Eula Emily Hammonds Barger Pendleton, 85, Kingsport, TN. Eula was born on June 21, 1935, in Gate City, VA. On March 10, 2021, she went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, at Preston Place Suites with her loving husband, Olin Pendleton, by her side. Eula was the daughter of Albert and Lillie Hammonds and was the oldest sibling of two brothers and three sisters.
In 1952, at the age of sixteen, Eula graduated from Shoemaker High School. She then went to work for the telephone company and later spent the next fifty years as a bookkeeper at Broad Street Furniture, Dobyns-Taylor, and Joseph’s Music Center. She was a very active member of Cassidy United Methodist Church, and attended Lynn Garden Baptist Church for the past seventeen years. Her involvement in the community and her church homes spanned decades - serving in multiple roles including Sunday School teacher, Youth Leader, Women’s Circle member, Christian Women’s Club, Opti-Mrs. Club, Kingsport Women, Red-Hat Club, Republican Women, and also traveling with the Silver Sounds.
Eula used God’s gift of hospitality to make everyone feel welcomed in her home. She found great joy in sharing her home, and her great cooking, with anyone who stopped by to visit. She not only opened her home to family and friends, but also to anyone in need. An immaculate housekeeper, she showed her love for others through her delicious homemade bread she made weekly and her desserts that she insisted everyone eat. No one ever left her home hungry, and usually with a to-go plate and a full heart.
Eula was an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was married to Ed Barger from 1959 until his passing in 1997.
In addition to her parents and first husband, Eula is proceeded in death by her sisters Mary Johnson and husband Bill, and Daisy Glenn and husband Troy, her brother-in-law Carl Barger, brother-in-law Nelson Barger, and sister-in-law Rita Barger Stone.
She is survived by Olin Pendleton, her loving husband of seventeen years; her daughter, Rebecca Banton and husband Ron; step-sons, Thomas Pendleton and wife Bonny, Paul Pendleton and wife Evelyn, Mark Pendleton and wife Susan; grandchildren, Matthew Pendleton and wife Andrea, Avery Banton Clark and husband Zeke, Josh Pendleton, Sloan Banton, Megan Pendleton, Ashley Pendleton Rhea and husband Colby, and Marlo Banton; great-grandchildren, Hunter Pendleton, Henry Pendleton, Noah Rhea, Vivian Clark, and Tatum Clark; brothers, Jack Hammonds and wife Sandra, and Roy Hammonds; sister, June Sutherland; sisters-in-law, Nancy Barger, Valery Barger, and Phyllis Horton; and several nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly. She was also like a second mother to so many, including Vicky Cox Wallen, Linda Cox Grimes, Sandra Cox Jones, Anita Daugherty Vickers, Suzanne Williams Caruthers, and Kim Stricker Buchanan.
Eula’s lifelong witness for Christ was exemplified in her love and compassion for others. She spent her entire life faithfully serving her husband, family, and friends. Eula was always checking with strangers to make sure everyone had a church home and a family to be surrounded by during the holidays. Eula was known for saying, “Every day is a great day”, and her celebration of every aspect of life will be carried on for years to come.
Eula always wanted her funeral to be a celebration and a joyful time for family and friends to gather. That celebration will be on Saturday, March 13, 2021, at Cassidy United Methodist Church. The family will be receiving friends from noon until 2:00 pm with a service to follow at 2:00 pm.
A graveside ceremony will follow at East Lawn Memorial Park in Kingsport, TN.
