Von Austin Fritts, 79, of Hampton, passed away Saturday, January 20, 2018, at Johnson City Medical Center after a brief illness.
A native of Butler, he was a son of the late Robert Lee and Donnie Elkins Fritts.
Von was a retired employee of Nor-Well Company. He loved fishing and “Loafing” with his buddies.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Elsie Simerly Fritts; two children, James “Jim” Fritts and wife Donna, Elizabethton, and Reba Shreve and husband Gregory, Matthews, N.C.; his grandchildren, Robbie Fritts, Christopher Shreve, Whitney Shreve, Chris Fuller and wife Melissa and Robert Fuller; his great-grandchildren, Dylan, Haylee, Alexis, Makenzie, Ashton and Chelsea Fuller; his brother, Harold Fritts and wife Priscilla, Alexandria, Va.; and his sister, Mary Colbert, Butler. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews and Von’s special friends, Karen Fisher, E.J. Blevins, Andy Arnett and Duck Stout.
A service to celebrate the life of Von Fritts will be conducted at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 25, at Memorial Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Terry Richardson officiating. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Honorary pallbearers will be employees and former employees of Nor-Well Company, Boyd Smith, Richard Smith, Bobby Joe Taylor, Freddie Shreve and Dallas Richardson. The family would like to express a special thank you to the staff of Sycamore Shoals Hospital and the 2500 Wing of Johnson City Medical Center. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. His body was given to Restore Life for research.
Memorial Funeral Chapel is assisting the Fritts family.