Louise Barker Owens Smith

Louise Barker Owens Smith, 97, died at 10:00 p.m. Monday, October 20, 2014 at Asbury Place of Kingsport. She was born in Bristol, Virginia on September 21, 1917 and was the daughter of the late James Calvin and Ida Cox Barker. She graduated from Virginia High School in 1934 and the Music Department of Virginia Intermont College in 1936.

Louise taught piano and public school music in Dante and Castlewood, Virginia schools from 1938-1945 and also taught piano in Bristol, Virginia and Kingsport, Tennessee.

She moved to Kingsport in 1945 and served as church organist for many area churches. Louise was also the pianist for the Kingsport Kiwanis Kapers for five years. She was the first president of the Civinette Club, Kingsport, and helped organize and staff the first area Cerebral Palsy Center now known as the Palmer Center. She was also a member of the Virginia Club, Kingsport Junior Book Club and Kingsport Music Club. Louise loved to play the piano in later years at Asbury Center at Steadman Hill and then Asbury Place at Baysmont. Her favorite was the Tennessee Waltz.

Louise was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Thomas W. Owens, and second husband, C. Gregory Smith; stepson, Thomas F. Smith; and step son-in-law, Thomas Wilkie Jr.

Louise is survived by a son, Thomas W. Owens, III (Susan), of Knoxville, TN; daughter, Rebecca Owens Anderson (Bobby), Oakland, CA; step-daughters, Eleanor Smith Ford (Bill), Kingsport, Genevieve Smith Wilkie, Kingsport, and Juliana J. Smith, Cashmere, WA; step-sons, C. Gregory Smith, Jr. (Virginia) Nashville, TN and Perth, Australia, and J. Winthrop Smith, Taos, NM; grandchildren, Katie Baese Owens, Knoxville, TN, Robert A. Anderson, Belmont, NY, Jennifer Ford Hunter (Ron), Kingsport, Catherine Ford Kilgore (Steve), Kingsport, William Robert Ford, Jr. (Rachel) Lawrenceville, GA, Thomas C. Smith (Tracy), Nashville, TN, Winthrop P. Smith (Helen), Nashville, TN, Christian Smith (Kelsie), Winter Park, FL, and Marisa Smith, Tallahassee, FL; 13 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; and sister, Christine Barker Haggai (Dr. John Edmund Haggai), Atlanta, GA.

The family would like to thank the staff of Asbury Place at Baysmont and Amedysis Hospice for their great care and concern.

There will be a graveside service Saturday, October 25, 2014, at 1:00 pm at Oak Hill Memorial Park. A memorial service will follow at 1:30 pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 161 E. Ravine Rd., Kingsport, TN, with Dr. John Edmund Haggai and Deacon Chris Harpster officiating. The family will receive friends at the church after the service in Berndt Hall.

Memorial gifts may be made to Haggai Institute, P.O. Box 13, Atlanta, GA, 30370-2801, or to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 161 E. Ravine, Kingsport, TN 37660.

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