Thelma Eggers Cutshall, 91, of Elizabethton, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. She was born in Old Butler and raised there along with her brothers, Wayne and Homer, and sister, Louise, during the Great Depression by her parents, Lawrence and Etta Eggers. Thelma had an amazing memory for detail and often entertained friends and relatives with stories of that time and place. She was known for her letters to the editor and was not shy about giving politicians a piece of her mind. Until the last year of her life Thelma lived independently with the help of her longtime caregiver, Emma Peters.
Thelma loved Bingo, garage sales and her cat Sam, worked the crossword and read the Bible every day. Thelma was a devout Baptist and was a longtime and well-loved member of Pleasant Beach Baptist Church, where she often dispensed advice and encouragement to younger members. In her last months, she was known by the staff at Ivy Hall Nursing Home as “Miss Thelma.”
Mrs. Cutshall is survived by her daughter, Jonnie Williams, Johnson City; son, James Noel Smith, Unicoi; and was preceded in death by her husband, William W. Cutshall, and her eldest daughter, Randi Dugger. She was also preceded in death by her brothers, Homer and Wayne, and her first husband, Reece E. Smith. Her grandchildren include Carole Annach, Rochester N.H., John Matthew Dugger, Columbia S.C., Shanna Farrell, Cookeville, Greg Galliher, Limestone, Geoffrey Galliher, Church Hill, Lauren Perkins, Greenville S.C., and Daniel Smith, San Francisco; eight great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
At her request, Thelma will be interred with her beloved late husband Bill at the VA Cemetery, Mountain Home. A memorial service will be conducted at Pleasant Beach Baptist Church, 108 Pleasant Beach Road, Elizabethton, Tenn., on Saturday, April 11, at 4 p.m. Family will greet guests after the service. In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to contribute to the Butler Museum, 123 Selma Curtis Road, Butler, TN 37640 (www.thebutlermuseum.com). Condolences may be sent to the family at our website, www.memorialfcelizabethton.com
Memorial Funeral Chapel is serving the Cutshall family.