Dr. Jessica Kate “Katie” Birchfield Gladstone of Lauderhill, Fla., died Sunday, July 28, 2019, at the University Hospital, Tamarac, Fla. Katie was born March 17, 1962 at Johnson City Memorial Hospital. She was the daughter of Joyce Pope Birchfield and the late Jesse James Birchfield. Katie was a member of the First Freewill Baptist Church of Elizabethton, Tenn. She was a very active church member in Florida leading the youth choir and was a soloist.
Katie was a wonderful, beautiful lady with so much heart. She worked diligently to do the work of the Lord. Her ability to pray would bring the spirit of the Lord to all those present.
Katie was a 1980 graduate of Elizabethton High School. She earned a B.S. Degree from East Tennessee State University and was a member of the Jazz Singers and Dancers. Katie received her Doctorate from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn.
Katie was the owner and operator of I Care for Eyes in Pembrook Pines, Fla., where she practiced for 27 years. She was fluent in Spanish as many of her patients were Hispanic. Katie was known by her patients for the loving special care they received.
Katie loved the water, especially skiing and spending time on her houseboat, the Katiedid, on Watauga Lake.
Katie was preceded in death by her father, Jesse James Birchfield; her maternal grandparents, Charles and Georgia “Mama Georgia” Pope; her paternal grandparents, Sudie Birchfield and Jesse Birchfield Sr.; an uncle, Sonny Hale; and an uncle and aunt, Jerry and Joyce Pope.
Those left to cherish her memory include her husband, Robert Gladstone, of the home; her mother, Joyce Pope Birchfield; her special aunt, Leta Hale; cousins, Judy Carol DeLoach and her husband Victor, Tiffany Jenkins, Joey Garrison and her husband Josh, Whitney Taylor, and Joseph Taylor and his wife Leslie; her godson, Vic DeLoach; and two much loved fur babies, Taipei and Hanji.
A service to honor Dr. Jessica Kate “Katie” Birchfield Gladstone will be conducted at 3 p.m. Thursday, August 1, in the chapel of the Mausoleum of Peace at Happy Valley Memorial Park, Elizabethton, Tenn. Music will be provided by David Arney, organist, and Debrah Knapp, soloist. Entombment will follow in the mausoleum. Those wishing to attend the committal service are asked to meet at the cemetery at 2:45 p.m. Thursday. Presiding ministers will be Rev. Raymond Amos and Rev. Randy Johnson. Donations in memory of Katie may be made to the Building Fund of First United Methodist Church, 325 East E Street, Elizabethton, TN 37643. Words of encouragement may be sent to the family at www.tetrickfuneralhome.com.
Tetrick Funeral Home, (423-542-2232), 221 North Riverside Drive, Elizabethton, TN 37643 is honored to serve the family of Dr. Jessica Kate “Katie” Birchfield Gladstone.