Ruth Kathleen Carrier Reece, 89, of Elizabethton, passed away Saturday, May 7, 2016, at Sycamore Shoals Hospital.
A native of Sullivan County, she was a daughter of the late Alex and Bessie Bell Birchfield Carrier. She had lived most of her life in Carter County.
Mrs. Reece was retired from the Carter County School System as a cook at Keenburg Elementary School. She was a lifetime member of Harmony Baptist Church. Her hobbies were her flowers and crocheting.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Arlie Reece, who passed away March 28, 2004; a daughter, Barbara Hollifield; a son, Samuel Joe Reece; a granddaughter, Eva Grindstaff; and a son-in-law, Michael Hollifield.
Survivors include four children, Rachel Hyder, of the home, Penny Gouge, Watauga, Billie Jones and husband Wade, Elizabethton, and Savannah Berkley and husband Jake, Johnson City; seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson; two sisters, Esther Stout and Violet Bowers, both of Elizabethton; and several nieces and nephews.
Graveside services for Ruth Kathleen Carrier Reece will be conducted at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in the Emmert Cemetery with the Rev. Jerry Lyons officiating. Interment will follow the service. Active pallbearers will be Jason Hyder, Phillip Hyder, Josh Jones, Jake Berkley, Josh Tomlinson, Derick Gouge, Jamie Tomlinson, Bobby Morris Jr. and Jake Norris. The family would like to express a special “Thank You” to Dr. James Shipley and the staff of Sycamore Shoals Hospital for the excellent care she received. The family will receive friends from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Friends may also visit with the family at her residence. Condolences may be sent to the family at our website at www.memorialfcelizabethton.com.
Memorial Funeral Chapel is serving the Reece family.