Lillie Jean Collette Devereux

February 21, 1934 – October 30, 2026

Lillie Jean Collette Devereux, affectionately known as Jean, left her earthly home for her heavenly home on Friday, October 30, 2026, in Kingsport, Tennessee, at the age of 92. Born February 21, 1934, in Limestone, Tennessee, Jean lived a long life centered around her family, her home, and the beauty she found in the world.

Jean was a devoted homemaker who took great pride in creating a beautiful and welcoming home. She loved decorating with the changing seasons and holidays, filling her home with touches that reflected both her creativity and her love of tradition. She loved to cook and was an accomplished seamstress. She made clothing for her children and even created tiny clothes for their Barbie dolls—one of the many ways her creativity and skill found their way into everyday family life.

An avid gardener and lifelong lover of the outdoors, Jean found particular joy among her flowers. Her garden was truly her own, and she continued tending her flowers herself well into her eighties. She loved feeding and watching the birds that visited her home and garden, taking pleasure in their activity and song. The changing seasons, flowers in bloom, and birds at the feeder were among the everyday pleasures she treasured throughout her life.

Jean had a creative and curious mind. She enjoyed writing poetry and was a devoted crossword puzzle solver, working a puzzle every day. Whether finding just the right word for a poem or filling in the last square of a crossword, words were a small but enduring pleasure in her life.

Jean was a woman of many dimensions—spirited and fun-loving, independent and strong-willed, loving and demanding. She cared deeply for her family and expected the same in return. She knew her own mind and rarely hesitated to express it. She also had a teasing sense of humor and a playful streak that could make those around her laugh and keep them on their toes. To know Jean was to know a woman with a strong personality, deep attachments, and a determination to live life on her own terms.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, David Paul Collette and Jessie Leah Riggs Collette; her sister, Mary Francis Collette Grogg; her husband, Thomas James Devereux; Sullins Edward Harris, the father of her children; her daughter, Theresa Gail Harris Honaker; and her granddaughter, Jennifer Dawn Harris.

She is survived by her children, Sue Ann Harris Greene (Jack), Richard Lee Harris (Kathy), and Mary Christine “Kris” Harris Keathley; and son-in-law, Larry Otis Honaker.

Her grandchildren include Amy Conner-Murphy, Nikki Greene Phillips (Charlie), Gina Conner Campbell (Tim), Pastor Sarah Honaker Flack (J.D.), Amanda Honaker Dashler (John), Angela Harris Daniel (Jonathan), and Stephen Kerney.

Jean is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Katie Greene, Rebecca Murphy, Julia Murphy, Olivia Campbell, Ethan Campbell, Ella Campbell, Lily Tupper, Noah Flack, Micah Flack, Asher Flack, Warren Dashler, and Harper Daniel; and her great-great-grandchildren, Kyleigh Greene, Jenna Buchanan, and Violet Simmons. She is also survived by her niece, Rachel Grogg Lockard (David).

The family will receive friends on Thursday, November 5, beginning at noon at Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Home. A service celebrating Jean’s life will follow at 1:00 p.m., officiated by her granddaughter, Pastor Sarah Flack. A family burial will take place at 2:30 p.m. at East Lawn Cemetery.

Jean’s family is especially grateful to Melissa and Kelly of Smoky Mountain Hospice, and Josh and Adam of Brookdale Colonial Heights Clare Bridge, for the kindness, compassion, and personal care they provided to Jean. Their presence and care during this chapter of her life were deeply appreciated by her family.

Jean leaves behind memories of a woman who found beauty and pleasure close to home—in flowers she had grown herself, birds gathered at the feeder, meals prepared for those she loved, things carefully made by hand, a home transformed for each new season, a crossword waiting to be solved, and words put to paper. She was loving and complicated, creative and determined, spirited and fun-loving. She experienced life intensely and brought that same intensity to the people she loved. Those who knew her will remember Jean not as a simple person, but as a memorable one—distinctly, unmistakably herself.