Tuesday, November 03, 2009

 

Lorna M. Garrison

 

Lorna May McKinney Garrison, a Christian, scholar, author, child welfare investigator, and a loving wife and mother, died at age 72, Sunday, November 1, 2009, at 10:15 a.m. Born August 16, 1937, in Austin, Texas, to Mary Louisa and Aubrey Rue McKinney, Lorna was and will always be her husband’s “Yellow Rose of Texas.” Lorna met her husband, Billy Bob Garrison, 75, on July 3, 1951, at Burgie Drug Store when she and her friend, Ann Hayes Watts, went to have a soda. Billy Bob was the soda jerk behind the counter. He asked her to the July 4th Carnival and nothing could keep the two of them from being together. Although her family moved away to Alabama during her sophomore year, Lorna’s longing to be with Bill Bob, eventually led to her father relocating the family back to Elizabethton. Lorna and Billy Bob married a year after their high school graduation, Class of ’55. The couple spent their honeymoon years in Roanoke, Va., where Lorna worked as a licensed beautician and her husband worked for GE and played in the farm league baseball. In 1959, the couple welcomed their first born child, Lora Lei Garrison Humphreys, 51, at the Tacoma, Washington Army Base. Relocating to Elizabethton, Tennessee, Lorna and Billy Bob soon welcomed three more children to their home: Sherry Louisa Garrison Wright, 46, Robert David Garrison, 43, and John Garrett (Dusty) Garrison, 37. Lorna became very involved with the community upon her return to what she referred to as her home town, Elizabethton. A member of the Junior Women’s Club, PTA, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Community Theater, Band Boosters, Boy’s Club Basketball and First Christian Church, she continued to cut hair during the era of the bouffant hairstyle where the motto was, “The higher the hair, the closer to heaven.” Conversations with customers on a daily basis left her knowing the human condition all too well, but left her feeling the need to do something about it. At the age of 36, Lorna found a way to cut hair, raise four children, be a wife, stay active in her social life, and spend the next four years attending East Tennessee State University. At the age of 40, Lorna had earned her Bachelor of Social Work, graduating summa cum laude, was also the recipient of the Dean’s Award and was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Gamma Mu and Phi Alpha Honor Societies. Lorna had followed her heart and plunged herself into her career choice, one that she never regretted, children’s services. Working for the state of Tennessee Department of Children’s Services for the next 22 years, she fought tirelessly for the welfare of children, eventually reaching the title of Investigator 3, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. Her dedication to her career was recognized many times over. Two of her proudest acknowledgements were being named Tennessee Child Protective Services Worker of the Year ’80-’81 and in 1991, she was recognized by His Excellency, Ned McWherter, Governor of Tennessee, for her Outstanding Service. An avid reader, many of her friends were unaware that Lorna was also a writer. She spent hours researching at libraries, county records buildings, interviewing town locals and traveling extensively throughout Europe, England, the Middle East, Asia and North America, where she would always find the authentic details of a place she thought perfect for a particular setting. Before she went to bed each night, she always wrote in her journal. Her poetry has been published in the Mockingbird, America at the Millennium and one other book she “didn’t have a copy of nor could she remember the name of it,” but she was proud of it nonetheless. In addition to her poetry, she had a short story published in the Mockingbird, an article published in the Record, and this summer, she completed two manuscripts that she longed to have picked up by a publisher — something her family knows would make her dreams of being a published author a reality. Meticulously organized, Lorna left her family a living will and those wishes are all being honored. But of all the things she wanted the world to know about her was that the MOST important thing in life was FAMILY.

 

Lorna is survived by her husband, her children, her sister, Bonnie Eads, her brother, David McKinney, her grandchildren, Christopher Thorne Potter, Darby Kincaid Humphreys, Amanda Jenkins, Jamie Wright, Isaline Barrington Humphreys and Madyln Louisa Garrison. Her family also includes her nephews, Calan McKinney, Carson McKinney, Rocky Humphrey and Ricky Garrison; her nieces, Tami Eads Seybert and Jamie Eads Peterson; her son-in-law, Jay Wright; daughter-in-law, Heather Smith Garrison; brothers-in-law, Larry Eads, Tommy Humphreys and Darrell Garrison; sisters-in-law, Heleln Garrison Humphreys, Karen McKinney and Martha Garrison; and the “unofficially adopted member of the Garrison Clan” known as Uncle Rory, Roderick F. Jones.

 

In lieu of a traditional funeral, a Celebration of Life service will be held Wednesday, November 4, at First Christian Church, Hattie Avenue, Elizabethton, Tennessee, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall from 7:30 to 9 p.m., with the interment being held Thursday, November 5, at 10 a.m. at Happy Valley Memorial Park, Elizabethton, Tennessee. Pallbearers for the service are her brother, two sons, son-in-law, four nephews and her officially adopted son. Honorary pallbearers are Darrell Garrison, Larry Eads, Ron Haselbeck, Ricky Garrison, Charlie McConnell, Phil McPete, Johnny Heaton, Larry Hutchins, Joel Pierce and Shelby Miller. Family and friends will assemble at the funeral home, 212 N. Main Street, at 9:30 a.m. Thursday to go to the cemetery. Condolences to the Garrison family may be e-mailed to mfc@chartertn.net. Memorial Funeral Chapel is in charge of the service.