Millicent "Millie" Dair Stone Wilson

KINGSPORT - Millicent "Millie" Dair Stone Wilson, 78, died on Thursday, November 19, 2015, after complications from several years of chronic health problems. A native of Chattanooga, Millie was born in Knoxville on March 21, 1937. She and Tom met in Knoxville and were married in Chattanooga in 1961. They moved to Kingsport in 1963 when Tom began his law practice. They spent their next 52 years together there in the city they loved.

She received undergraduate and Master's degrees in English from the University of Tennessee where she was Phi Beta Kappa and a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Millie was an active member of First Presbyterian Church Kingsport for 52 years and dedicated much of her life to the church. An elder, she served on numerous committees, taught youth and adult Sunday School, and volunteered as a youth group and retreat leader, church school administrator, Stephen minister, refugee program volunteer, leader of the Cloud Recreation Program and was a former president of the Women of the Church. She was also a former moderator of Holston Presbytery.

Millie also was an ardent University of Tennessee men's basketball fan, and she and Tom held season tickets together with three other beloved couples for 50 years. According to Millie, there was never a game the Vols couldn't win. She enjoyed special satisfaction anytime the Vols defeated the team she commonly referred to as "The Big Blue."

She was an avid tennis player and an active member of several bridge clubs that she cherished. She especially enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren at Litchfield Beach, SC watching the sunrise. An enthusiastic antique collector with a discerning eye, Millie was known for her impeccable taste in decorating and gardening. Their Kingsport home won the City Beautification Award several times, and her hydrangeas were legendary. Millie was known for her unflagging energy, free-flowing opinions and appreciation of Broadway musicals and American Idol. She loved her friends and family and was grateful for many friendships that lasted for decades.

She was preceded in death by her parents Milton D. Stone Sr. and Thelma Wooten, brothers William M. Stone and Milton Stone Jr.

Millie is survived by her devoted husband Thomas Rhea Wilson Sr. and her children Thomas Rhea Wilson Jr. (Julie) and Ashley Collignon (Andy) both of Brentwood, TN, and her grandchildren Ferrell Wilson and Grace, Millicent, Caroline, and Drew Collignon. She is also survived by her brother Mercer Stone of Montgomery, AL, and beloved brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins.

A service of Witness to the Resurrection will be held on Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 2:00pm at First Presbyterian Church, with The Rev. Dr. David A. Cagle and The Rev. Sharon Amstutz officiating. The family will receive friends at the church following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to First Presbyterian Church of Kingsport, 100 W. Church Circle, Kingsport, TN, 37660.