Norma Loretta Arnold

Norma Loretta Arnold, 83, was peacefully taken to her heavenly home on May 22, 2019.

Loretta was born to Roy and Kate (Arnold) Stapleton on June 7, 1935 in Spears Ferry, VA and grew up in Kingsport. She attended Lynn View High School, where she was a cheerleader. She worked at Convair San Diego until after her marriage to Marvin “Eddie” Edwards, when she began working for their business, AC Electric Company. She returned to East Tennessee to raise their daughter before Eddie’s death. She later married Dave Arnold and faithfully cared for him during a lengthy illness until his death.

Loretta retired from Holston Valley Medical Center after more than three decades of service. She then served as church hostess at First Broad Street United Methodist Church, where she was also a long-term member, until her second retirement. In addition to these two careers, she also ran a catering business, Twilight Catering, with her sister. She enjoyed Bible study and loved flowers and watching birds.

Her most significant accomplishment and her greatest joy, however, was becoming Mom to her daughter and Granny Boe to five grandchildren. Her family has received decades of boundless love, encouragement, wisdom, home-cooked meals, and cherished memories of holidays and birthdays at Granny Boe’s house.

In addition to her parents and husbands, Loretta is preceded in death by her brother, Roy Howard Stapleton, and sister, Betty Jean Coates. She is survived by her daughter, Teresa Fulwiler and husband Dan Fulwiler of Kingsport; five grandchildren, Rachel and husband Ken Kellogg of Johnson City, Greg Dinsmore of Greenville, SC, Adam Dinsmore of Charlotte, NC, and Michael and Joey Dinsmore of Kingsport; her sister, Ruth Gregory of Kingsport; numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.

A graveside service will be conducted at 11 AM on Thursday, May 30 at Oak Hill Memorial Park. A Celebration of Life will be held in the sanctuary of First Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport on Thursday at 12 PM with Rev. Jack Weikel officiating. Family will receive friends in the First Broad Street United Methodist Church parlor immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Loretta’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, (www.stjude.org), 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.