Kathleen S. Spoone

Kathleen (Kay) Shipley Spoone, 89, passed away early Saturday morning on September 3, 2011 at The Heritage Center in Morristown after suffering a long illness. She has been a member of both the Bulls Gap and Whitesburg communities since 1922, attending the old Whitesburg High School and graduating as salutatorian of her class. She was the daughter of J. F. and Lydia Slagle Shipley, who owned the flour mill in Whitesburg, who were originally from Telford and Carter County, TN. Kay attended the Whitesburg Methodist Church until moving to Morristown, then Bulls Gap in 1952. She then attended the Bulls Gap Methodist Church and was a current member. She helped serve meals to the Bulls Gap Lions Club monthly meetings to assist in church revenues – later becoming a member, played the piano for church services, served on the church board and assisted in youth activities for many years. She was a loyal and faithful servant of the Lord and her family. She was a loving, kind, and gentle mother, who sacrificed for those she loved and cared for… and will be missed by all who loved her. Kay was married to James H. “Harold” Spoon until his death in 1983, who was a WWII Army veteran of the India/Burma theatre and manager at the Magnavox Greeneville plant. She is survived by her three children, Don Spoon of Vernon Hills IL, David Spoon of Morristown, and Debbie Spoone of Morristown; grandchildren, Kenneth T. Spoon of Morristown, Fabian Story of Nashville, Robert Story of Colonial Heights, April Spoon Carley of Nowatta, OK, Jason David Spoon of Greene County; great-grandchildren, Isaiah, Alex, Malachi Nathanial-Kay, Marissa, and Noah Story, Joshua David, Alyssia and Aaliyah Carley. Kay’s brother, Jeff “Gene” Shipley went before her in 1995 and is buried in Newport Beach, CA. She has two surviving sisters, Zona Shipley Hilbert of Gray, TN and Margaret Shipley Nelsen of Woodland Hills, CA; and nieces, Lynne Hilbert Chandler of Gray, TN and Peggy Nelsen Dougherty of Santa Anna, CA. Family will receive friends on Saturday, September 10, from 4 – 8:00 p.m. in the chapel of Stubblefield Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, September 11, at 2:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Bulls Gap. Interment will follow in Hamblen Memory Gardens. Reverend Bill Hughes will officiate and Chaplain Fabian Story will assist. Pallbearers are Kenneth Spoon, Fabian Story, Mike Solomon, and Robert Davis. In lieu of flowers, please make any donations to the First United Methodist Church of Bulls Gap building fund at www.First-UMC-BullsGap.org. The family may be contacted at 423-289-7236. Stubblefield Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.