Ruby Joan Ownby

Ruby Joan Ownby, "Mimi Jo" to us, passed peacefully yesterday evening in our home, surrounded by family who loved her so well. Mimi Jo had been living with us and it will forever be one of the greatest joys and honors to have spent so much time with her the last couple of years.

Mimi Jo has three daughters and there's a whole slew of us grandkids, great grandkids, and even a great - great grandkid! She loved us all so well! Mimi's character was exemplary. She truly was the sweetest woman. She loved Jesus, loved her husband (married almost 70 years), and she loved to feed her big family. She also had the most precious grin - especially if she thought something was slightly inappropriate but still funny, she had this grin with a twinkle in her eye. She also had the same grin every time we brought her snack or dessert the last few months. Her recent favorites were ice cream and moon pies, and I loved seeing her smile especially when I would sneak her a dessert before her dinner - what a rebel! She was a gift in every sense of the word. She was kind, patient, compassionate, and hard working. I don't think I ever heard her speak unkindly of anyone. She loved beauty and expressed that through gardening (weddings were even held in her garden!) and fashion. She loved dressing nice, whether it was church or around the house. Mimi Jo was beautiful, inside and out. Mimi Jo sang in a gospel quartet, played the banjo, and was an avid supporter of a organization that served the people in the Jellico mountains who were struggling in poverty. She also worked at American Uniform sewing and then came home to see dresses for her daughters. She also retired from Peyton’s

Our home has been full the past few days with family, for which I am so grateful. As we've been telling and listening to stories about our matriarch, I've felt so grateful that she gave this strong willed crew her sweet presence. We are forever marked by her love and life well-lived.

Welcome home Mimi Jo.

She is preceded in death by her husband Hoyt Ownby; parents Dewey and Ethel Epperson; son in law Dennis Boring; sisters Wanoka McClure Sullivan and Virginia McClure.

She leaves behind to cherish her memory her daughters: Darlene Bryant (Chip) and Shirley Maynard (Jim) of Cleveland; Margaret Boring of Chattanooga; five grandchildren, ten great grandchildren, one great great grandchild and several nieces & nephews as well as a special family friend Grady Dunn.

A celebration of Jo’s life will be held at 11am on Saturday July 16th at Companion Funeral Home with a visitation prior to the service from 9am until 11am. She will be laid to rest following the service at Sunset Memorial Gardens.