JoAnn Gordon Fowler

JoAnn (Gordon) Fowler – age 93 of Knoxville died January 15, 2023, from a stroke that she suffered that morning. She was predeceased by her loving husband of 56 years, Sam F. Fowler, Jr. She was the youngest child of Terrell Alexander and Mattie Lee Gordon of Lynchburg Va, the sister of Elizabeth Gracie (deceased) and Robert Gordon. Her four children and their spouses, Elizabeth and Michael Cassiday, Aubin and Bill Lewis, Frank and Jenny Fowler, and Gordon and Ellen Fowler, and her grandchildren, Joseph, Patrick, John, and Robert Cassiday, Will and Ben Lewis, Craig and Jacob Fowler, and James, Mary Jo, and Aubin Fowler, and JoAnn’s six great-grandchildren celebrate the grace of God for her life. After graduation from Presbyterian School of Christian Education, JoAnn moved to Knoxville to take the position of Director of Christian Education at the newly formed Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church. Once in Knoxville, JoAnn fell in love with Sam Fowler, a newly minted lawyer and her assistant to her role as the DCE to the church’s youth. Sam and JoAnn married October 23, 1954, and faithfully served Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church for decades, as Sunday School teachers, deacons, elders, youth and older adult program directors, and Stephen Ministers. We, her children and grandchildren, want to thank JoAnn for being the mom with the most welcoming and loving spirit. Ours was the house that was always welcome to any person and any animal. Above all, JoAnn loved being a mom. She allowed children to be children. Never a harsh word, no matter what we added to the menagerie – dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, hamsters, gerbils, snakes, turtles, parakeets, newts. No matter the antics – jumping on beds, sliding on couch cushions down the stairs, indoor water balloon fights, baby powder fights, night games, tennis ball can cannon (which was probably pretty dangerous), rope swings into that never ending pile of leaves. We love you mom, and we will miss you terribly. A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 20 at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church at 4:00 with Dr. Jay Howell officiating. Visitation will follow in Barron Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church or the Animal Humane Society of your choice. Arrangements by Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel. The memorial service can be livestreamed at https://www.sequoyahchurch.org/live-streaming/.

Tributes

JoAnn Gordon Fowler

January 15, 2023