Tavie Barnett Slack, 97, of Athens, quietly slipped away to heaven on Sunday afternoon, August 5, 2018.
She was a lifelong resident of McMinn County and was a daughter of the late Frank S. and Florence Womac Barnett. She was also preceded in death by her husband Lester G. Slack (they were founding members of Fairview Baptist Church), brothers, Claude and Harrison Barnett, a sister, Rosa L. Barnett, step-mother, Minnie Crittenden,and step-sister, Lurene Russell.
She was a member of Dixon Avenue Baptist Church of Englewood. She was a Nurse Assistant at Woods Memorial Hospital for 17 years until her retirement. She loved every day she was there. Everyone that met her loved her. She will be remembered for her amazing smile, her giving heart and her beautiful flowers. She loved everyone that entered her door and they soon felt as if they were family. The aroma of tea cakes, dried apple stack cake and fried apple pies will linger for a while around her kitchen.
She is survived by one daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Carroll (Red) Bates of Englewood; two sons and one daughters-in-law, Ronnie and Doris Slack of Harriman and Danny Slack of Kingston; five granddaughters, Dawn Jenkins of Kingston, Ashley Womac of Athens, Valerie Pickel of Englewood, Audrey Dempster of Morristown and Sharon Wilson, Town Creek, Alabama ; two grandsons, David Slack of Maryville, and Randall Bates of Riceville; and ten great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be conducted, 7:00 pm, Tuesday, August 7, 2018 in the chapel of Smith Funeral Home with Rev. Allen Watson and Rev. Randall Bates officiating. Family and friends will meet at 11:00 am, Wednesday at Slack Family Cemetery in Athens for the committal service. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 4:30-6:30 pm prior to the service.
Pallbearers will be David Slack, Russell Jenkins, Jay Dempster, Heath Pickel, Riley Bates, Connor Bates, Aaron Womac, Paul Pickel, Noah Slack and Ben Slack.
Memorials may be made to Children's Hospital Knoxville, 2018 W. Clinch Avenue, Knoxville,TN 37916 ; or St. Jude Childrens Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 ATTN: Memorial Dept.