Louise S. Dunn

Louise Smith Dunn, a resident of Kingsport, TN since 1967, died peacefully in her sleep, Friday the 13th day of January, at her home in Brookdale Rock Springs in Kingsport, TN.

Born in 1927 in Brooklyn, NY, Louise (Hall Smith) received an Associate in Arts degree from Wesley Junior College in Dover, Delaware, in 1947. As part of her course of studies, she also attended Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, MD, for a year. She was a graduate of White Plains High School, White Plains, NY, in 1945.

She was working as a Patent Legal Secretary for Cal Research in San Francisco, CA, when she met Malcolm G. Dunn (Ensign, U.S. Navy), her husband to be, on June 20th, 1953, at a Girls Service Organization (GSO) dance while Malcolm was on liberty. When he returned to Naval duty, he "left his heart in San Francisco." But he didn't leave her for long, as he proposed after a short courtship. The happy couple married on Jan. 2, 1954, and they got to celebrate their 63rd anniversary just days before she passed.

Louise played 2nd violin for the Kingsport Symphony Orchestra for 17 years, and she also played the piano for the Christian Science Society for several years. She was a member of the Kingsport Music Club, and a member of PEO.

Louise was a true, gentle, and kind soul. She had a gift for writing, and she always had a wonderful way of expressing herself, both orally and in writing. She always seemed to come up with the right thing to say for any situation, whether it was to soothe a loved one or to explain something in simple, common-sense terms. A sharp wit, she also regularly won family games such as Scrabble and Dominos.

Louise was preceded in death by her father, Samuel Burrows Smith, Sr.; her mother, Alice Smith Burg; her brother, Samuel Burrows Smith, Jr.; and her nephew, Peter Smith.

She is survived by her husband, Malcolm G. Dunn; her son, Doug Dunn (with wife Debra); her daughter, Debbie Dunn Moore; her son David Dunn (with wife Christina); her sister-in-law, Anne Louise Knoblock Smith; her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Michael Dunn and wife, Rebecca Dunn; her nieces, Elizabeth Smith Cook, Sara Dunn Foster, Lindsey Dunn, and Carrie Dunn Michaels; her nephew, Stephen C. Smith; her grandchildren, Ashley Dunn Mann, Anna Dunn, Andrew Dunn, Chelsea Dunn, and Julia Dunn; and great grandchildren, Caleb and Abby Mann.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either Girls, Inc. in Kingsport, TN, or to First Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport, TN, which will perform her memorial service, at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, in its main sanctuary.

A private inurnment ceremony will take place prior to the 11:00 a.m. memorial service.