Riverview Luncheon

 

Ms. Billie Anderson remembrance

 

Billie D. Anderson made her transition from labor to rest on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. Billie was born to the late Carl English and Edna Davis English in Bristol, Virginia, on August 6, 1949. 

Billie confessed her life to Christ at an early age, and she was baptized by Reverend Ragsdale at Lee Street Baptist Church. Billie worked in the church, serving in the BTU, Youth Choir, and Usher Board, and represented her church at state conferences. She was also secretary at Shaffer Memorial and sang in the Women's Choir.

Billie graduated from Virginia High School in 1967. She worked at Higbee's, Sperry Corporation, and Smith-Kline. She retired from the County Sheriff Department. In 1989, Billie enrolled at Northeast State, King College, and Virginia Intermont College. After she graduated, she worked at Unisys. 

Billie was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Carl and Edna D. English. She also joins her siblings, Chiquita Owens, Carlton English, and Brenda English.

She is survived by her sisters, Piccola English, Clara Dulaney, Vivian (Douglas) Releford, Theresa (Emanuel) Courtland and Gloria English; cousin, John Goodbread; her nieces and nephews who cherished Billie, Michael Dulaney, Angela English, and Deborah English; great-nieces, Danielle Charette, Emerald McDaniel, Demond McDaniel, and Sydney Releford; great-nephews, Brock (Ashley) Charette and Enrico Charette; six great-great-nieces, five great-great-nephews; and many more cherished family and friends. 

With a deep sense of gratitude, we offer sincere thanks to our many friends who have been so kind to us in the midst of sorrow. Many thanks for your words of kindness, your helpful deeds and acts, your prayers and concerns, and the many messages of love and sympathy. We want to extend a special thank you to the staff of Greystone Healthcare Center.

The visitation will be on Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 12 PM to 1 PM at the Lee Street Baptist Church, 1 West Mary Street, Bristol, VA 24201.

The Celebration of Life will follow from 1 PM to 2 PM at the church.

The Interment will be at the Mountain View Cemetery, 1019 Valley Drive, Bristol, VA 24201.

Care of Ms. Billie Anderson and the family is entrusted to R. A. Clark Funeral Services, Bristol, TN. 37620.

 

Steve Bristol remembrance

 

Steve Lark Bristol departed this life on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at James H. Quillen VA Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee. He was born on July 17, 1949, to George and Carolyn Brady in Rutherford County, North Carolina.

Steve graduated from Science Hill High School and served in the United States Army. Steve was a craftsman who was good with his hands. He worked in construction and concrete and enjoyed restoring classic cars. He was a selfless man who loved everyone and was always willing to help. Steve was a member of the Thankful Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Carolyn Brady; brother, Michael Bristol; sister, Justine White; son, Byron Bristol; and granddaughter, Olivia Bristol.

To cherish his memory, Steve leaves behind his children, Chad (Wendy) Bristol, Stephanie Bristol, and Ebony Phillips; eight grandchildren, Kyron, Eli, Daliah, Bailey, Izmerelda, Leo, Aiden, and Payton; three great-grandchildren, Gavyn, Kalianna, and Ja'Kobe; siblings, George (Patricia) Bristol, Frieda (Robert) Talley, Patricia Bristol, and Aunya Latham; special friend, Sharon Johnson; and a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews who he loved dearly.  

The Visiting of Friends will be on Thursday, October 16, 2025 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the Thankful Baptist Church, 1501 East Watauga Avenue, Johnson City, TN.

The Celebration of Life will be from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at the church.  

The interment will be at 2:00 PM at the Mountain Home National Cemetery, 53 Memorial Avenue, Mountain Home (Johnson City), TN.

Care of the Steve Bristol family is entrusted to the Birchette Mortuary and Cremation Service, 219 East Millard Street, Johnson City.

And the Kingsport Kiwanis "Spirit of Kingsport" Award Goes To.......

 

                                                 

KINGSPORT — The 2025 Kiwanis Spirit of Kingsport Award has been awarded to Johnnie Mae Swagerty. This annual award is given to a non-Kiwanian who is actively involved in enhancing the quality of life in the Kingsport community.

Swagerty is the co-founder of New Vision Youth, which teaches and mentors youth about life skills, job preparation skills, and volunteering in the community.

Swagerty has served on many community boards and volunteered with many organizations that strive to improve the quality of life and safety of all residents in the community.

Swagerty was presented the award by Donna Sade, past president of the Kiwanis Club of Kingsport.  The award carries the inscription: A special person who goes about making Kingsport the best place to live, work and raise a family.

Previous Spirit of Kingsport honorees include Liza Harmon, 2016 (Meals on Wheels); Bonnie Booher, 2017 (Girls, Inc.); Mary Steadman, 2018 (Friends of Warriors Path), Bob Schrader 2019 (Boys & Girls Club); and Jeanette Blazier, 2023 (former mayor).

The Kiwanis Club is a community service club. Its purpose is to serve the children and youth of Kingsport. For more information visit www.kingsportkiwanis.org

Sinora Horton Lewis remembrance

 

Sinora H. Lewis, retired Master Sergeant, combat veteran and registered nurse, departed this life on Saturday, September 13, 2025.

The Going-Home service will be on Friday, October 10, 2025 (10-10-25), at the Central Baptist Church, 301 Carver Street, Kingsport, TN.

Officiating will be by Rev. Kenneth Calvert (Shiloh Baptist Church).

The Receiving of Friends and Family will be from 10 AM to 11 AM.

The Service of Remembrance will be at 11 AM at Central.

At 1 PM, there will be a Release of Butterflies.  Following the Release, will be the drive to the Final Resting Place.

At 2 PM, the Burial will be at the Mountain Home National Cemetery at Johnson City, TN.  Military honors will be provided by the Ft. Campbell Honor Guard.

From 4 PM to 6 PM, dinner will be served with a program at the  Farmers Market in downtown Kingsport.

From 6 PM to 8 PM, there will be a Celebration of Life party, also at the Farmer's Market in Kingsport.  

The family asks, in lieu of flowers, to please donate to the soon-to-be-established Sinora H. Lewis Nursing Scholarship Fund at 
East Tennessee State University.  

Professional service and care of Ms. Sinora H. Lewis and family are entrusted to Clark Funeral Chapel and Cremation Service, Inc. (423) 245-4971.

Pinkie Horton and the Conquerors

 

To kick off the Pinkie Lee Horton Scholarship Fundraiser, the Sons and Daughters of Douglass (the Douglass Alumni Association) of Kingsport, TN is proud to show you this Pinkie Horton retrospective.

Come take a walk down Memory Lane with a song and a voice that will bring back many memories.  This is the first of several songs Pinkie Horton and the Conquerors that will be published on the Douglass Alumni website.

Calvin Sneed took all the pictures over the years.  The song by Pinkie Horton and the Conquerors is "Is There Anybody Here Who Loves the Lord?"  Pinkie Horton is the lead vocal, Ms. Bernice Horton is the pianist, and the backup vocals are Ms. Louetta Hall, Ms. Jenibelle Bristol and Ms. J.J. Jones.  The recording engineer is Wayne Bledsoe.

"Joy!" was recorded at the Willowind Studio in Kingsport, TN.  Turn up your speakers.  Click on the arrow below.  It's time to have church.  

Money for Pedestrian Bridge; Other Access Points Still Off-Limits

 The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen entered into an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to add more funding for a pedestrian bridge creating a safer connection to downtown Kingsport. The agreement provides $500,000 towards the project connecting Brickyard Park and Brickyard Village to downtown. The city had received a grant at the beginning of the project, but due to inflation and rising construction costs, the city requested more. While the pedestrian bridge has been in the works for almost eight years, it is currently being designed and is expected to be under construction within the next year and a half.

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Right now, plans are for the pedestrian bridge to connect to the ballfields at Brickyard Park.  Still to be decided is when the Riverview Community, as promised, will be connected to the proposed Brickyard housing development.  MLK Drive still dead-ends at the intersection with Dunbar Street, where Mr. Paul's Liquor Store used to be.  Your Douglass website will attempt to get these answers.

 

Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Meeting Scheduled

 

The Sons and Daughters of Douglass Alumni Association Board will hold its regularly scheduled "Second Saturday of the Month" meeting, this coming Saturday, September 13, 2025.

The meeting will begin at 11 AM, in the Board Room on the Second Floor of the V.O. Dobbins Sr. Community Center Complex, 301 Louis Street, Kingsport.

The meeting is open to all Douglass Alumni, their descendants and the public.

Riverview Community Celebration on October 18, 2025

 

"Hello Community!". "Come out and Celebrate your BIRTHDAY this year 2025 whether it was month ago today November or this year. We want to celebrate have fun and eat enjoy! 

Some people CAN'T celebrate due to personal things but "CELEBRATE LIFE YA UN MISSION" FROM JOHNSON CITY TN," 

(DORIS KAFIA) & "NEW VISION YOUTH GROUP" "WILL COME TOGETHER IN UNITY CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS! 

"IF YOU HAVE NEVER CELEBRATED YOUR BIRTHDAY WE WANT YOU TO COME CELEBRATE WITH LOVE HUGS & TOGETHERNESS! (FREE !)" 

"WE WILL BE DOING MORE EVENTS TOGETHER AND WITH CHILDREN OF THE COMMUNITY!" 

"PLEASE SHARE!" @JOHNNIE MAE SWAGERTY

Two Douglass Legacy Students set for DBHS Alumni Induction

 Please copy and paste the links below:

KINGSPORT — The Dobyns-Bennett High School Alumni Association Board has announced the association's Class of 2025 alumni Hall of Fame inductees. They are:

• Col. Shelton B. Biles Jr., Class of 1941

• Jay Larkins, Class of 1979

• John G. McJunkin, Class of 1980

• Michael A. “Andre” Releford, Class of 1973

• Kenneth W. “Scat” Springs, Class of 1979

Releford and Springs are Douglass Elementary/High School Legacy Students, meaning either they or their ancestors attended or were employed by the Douglass Elementary/High School in Kingsport.

To date, the DB Alumni Hall of Fame has four Douglass Legacy students.  They are: 

*Simpson "Skip" Brown (2011)

*Calvin Sneed (2019) 

*Darwin Bond (2020)

*Johnnie Mae Swagerty (2021)

The DB Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set to start 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 at the Civic Auditorium, 1550 Fort Henry Dr., Kingsport. Registration will open at 10:15 a.m.

The D-B Alumni Association Hall of Fame was established in 2009 and information regarding all past inductees, including photos and biographies, can be found online at the Dobyns-Bennett High School website under “Alumni” or by going online to https://dbhs.k12k.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=345742&type=d&pREC_ID=753945

The ceremony is open to the public, but seating is limited. Tickets are paid, and a discount is given for those purchased by Oct. 2. Lunch is provided.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Graham Clark, D-B Alumni Association president, at 423- 967-1288 or email dbalumniboard@gmail.com. Also, payment by check may be mailed to the Dobyns-Bennett High School Alumni Association, P.O. Box 3337, Kingsport, TN 37664. Tickets can also be purchased online at https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/R9WXBSCZRLG2J.

Alumni and friends of Dobyns-Bennett High School may become an individual and/or business sponsor of the Hall of Fame Luncheon for a fee, which will put alumni and friends, and for a higher fee business names, on the back page of the Hall of Fame program.

Information and the form to be completed to have your individual name and/or the name of your business included on the back page of the Hall of Fame program may be accessed online at https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/7NJFXYMG9NEL4 or you may visit D-BHS Alumni Website, email dbalumniboard@gmail.com or contact Graham Clark.

The Dobyns-Bennett High School Alumni Association seeks to unite DBHS Alumni and keep them informed of community and school news. Alumni news and information are posted regarding membership, class reunions, football schedules, D-B highlights, the Alumni Board and a complete listing of the Hall of Fame Inductees by year with bios and headshots.

You can become a Lifetime Member of the association by filling out the Lifetime Membership application online at https://dbhs.k12k.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=345732&type=d&pREC_ID=753919

For more information regarding the association Hall of Fame nomination process or the association, visit dbhs.k12k.com-Alumni or email dbalumniboard@gmail.com

Riverview Splash Pad (Our Old Swimming Pool) Now Closed

 

KINGSPORT— The Riverview Splash Pad has closed for the winter as of today, Tuesday, September 2nd.

While Riverview closes after Labor Day, the Centennial Park water feature will remain open into October before shutting down for the winter.

For more information, visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.

"Miss Pinkie Horton Day' on the 26th; Reviving the Miss Pinkie Horton Scholarship; Day Event Planned

 

Please see the note from the family and friends of the late Miss Pinkie Horton and mark your calendars for Friday, September 26th.  A day doesn't go by that we remember her singing in the choirs, taking part in the church activities, and raising her children and the rest of us in Riverview.  This is a way to remember those mentoring moments.  Click on the images below to read them:

Preview of the 2025 Community Cookoff Cookout in Riverview

 

It's considered the last big outdoor family event just as the kids wind down the summer.  The annual Community Cookoff Cookout promises to have something for kids and adults with one central theme...  free food!

Last year's Cookout had more than 500 people attending.  "Our goal is to bring folks to a family gathering who may not get a chance to attend other spring and summer events," says organizer Ryan Smith.  "Now is the time of year to unite them in a spirit of getting the kids ready for the next school year around a particular date that holds a lot of history."

The Community Cookoff Cookout started eleven years ago as a celebration in Kingsport of the 8th of August, the day back in 1863 when Andrew Johnson, then the Military Governor of Tennessee and later president, freed his slaves at his home in Greeneville.  According to the Beck Cultural Center in Knoxville, many communities in Tennessee celebrate the 8th of August as Emancipation Day every year, among them Greeneville, Knoxville, Clarksville, Kingsport and 55 communities in seven other states.  Meanwhile, Juneteenth is celebrated nationwide as the day in 1865 when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the last remaining enslaved people in the United States, even though the proclamation itself had already gone into effect on January 1, 1863.  Tennessee recognizes both the 8th of August and Juneteenth as Freedom days.

The Cookout festivities start at 4 PM on Saturday, August 9, 2025 at the V.O. Dobbins ball field behind the Riverview Splash Pad, 1101 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Kingsport.  Everybody is invited.  The program begins with a welcome and introduction, the reading of a city proclamation and a history of the 8th of August.  Then the food is served and the activities begin.  Entertainment includes music by two DJ's, a popular water slide, prize giveaways including restaurant certificates, school backpacks, and tee shirts, and other activities for both children and the young at heart.

The entire event is free and open to the public.  "We are not a fundraiser,"  Smith says.  "We don't ask for money, no donations required to come on to the ball field.  Just bring your enthusiam and the kids and we'll supply everything else.  Friendship, fellowship and free food.  You can't top that."

On the Saturday menu are hamburgers, hot dogs, baloney sandwiches, fish, chicken and boneless wings.  The side items include green beans, mac-n-cheese, greens, corn, cowboy beans, cabbage, mixed vegetables, spaghetti and pasta.  "We are proud of our church sponsors, who personally cook many of the sides that we'll be serving," says Smith.   

Those churches are the Central Baptist Church, the Full Gospel Mission Church and the Mt. Zion Holiness Church.  Other event sponsors are the City of Kingsport, Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Handy Man A to Z, Clark Funeral Chapel and Cremation Service, Turner Paving and Sealing, Fringe Hair and Nail Studio, Taylor's Plumbing and Home Services, Southern Roots Salon, Southern Dwellings, Salon 211, Taylor-Made Barber Shop, Hot Dog Hut, Sweet's Sports Tavern and Eatery, Texas Roadhouse, Applebee's, Chili's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Krazy Chicken, DJ Gimmee Jimmy, Monsta Amusements, Jeff's Pipe & Muffler, TN/VA Fellowship against Racism, the New Vision Youth, 2 Do Better and Vic Danger Legacy.

Smith says everybody's invited to the last big bash of the Kingsport summer.  "Our motto says it all.. bring the kids, bring a seat, come eat."

Sidney R. Lyons remembrance

 

Sidney R. Lyons passed away on July 23 at the age of 71. He was a beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and uncle, known for his kindness and generosity.

Born on March 17th, 1954, in Bristol, TN, Sidney lived a life filled with love, service, hard work, and faith. He honorably served 25 years in the United States Air Force before retiring, followed by 15 years at Raytheon.

Sidney is survived by his wife, Delia Lyons; two sons, Ricky Lyons and Joey Alingcastre; three daughters, Kathy Williams, Vickie Queen, and Tonya Lyons; and six grandchildren: Rasco Razon, Renzo Razon, Raven Razon, Linzy Williams Jr., Chelsea Queen, Victoria White, and Carter Queen. He is survived by his sister, Sylvia Davis; four nieces and nephews, Angela Edwards, Reginald Davis, LaSonya Johnson, Jeanna Racquel and several great nephews and nieces.

A visitation will be held on Monday, August 4th, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home. The funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m., also at Faith Chapel. Burial will take place at Barrancas National Cemetery, NAS Pensacola, FL. A repast will follow at 2:00 p.m. at Osceola Golf Course.

The family wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to all the hospital staff and friends for their support and compassion.

Though he may be gone from our sight, Sidney will live forever in our hearts.

Visitation

AUG 4. 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (CT)

Faith Chapel Funeral Home and Crematory (South)

100 Beverly Pkwy

Pensacola, FL 32505

(850) 432-6146

https://www.fcfhs.com/

Order Flowers for the VisitationGuaranteed delivery before Sidney's
Visitation begins.

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap

Get Driving Directions

Funeral Service

AUG 4. 11:00 AM (CT)

Faith Chapel Funeral Home and Crematory (South)

100 Beverly Pkwy

Pensacola, FL 32505

(850) 432-6146

https://www.fcfhs.com/

Order Flowers for the Funeral ServiceGuaranteed delivery before Sidney's
Funeral Service begins.

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap

Get Driving Directions

Cemetery Details

Barrancas National Cemetery

1 Cemetery Road

Pensacola, FL 32508

Back to School 2025

 

The 2025 Douglass Reunion Welcome!

 Welcome to the 2025 Douglass Reunion, from former teacher Mrs. Lois Page Roberts, and former Douglass School student and Teacher Legacy daughter Roberta (Bert) Webb (click the video button twice to play):

2025 Douglass School Reunion - Memorial Service

 

Here are pictures from the 2025 Douglass Reunion Memorial Service, Sunday, July 5, 2025.  (Click on the pictures below to make them bigger).  

The Douglass Banquet pictures are further down this column (NOTE:  At the bottom of the page, click "older posts."  The first Banquet pictures are one page back.)