Edith G. Willis

Edith George Ann Kirtland Willis, 95, of Lawrenceburg passed from this life on Saturday, April 26, 2014. She was born in Dekalb County, AL and had moved to Cleveland in 1942 where she lived for 70 years. In 2012 Ms. Edith moved to middle Tennessee to be near her daughter during her later years. Ms. Edith was a devoted volunteer in Bradley County having spent countless hours in the community. She was recognized on several occasions for her 34 plus years of service through the RSVP program. In 1991 she was named Hospital Volunteer of the Year for Cleveland-Bradley County having given 5,890.56 hours of her time serving others. She loved traveling and participating in the activities at the Senior Citizen Center. Her church family at Westwood Baptist was an important part of her earthly journey. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Chester and Martha Elizabeth Kirtland; a sister, Mable Jenkins; and four brothers, Melvin Kirtland, Jack Kirtland, Joe Kirtland and Lee Kirtland. Survivors include her son, Johnny Lloyd Willis and wife, Brenda of Cleveland and daughter, Reba Willis Ayers and husband, Jim of Lawrenceburg. She was "Memaw" to four grandchildren, Kim Forsthoff of Columbia, Kyle Ayers of Texas, John Willis of Cleveland and Joni Browne of Chattanooga. She is also survived by 11 great grandchildren; one half sister, Carol June Kirtland Spivey; and 12 nieces and nephews. The funeral will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 in the chapel of Fike Funeral Home with Pastor Jim Caywood officiating. Her final resting place will be in her beloved Cleveland at Hilcrest Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home. We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Willis family guest book at fikefh.com.