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Estelle Ella Edmondson Loy of Maynardville, Tennessee, passed away Thursday, February 22, 2018 at the age of 104.

A native of Union County, Estelle was born in the Nave Hill community on January 8, 1914. She was a retired school teacher and received her teaching certification from Lincoln Memorial University. Estelle educated generations of families in the county, having taught first through eighth grades in a one-room schoolhouse in the Nave Hill and Hubbs Grove schools. She ended her 30 year-career at Maynardville Elementary School. A longtime member of Hubbs Grove Baptist Church (and the church’s oldest member), Estelle served as the adult Sunday School teacher for many years. Estelle’s impact on the greater Union County community is immeasurable, but her greatest role was as mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt. She was married to the late Corum Loy, the first State Farm insurance agent in the county and agriculture instructor at the former Horace Maynard High School. Over the course of her 100 plus years, Estelle was a firsthand witness to what many of us can only read about in history books. She was present when President Franklin D. Roosevelt and wife Eleanor, dedicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940 and that same year attended the premiere of “Gone With the Wind’ at the Tennessee Theatre. An avid reader who also enjoyed word finds, Estelle stayed sharp in her later years. Spiritually, Estelle stayed healthy by reading her Bible, which she read cover to cover several times; and physically she always did just what her medical providers asked and then just a little more. Estelle was not the first centenarian in her family. Her mother, Dora Edmondson, lived to be 102. While constant learning kept her mentally sharp, the real secret to her long life was her generous, giving spirit, positive outlook, a strong faith and her belief in the good. Estelle often shared funny words of wisdom with her family. If you asked her how she felt, it was always ‘fine as fiddle dust,’ or ‘like a crosscut saw, it takes two to handle me.’ She cared for animals too, having had many pets over the years.

Estelle is preceded in death by husband, Corum Loy; parents D.R. and Dora (Hubbs) Edmondson; sisters Rozella Edmondson DeVault and husband Luna; and Madeline Edmondson Haynes and husband Carl; nephews Truman DeVault and Larry Haynes; and special nephew Floyd Loy (and wife Edna). She is survived by twin children, son Robert Loy and wife Lowanna, Maynardville; daughter Martha Loy Burke and husband Dwain, Maynardville; grandchildren Kristy Loy Pierce and husband David, Maynardville; Amanda Loy Mason, and husband Jacob, Maynardville; and Jennifer Burke, Knoxville, Tennessee; great-grandchildren Rachel and Zachary Pierce, Maynardville; and Jake Mason, Maynardville. Niece Shirley DeVault Keaton and husband Tommy, Corryton, Tennessee; and nephew Bill Haynes and wife Sharon, Monroe, Michigan. Several extended Loy, Hubbs, Edmonson family including numerous cousins and special friends. The family will receive friends Saturday, February 24, 2018 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm with funeral to follow at 8:00 pm in the Trinity Funeral Home Chapel, Maynardville. The Rev. Wayne Hubbs and Rev. Johnny Smith officiating; eulogy by Dwain Burke; music by Hubbs Grove Quartet. Family and friends will meet at Trinity Funeral Home, Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 1:15 pm to go in procession to Pleasant View Cemetery, Maynardville for a 2:00 pm interment service. Pallbearers: David Pierce, Jacob Mason, Zachary Pierce, Bradley Keaton, Brian Keaton, Larry Lay, James Whitson and Curtis Whitson. Honorary pallbearers: Tommy Keaton, Earl John Loy, Jess Maples, Bea Bub Munsey, Bill Haynes, Ronnie Irick and Jack Simmons. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hubbs Grove Baptist Church, 330 Hubbs Grove Road, Maynardville, Tennessee 37807. Trinity Funeral Home, Maynardville, has the honor to serve the family of Estelle Loy. 865-992-5002 www.trinityfuneralhome.net