Roy Lewis Aaron

Roy Lewis Aaron, age 78, of Knoxville, passed away on the morning of Monday, October 6, 2025, at his home, surrounded by family. He was born on August 30, 1947, in Somerset, Kentucky, to Clifford and Marie Aaron of Kingsport. Roy graduated from Dobyns-Bennett High School in 1965, went on to earn an aerospace engineering degree from the University of Tennessee in 1969, and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1972. Licensed to practice in both Florida and Tennessee, Roy joined the Hodges, Doughty, and Carson law firm in 1976 with a focus on estate planning and tax law, becoming a partner in 1980. He retired in 2017 but continued in an “of counsel” capacity with the firm. Roy was a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and the Knoxville Bar Foundation; a member of the Dean’s Circle for the University of Tennessee College of Law; Treasurer of the Knoxville Stars Baseball Association, where he coached, with best friend Virgil Avans, the Knoxville Stars teams for 10 years; a member of the advisory boards of Child and Family Services for 10 years and of the Clarence Brown Theatre for 6 years. As generous as he was tall, Roy will be remembered for his love of family dinners, fine dining, good wine, and travel. Quite a raconteur, Roy could often be found “holding court” and relaying with wit and panache tales of his family, work, life, or just things he’d recently read about. To say that Roy was a voracious reader would be an understatement. A devourer of books, particularly mysteries and history, Roy was the cornerstone of his family’s weekly pub trivia team. Whether the subject was history, sports, math, literature, or SCIENCE, Roy could be counted on for correct and astute answers. Roy was a lover of all forms of music as well as film, live theatre, and sporting events. He was a longtime supporter of UT sports and a season ticket holder for football and basketball for many decades. He enjoyed playing golf with his family and friends even into his final year of life. He was also highly skilled at games, particularly crossword puzzles, sudoku, and other word games, but also card games like bridge and poker. Roy was incredibly lucky at the casino, especially when wearing one of his bright pink or purple shirts, winning over 30 jackpots at video poker. In his last 6 years, Roy fulfilled a longtime dream of escaping the winter cold with his wife, Paulette, to the warmth and sunshine of Venice, Florida. He delighted in hosting streams of friends and family in their lovely condo community through those winter months. It was summertime that brought Roy his deepest joy: for 48 years he led the charge to the Smoky mountains for the family’s annual reunion. He took great pleasure spending two weeks in a rustic old cabin in Emert’s Cove, where he spent hours reading to the rushing sounds of the Little Pigeon River in the company of his loved ones. Roy is survived by his wife of 56 years Paulette Abee Aaron; sons Justin Aaron (Jacqueline Kan) and Jonathan Aaron (Stacy Connatser); daughter Elizabeth Aaron (Mike Murphy); grandchildren George Aaron, Jaden Aaron, and Cordelia Aaron-Murphy; sisters Jennifer Medlin (Jim), Diane Osborne (Doby), and Cindy Atkins (Richard); brother-in-law James Abee; and sisters-in-law Donna Abee and Phyllis Dibert (John). He is preceded in death by his parents Clifford Aaron and Marie Holder Aaron; as well as best friends Alan Boyd, Virgil Avans, and beloved Australian Shepherd, Brittany. Memorial service will be held on November 8, 2025, 2:00pm, at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church. Receiving of friends will follow in the Welcome Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Clarence Brown Theatre or Friends of the Smokies.

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Roy Lewis Aaron

August 30, 1947 - October 6, 2025