Mrs. Myrtle Phillips Bare, 103, of Johnson City, formerly of the Oak Street Community of Elizabethton, went home to be with her Lord and her loved ones who passed before her, on Thursday, February 9, 2017, at the home of her daughter, Carole. Mrs. Bare was born in West Jefferson, N.C., and was a daughter of the late Walter and Mary Miller Phillips. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of over 60 years, Arvel Bare, on October 18, 1992; a son, Clay Bare; a brother, Bill Phillips; a half sister, Virginia Bard; and her step-mother, Maude Phillips.
Mrs. Bare graduated from Glade Valley High School in North Carolina and was a member of Oak Street Baptist Church. She was a retired seamstress and she loved to sew and travel. She was a very energetic person, “her middle name was Go!”.
Those left to cherish her memory include her devoted daughter, Carole Hayes, and her husband, Dr. Steve Hayes, Johnson City; five grandchildren, Danny Britt and his wife, Amy, Owensboro, Ky., Cindy Ferguson and her husband, Marty, Cary, N.C., Joann Tindall, and her husband, Billy, Old Hickory, Tenn., Clay Bare and his wife, Helen, Houston, Texas, and Stephen Bare and his wife, Julie, Conyers, Ga.; three step-grandchildren, Brian Hayes, and his wife, Beth, Concord, N.C., Stephanie Richards, and her husband, Ken, Bloomington, Ind., and Michelle McSwain, Cherryville, N.C.; 12 great-grandchildren; two step-great-grandchildren; her daughter-in-law, Christa G. Bare, Nashville, Tenn.; five nephews and four nieces; and a special cousin, Rev. Evon Pulliam, and her husband, Robert. Her special friends, Gary and Shelia Jones, Hasford and Jean Slemp, Valencia Greenwell, Shelby Hyder, Sue Hardin, Louise Hyder, Rev. Bruce Hendrich and his wife, Lisa, Martha and Lannie Epperson, and Nell and Clyde Jenkins, also survive.
A service to honor the life of Mrs. Bare will be conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday, February 12, in the Riverside Chapel of Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, with Rev. Chris Shumate and Rev. Raymond W. Amos Sr. officiating. Music will be under the direction of Mr. David Arney, organist, and her son-in-law, Dr. Steve Hayes, soloist. The family will receive friends in the funeral home chapel from 1 until 2 p.m. Sunday, prior to the service, or at the home of her daughter, Carole, at other times. The committal service will follow the funeral service on Sunday at Happy Valley Memorial Park. Active pallbearers will be Will Andrews, John Shook, Ervin Bare, Greg Hyder, Stanley Bare, Terry Bare, David Kelly and McKinley Berry. Those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers may make donations to “I Love My Church,” C/O Oak Street Baptist Church, 803 Oak Street, Elizabethton, TN 37643. Online condolences may be shared with the family by visiting our website, www.tetrickfuneralhome.com
Mrs. Bare and her family are in the care of Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton. Office: (423) 542-2232. Obituary Line: (423) 543-4917.