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Dr. Chele Chaplain Dugger, 64, of Elizabethton, Tenn., passed away on July 19, 2022 at Johnson City Medical Center.
Chele was born on January 13, 1958 to Dwight and Nyela Chaplain in Knoxville, Tenn. The family moved to Pennsylvania and then to Florida. In 1976, Chele graduated from John I Leonard High School in Green Acres, Fla. She went to college at Johnson Bible College (now called Johnson University) in Knoxville, Tenn., and then Milligan College (now Milligan University) and received a degree from both places. She received her Masters, her Ed.S and PhD from East Tennessee State University.
She spent her career as an educator with the Carter County School System, serving as an English and Spanish Teacher at Hampton and Cloudland High School and later as an ESL Coordinator for the County. She had a passion for teaching and loved helping her students and their families.
Chele was a two-time donor recipient, receiving a kidney from her brother, Darin, in 1986, and another from her sister, Tembra, in 2008. The family encourages donor participation so that others may have the opportunity to live and positively impact others as Chele did.
Chele’s two biggest pastimes were decorating her home for each holiday, and spending time at the lake, taking her boat out on the water. She also loved animals, especially her dog Princess and her cat Graycie.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Dwight Chaplain and Nyela Chaplain Cohoon, and grandparents, Frank and Ella Robb Cook, John Chaplain and Chuck and Vada Underwood.
She is survived by her daughter, Nikole Dugger Scofield (Austin) of Memphis, Tenn.; sister, Tembra Chaplain Aldridge (Jeff) of Johnson City, Tenn.; brother, Darin Dwight Chaplain (Amy) of Fletcher, N.C.; nieces, Nyela Aldridge Edwards, Megan Aldridge Harmon, Natalie Aldridge Christian and Jessica Lauren Chaplain; nephew, Johnathon Dwight Chaplain; and grandchildren, William Scofield and James Scofield.
Those wishing to make a donation in Chele’s memory can donate to the American Diabetes Association at https://www.diabetes.org/ways-to-give. Online condolences may be shared with the family and viewed on our website at www.hathawaypercy.com.
Hathaway-Percy Funeral and Cremation Services are honored to serve the Dugger family.