Dee Blakney, 60, of Arlington, TN passed away at home on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 after a long battle with cancer. She was born March 30, 1964 in Memphis, TN to the late Herman and Mary Ann Mitchell.
She was united in marriage to James Ronnie Blakney on March 7, 1981. Dee found her passion in nursing and loved caring for people. She obtained her RN nursing diploma in 1989, Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1996, Master of Science in Nursing in 1999, and finally her doctorate in Nursing Practice in 2007. She worked in the Baptist and Methodist Hospital Systems throughout the years as well as working in area nursing homes as a Nurse Practitioner. But her greatest love was working in rural healthcare and that led to opening up clinics in Michie, TN and Whiteville, TN. She loved taking care of patients, especially in Rural West TN. She often went over and beyond for patients to help them have access to care even if that meant coming to them. She had a passion for teaching Nurse Practitioner students lessons about taking the hard cases, doing a lot with a little, and anything and everything about caring for a vulnerable population. Dee won awards and recognitions throughout her career such as University of Tennessee Sigma Theta Tau National Nursing Honor Society, University of Memphis Nursing Leadership Award, Methodist Hospital Shining Star, and Top 11 in Nursing for Shelby and Fayette Counties-"Celebrate Nursing" program. With extreme honor, she received the 2021 Rural Health Practitioner of the Year for the state of TN. She was a member of the University of Tennessee Alumni Board, committee member TNA task force for full practice authority and a preceptor for UT Memphis, University of Memphis, Union University, and Chatham University.
When she wasn't working, she enjoyed family time, beach trips, fishing, boating on Pickwick Lake, and working out.
Dee leaves behind her husband, James Ronnie Blakney, her daughter, Mary Ann Lockhart (Jeremy) and her 2 children, Isabella and Ivey, her son, Mitch (Eleanor), a step daughter Buffy Westmoreland (Ray) and her 2 children, Stevey and Cheyanne, and 7 grandchildren, Autumn, Riley, Blakelynn, Liberty, Briley, Madelyn, and Darby, a stepson Stacey (Allison) and his 2 children, Jackson and Georgia, and a brother, Roger Mitchell (Ann).
A gathering of family and friends for Dee will be held Sunday, August 4, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN 38133. A funeral service will occur Monday, August 5, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN 38133. A committal service will occur Monday, August 5, 2024 from 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM at White Sulphur Cemetery, Counce, TN 38326.
