Shelba June Pettit Ramirez

Died: Feb. 21, 2013

Shelba June Pettit Ramirez, age 74, of Mohawk, died Thursday evening at Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport after an extended illness.

She was born March 21, 1938, in Mohawk.

Mrs. Ramirez was a member of Mount Hope United Methodist Church in Mohawk.

Shelby, as most called her, loved life and would tell you at any given time her greatest joy in life was her daughter.

She is survived by her daughter, Tamera "Tami" June Ramirez of Mohawk; nephews and their wives: Victor and Betty Lowe of Morristown and Vance and Reeca Lowe of Vonore; two great-nephews; one great-great-niece; several stepchildren, stepgrandchildren and stepgreat-grandchildren; and her special friends: Melissa Stepp Hodge, Stacie Hodge, Dixie Poe Naulta, Angelia Turner Long, Donna Love, Patti Sykes Sawyer, and Terry Jane and Faythe Smith.

She was the widow of Alfredo "Al" Ramirez and was preceded in death by her parents: Paul A. and Josie Smith Pettit, her sister and brother-in-law Mary Jo and Henry Lowe Jr. and an unborn infant son in 1969.

The family will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. today at Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Mount Hope UM Church with the Rev. Ron Matthews officiating.

Interment will follow in Mount Hope Cemetery.

Active pallbearers will be Chad Lowe, Stacy Kinsler, Vance Lowe, Darnell Naulta, Donnie Long, and David Allen Turner.

Honorary pallbearers will be Victor Lowe and Bobby Stepp.

Tami expressed thanks to the doctors, nurses, entire staff and caregivers of Holston Valley Critical Care Unit in Kingsport, Durham-Hensley Health and Rehabilitation in Chuckey, and Amedisys in Greeneville, and all the countless caregivers that have been so good to and helped take care of her mother throughout the years of her illness. She also extends special thanks to Rex Satterfield for giving her the time off work she needed to be with her Momma during her last days.