Katherine "Kitty" Louise Earnest Clemmer
February 18, 1913 — May 10, 2011
Katherine "Kitty" Louise Earnest Clemmer
Katherine "Kitty" Louise Earnest Clemmer, 98, died on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 in Kingsport.
Katherine was born February 18, 1913, in Greene County, TN, where she grew up on Elmwood Farm in Chuckey, TN. She graduated from Maryville College. Before marrying Claudius Clemmer, she taught school at Alcoa Elementary School in Alcoa, TN, and at McDonald High School in Greene County, TN
She devoted her life to her family, her friends, and her church. On April 16, 1939, she joined First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport, where she served as Elder and was active in Presbyterian Women. She enjoyed taking her turn teaching Bible for the women and was honored to receive a Lifetime Membership in Presbyterian Women. She was a loving, gracious, humble person with a keen sense of humor, one who never complained, and she will be very much missed by her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Claudius Greer Clemmer and by her daughter, Martha Greer Clemmer. She was also predeceased by her parents, Nicholas Peter Earnest and Eliza Beatrice Doggett Earnest; her sister, Mary Eleanor Earnest Birdwell; and brothers, James Doggett Earnest, Joseph Rhea Earnest, Benjamin Foster Earnest, and Charles Edward Earnest.
Surviving are her daughter, Mary Katherine Clemmer Ruth and her husband, Ridley McLean Ruth, Sr.; her son, Nicholas Earnest Clemmer and his wife, Jenny Harris Clemmer; and her loving caregiver, Kabira Madani--all of Kingsport; four grandsons, Ridley McLean Ruth, Jr., and wife, Shannon Crosson Ruth of San Jose, CA, John Lindsley Ruth II of Montreal, Quebec, Andrew Harris Clemmer and wife, Erin Hamm Clemmer of Simpsonville, SC, Benjamin Greer Clemmer and wife, Lani Pangelinin Clemmer of Knoxville, Tenn.; great-grandsons, John Lindsley Ruth, Jr. of Mooresville, NC, and Ridley McLean Ruth III of San Jose, CA; great-granddaughters, Rachel Katherine Ruth of Mooresville, NC, and Grace Margaret Ruth & Ava Lauren Ruth of San Jose, CA, Ashley Erin Clemmer & Katherine Elisabeth Clemmer of Simpsonville, SC, and Sydney Greer Clemmer of Knoxville, TN. Also surviving are brothers-in-law, R. Jack Grantham of Kingsport; Jim and Jeanette Clemmer of Glenwood, WA; sister-in-law Ona Clemmer of Mohawk, TN; and several nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Oak Hill Memorial Park. There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. Saturday May 14, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport with The Rev. Dr. David A. Cagle officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service at the church.
For those who wish, memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund, 100 W. Church Circle, Kingsport, TN 37660; or to the Katherine E. Clemmer Scholarship Endowment at Maryville College, c/o Maryville College Advancement Office, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Maryville, TN 37804.
Katherine was born February 18, 1913, in Greene County, TN, where she grew up on Elmwood Farm in Chuckey, TN. She graduated from Maryville College. Before marrying Claudius Clemmer, she taught school at Alcoa Elementary School in Alcoa, TN, and at McDonald High School in Greene County, TN
She devoted her life to her family, her friends, and her church. On April 16, 1939, she joined First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport, where she served as Elder and was active in Presbyterian Women. She enjoyed taking her turn teaching Bible for the women and was honored to receive a Lifetime Membership in Presbyterian Women. She was a loving, gracious, humble person with a keen sense of humor, one who never complained, and she will be very much missed by her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Claudius Greer Clemmer and by her daughter, Martha Greer Clemmer. She was also predeceased by her parents, Nicholas Peter Earnest and Eliza Beatrice Doggett Earnest; her sister, Mary Eleanor Earnest Birdwell; and brothers, James Doggett Earnest, Joseph Rhea Earnest, Benjamin Foster Earnest, and Charles Edward Earnest.
Surviving are her daughter, Mary Katherine Clemmer Ruth and her husband, Ridley McLean Ruth, Sr.; her son, Nicholas Earnest Clemmer and his wife, Jenny Harris Clemmer; and her loving caregiver, Kabira Madani--all of Kingsport; four grandsons, Ridley McLean Ruth, Jr., and wife, Shannon Crosson Ruth of San Jose, CA, John Lindsley Ruth II of Montreal, Quebec, Andrew Harris Clemmer and wife, Erin Hamm Clemmer of Simpsonville, SC, Benjamin Greer Clemmer and wife, Lani Pangelinin Clemmer of Knoxville, Tenn.; great-grandsons, John Lindsley Ruth, Jr. of Mooresville, NC, and Ridley McLean Ruth III of San Jose, CA; great-granddaughters, Rachel Katherine Ruth of Mooresville, NC, and Grace Margaret Ruth & Ava Lauren Ruth of San Jose, CA, Ashley Erin Clemmer & Katherine Elisabeth Clemmer of Simpsonville, SC, and Sydney Greer Clemmer of Knoxville, TN. Also surviving are brothers-in-law, R. Jack Grantham of Kingsport; Jim and Jeanette Clemmer of Glenwood, WA; sister-in-law Ona Clemmer of Mohawk, TN; and several nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Oak Hill Memorial Park. There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. Saturday May 14, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport with The Rev. Dr. David A. Cagle officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service at the church.
For those who wish, memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund, 100 W. Church Circle, Kingsport, TN 37660; or to the Katherine E. Clemmer Scholarship Endowment at Maryville College, c/o Maryville College Advancement Office, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Maryville, TN 37804.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Katherine "Kitty" Louise Earnest Clemmer, please visit our flower store.
Guestbook
Visits: 10
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
