Kittie Josephine Mashburn

Kittie Josephine McCartt Mashburn, loving wife, grandmother, aunt, and sister, passed away at her home in Sweetwater on June 23, 2018. She was 88. She was an incredible person and is at rest after a long struggle with her failing health. Born on May 6, 1930, as the 6th child to John Haulk and Kit Turrah Beene McCartt, Mrs. Mashburn overcame the adversity of being born in a poor mining town during the Great Depression to live a life filled with prosperity, love, and a good dose of spunk. Her long life was filled with both joys and sorrow, including the loss of a child, but she was never bitter. She was quick to say that the good Lord knew better than she did when it came to the course of her life. She was known for getting right to the point. To know her was to truly love her. Anyone who had the good fortune of knowing her loved her. The reaches of her generosity and love spanned across the United States and all the way to South America. If her stunning blue eyes and warm smile ever graced your life, you were blessed. She moved to Michigan as a young lady to work in the thriving factories of Detroit. That’s where she met her future husband on a blind date. Once she met Kenneth Mashburn, she had a hunch that’s who the Lord had planned for her to marry. A stunningly beautiful young woman, she turned down many suitors before Kenneth won her over. They were married on February 25, 1950, and started their family in Michigan. They eventually returned to Tennessee, where she helped operate a 200-acre farm, managing the egg business and raising her 6 children. She and Kenneth later moved to town, where she ran a restaurant and motel before settling into her role as a loving grandmother. She was adored by her grandchildren and she adored them, even when she’d make them go pick their own hickory switch when they had stepped out of line. Kit grew up watching her mother cook, but had never actually cooked until she got married. She absorbed a great deal of technique during her childhood and was known far and wide for her cooking abilities. She could often be found listening to gospel music and dancing while cooking up a storm. No one who tasted her biscuits, chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, or fried apple pies was ever disappointed. She was truly the quintessential Southern cook and embodied the spirit of generosity, making sure that no one went hungry. She was known to buy groceries for the sick and poor, and would pile her car full of homecooked goodness for church potlucks. In an age of wrinkle-free clothing, she carried on the age-old tradition of starch ironing. It wasn’t unusual to walk into her house to the smell of Niagara spray starch and the sounds of some western playing on tv while she happily ironed piles of clothing and linens. She took great pride in her appearance and loved coordinating her outfits. The greatest legacy she leaves behind was her deep love of Jesus Christ that she imparted to her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. When her kids were small and her husband not yet a believer, she would take the children to church until one day she told them to take off their clothes because if their daddy was going to hell, they were all going. It wasn’t long before Mr. Mashburn became a devoted follower of Christ. Nothing delighted her more than knowing that her family members loved Jesus, too. Mrs. Mashburn always carried a small stack of Gideon New Testament Bibles and gave them to anyone who crossed her path, passing out thousands over her decades as a Gideon, with some of those little Bibles crossing oceans. She shared the Gospel of Christ with telemarketers, waitresses, and anyone else who would listen. More than cooking and cleaning, she loved staying in close contact with her family. Her house was filled with pictures of her loved ones. Nothing delighted her more than visits and phone calls from her children, grandchildren, and siblings. No visit or phone call ever ended before she’d told you just how much she loved you. Her family was the great joy in her life. Any word of wisdom or advice she gave came from a place of deep, abiding love and an overwhelming desire to see that each member of her family was fulfilled and happy. She could read a person in a glance and seemed to always know when someone needed prayer or a little guidance. She was truly one of a kind. Mrs. Mashburn was a devoted friend to many. Along with her husband, she was a member of Campers on Mission and the Gideons. She traveled on several occasions to Brazil to help build churches with the Baptist Association of Monroe County. She was a long-time member of Reed Springs Baptist Church where she taught Sunday school for years and happily supplied a great deal of food for church potlucks. In her spare time, she enjoyed listening to gospel music, watching Westerns, ironing, gardening, feeding people, and watching the Braves on Sunday night while eating popcorn. She also really loved peppermint candy and marshmallows. Toward the end of her life, when her memory was failing, she could still remember her family. Mrs. Mashburn is preceded in death by her husband of over 67 years and love of her life, William Kenneth Mashburn, whom she asked for daily since his death on July 29, 2017; her parents, John Haulk and Kit Turrah Beene McCartt; her daughter Janet; brothers Claude, J.C., and P.J.; sisters Margie, Octavia, Lucille, and Eula. She loved her children fiercely and truly enjoyed telling stories about them. She loved having all of her children close to her in Sweetwater. Her surviving children are daughter Linda Ghorley and husband Ernie; daughter Turrah Ghorley and husband Mike; son Kenneth Mashburn, Jr., and wife Teresa; son David Mashburn and wife Scarlet; and daughter Patty Hutsell and husband Rusty. Her grandchildren were a source of great joy and pride to her. Granny was deeply in love with each of her grandchildren, but Granny Great seemed to get even more pleasure from her great grandchildren. The long list of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom Kit cherished as a blessing and heritage from the Lord, is as follows: Mikie Ghorley (children Brandon, Janet, Zachery, and Matthew), Amy Ghorley Haerr (husband Greg and children Roiya and Bella), Shane Ghorley (wife Jamie and children Aaron, Seth, and Turrah Nicole), Steffanie Mashburn Speck (husband Chad and children Cole, Cooper, and Callen), Corbin Ghorley (wife Angie and daughter Kaitlyn), Lacey Mashburn Mason (husband Hunter and children Addie Belle and Ace), Amanda Hutsell Galeotti (husband John and children David, Benjamin, Annabella, and Gabriel), Brad Hutsell (son Blake), Jake Hutsell, Callie Mashburn, Betsy Mashburn, and Luke Mashburn. She remained close to her siblings until death and cherished her moments spent with them. She is survived by her brother Frank McCartt (wife Pat), brother Freddy McCartt (wife Reda), and sister Judy McCartt. Many nieces and nephews also survive her. Mrs. Mashburn’s family would like to acknowledge a deep appreciation for Dr. Thomas Layman; for her nurses Patsy Moses and April with Amedisys Home Health and Hospice; for her sweet and gentle caregiver Lesa Mashburn; for her kind caregiver Chastity Croft with Family and Faith Homecare; and for her grandson Jake Hutsell who moved in to care for Kit and brought a great deal of comfort and security to her. The family will receive friends on Monday, June 25, 2018, at Kyker Funeral homes in Sweetwater, TN, from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. The funeral service will follow at 7:00 P.M. in Kyker’s Chapel with Rev. Charles Cassady and Chad Speck officiating. Interment is at 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 26, 2018, in the Reed Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. The pallbearers for her funeral are grandsons Mikie Ghorley, Shane Ghorley, Corbin Ghorley, Jake Hutsell, Luke Mashburn, Chad Speck, John Galeotti, and Hunter Mason. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Gideons International. Please note that the donation is “In Memory of Kit Mashburn” and send to: The Gideons International Monroe County PO Box 821 Sweetwater, TN 37874

Kittie Josephine Mashburn

May 6, 1930 - June 23, 2018