We received this note from Helen this morning.  Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

I am sad to announce the passing of my husband, John I. Rankin. He passed away peacefully at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center on January 24, 2024 in the presence of family.

No formal service is planned. Remember him by his friendly smile and have a frosty from Wendy’s in his memory. Please no flowers; the family requests those who wish to express sympathy consider making a donation to their favorite charity.

In loving memory,

Helen

Subsequent to sending us the note above, Helen passed away in Sarasota. Here is the note we received from John & Helen's daughters:

We are sad to announce the passing of our Mom, Helen Rankin. She passed away peacefully at Sarasota Memorial Hospital on February 16, 2024 in the presence of family. She is pre-deceased by John, her husband of 61 years. Per her wishes, no formal service is planned.

We will remember her as a devoted wife and mother, and a talented teacher who inspired many students. Celebrate her love of teaching by reading a book with a child and do a sudoku puzzle in her honor. Please no flowers; the family requests those who wish to express sympathy consider making a donation to her favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or a charity of your choice.

In loving memory,

Abbie and Jenny

Keep Abbie and Jenny in your thoughts and prayers.

We have learned that the Reverend Clarence Bear passed away.  He was at DB while we were there but did not graduate with us.  His obituary is attached.  Let us keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.

Thanks to Jane Harris for locating Jackie's obituary on the Hamlett Dobson website.

We love because He first loved us. I John 4:19

Jackie Hale, 81, of Piney Flats, Tennessee, went to her heavenly home on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

She was born in Kingsport, Tennessee, the daughter of the late Cecil B. Smith and Jane Hyatt Smith. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her cherished son, Andy Hale.

Jackie was a person of great faith and member of Piney Flats Presbyterian Church. She delighted in worship through music and would often share scripture and songs with friends and family.

Jackie devoted her life to changing the lives of many, including her family, friends, and her countless students. She taught pre-school at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church for six years before returning to school to earn her Bachelor and Master of Education degrees from ETSU. She had a love of teaching and all things math. She passionately taught elementary school in Sullivan County for over 21 years at Gravely, Sullivan, and Miller Perry Elementary. After retirement, Jackie missed the students so deeply that she returned to the classroom at Holston Elementary.

Sondra Dotson Bridwell alerted me of Marcia’s death on September 1st.  She did not graduate with us but kept in touch with many of our classmates and attended several reunions.  Click here to view her obituary from the Johnson City Press.

Jane

Jane was notified of  Selina’s death on July 29th by Selina's sister Jean.

Selina has not been well for some months.  She fell in the fall of 2021 breaking her hip.   Her health has gone downhill since then.   She has been in and out of rehab facilities several times as a result of falls, seizures, and recently pneumonia.

If anyone wants to send her husband William Woods a card, his address is 41 Wildwood Street, Winchester MA 01890.

Our condolences go out to William and Selina's family.

Best regards to all of you, dear classmates.

Click on the image of Selina's obituary to view a larger, readable version.

The Monzas

Our classmate, Jack Ferrell, passed away Thursday, June 22nd in Knoxville.  We will remember Jack for his beautiful voice in the Madrigalians and as bass player and vocalist with  Kingsport’s own Monzas.   There was a graveside service in Knoxville on Monday, July 3 2023 at Highland Memorial Cemetery on Kingston Pike at 3:00.

Thank you,

Jerry McIntosh

Click on the image of Jack's obituary to view a larger, readable version; click on the photo of the Monzas to see a larger version.

FYI, in the photo, Jack is at top rear and Jerry McIntosh is at lower left.

Katie welcomes the class to her lake house during our 2015 reunion.

She will be missed. She was a joy to be around - always happy … always willing to lend a hand and a hug.

Katie was a member of our class reunion planning team and was a big part of planning each of our past reunions.

Her family received friends on June 10th at East Tennessee Funeral Home, 2630 Highway 75 in Blountville. Her funeral service was followed by a private graveside service.

Our best to you and to Katie’s family.

We have learned that Tom Gannaway passed away recently.

Tom was a member of our class, attending DB with us through our sophomore year.  He transferred to Baylor School in Chattanooga and completed his junior and senior years there.

Until recently he lived in the Sacramento CA area.  He recently returned to the Kingsport area and was in touch with classmates.

Jane found an obituary for Pinky, shown to the right.  Click on it to view a more readable version

As Rusty and Chip commented in their notes, Pinky was a good friend and he will be missed.  In our pre-DB days, I remember him as an active player in Fairacres / Linville St / Watauga St neighborhood activities such as football games in the vacant lot next to Bob Reagan's home on Belmeade, and softball games in the back yard at Bill & George Hutchins' home on Watauga.  I smile at the memory of stopping by the grape vines in the back yard of the Gannaway family's Watauga St home in the summer and sampling the yummy sweet grapes that thrived there.

I cherish these good memories and many others from Pinky and our class ... and miss all of those who are no longer with us.

As Barbara  Coughenour would remind us, "God Bless us every one!!"

We were sorry to learn that classmate Bernell Crussell passed away on July 2, 2022.

She lived in Jonesborough and worked in Kingsport for most of her life after graduating from DB with us.

Her obituary from the Kingsport Times and Hamlett Dobson is attached.  The photo is from the Hamlett Dobson web site; I do not know when it was taken.