4/11/15 —- Lillie Belle (Qualls) Carr

Lillie Belle (Qualls) Carr, age 91, a lifelong resident of Coffee County, passed on April 8, 2015 while enjoying an early spring day in her yard surrounded by her flowers.

Belle dedicated her life to caring for her large family. She is survived by her husband of 74 years, O C Carr; son, H. Austin Carr (Eddythe); her three grandchildren, Jeff Carr (Pamela), Kendra McCrary (Parker) and Eric Carr (Cathy); her six great-grandchildren, Brennen, Anna Catherine, Lillian, Eoin, Natalie and Emma; her sister, Annie Mae Brown; her nieces and nephews, Sherry Sherrill, Jimmy Williams (Linda), Patsy Lund (Larry), Janice Baldwin (Fred), Patricia Qualls (Doug), Susie Qualls, A.D. Qualls (Yvonne), Venita Ruth Anderson (Phillip), Willadean Richardson (Charles), Kathryn Chapplow (Sandy), Imogene Purdue (Shelby), Marshall Qualls (Sue), Jerry Qualls (Dot), Dorothy Mae Freeze (Ronnie), Reneta Floyd (Don), Joe Brown (Lisa) and a very large extended family whom she loved as though they were her own.

Born March 4, 1924 to Devander Columbus and Emma Mae Stubblefield Qualls, Belle was raised on the family farm in Ashbury Community. Ruggedly independent from the start, the eldest daughter of seven children, she raised her younger sisters (Dean, Annie Mae) and remained close to them and her older brothers (Ralph, Raymond, Leon and Dillard) throughout her life. Belle attended school at the Cumberland Academy where she received her certificate to attend high school in 1939 and was a member of the basketball team. She married her sweetheart, O C on July 13, 1940 in front of the general store. The two started their lives together farming and soon became the proud parents of their son, Austin. Belle took care of everyone around her, often opening her home to those in need.

O C and Belle moved to Tullahoma making residence on Maplewood Avenue and then later Old Estill Springs Road. Belle was an employee of the former Genesco Shoe Factory for over 25 years where she worked with her husband O C. They spent their free time fishing and gardening. Belle was known for her garden-both vegetables and flowers. She spent the winter preparing her seeds, the spring planting, and the summer picking and canning. Those who knew her benefitted from her canning and gardening as she shared both freely. She was particularly proud of her sweet potatoes, including one weighing five pounds last year which she dug herself. Flowers loved her as well. She often stuck a bloom in the ground and life would spring forth. In the summer every corner of her yard was full of color and she could tell the story of each flower-who gave it to her; when it was planted. Outside the kitchen window was one of her favorites, a multi-colored rose bush.

Visitation will be held on Friday, April 10, 2015 from 5:00-7:00 pm at the funeral home.

The service and burial will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2015 at Mt. Zion Cemetery in Viola, Tennessee at 11:00 am.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Kilgore Funeral Home in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

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