and Lynn embarked on her life as a mother, caregiver, and consummate volunteer.
Over the years, Lynn was involved with numerous organizations in a wide variety of roles - PTA officer, yearbook advisor, Garden Club leader, Johnson City Women’s Club president, Girl Scouts/Cub Scouts troop leader, Blue Plum Festival organizing committee member, and volunteer extraordinaire for over a dozen organizations around East Tennessee. She loved taking care of others.
After heart surgery in 1995, she became passionately involved with Mended Hearts, a peer-support program for heart patients across the country, becoming the President of the Johnson City chapter and the Assistant Regional Director for the Southern Region. She also worked tirelessly for the Mountain States Health Alliance auxiliary, earning MSHA’s Tom Chase Award for Service in 2011. In 2012, a proclamation from the Tennessee Senate honored her years of service, and in 2014 she was named the national Mended Heart of the Year.
Lynn enjoyed traveling the country with her husband and family, visiting national parks and other cultural or historical sites. She was also an avid quilter and loved making quilts or baby blankets for local children.
Two years ago, she moved to Memphis, and her family would like to thank her friends and the staff at Trezevant Manor for welcoming her into their community.
Preceded in death by her parents and her brother, John Coleman, she leaves her son, John Frierson of Austin, Texas; daughter and son-in-law, Sarah Frierson and Aaron Drown, of Memphis, Tennessee; grandchildren, Meredith and Alexander Drown; and numerous beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.
At her request, there will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Mended Hearts, Inc., 1500 Dawson Rd., Albany, GA 31707; Earthjustice, 50 California St., San Francisco, CA 94111; or Youth Villages, 3320 Brother Blvd., Memphis, TN 38133.
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