Joe D. Huggins

Joe D. Huggins

Knoxville News Sentinel, 11 May 2009

Joe Downie Huggins

Joe Downie Huggins, of Lenoir City, Tenn., has died at age 73 after a long struggle with cancer.

Joe was born on July 1935 in Watertown, Tenn., to Charlie T. and Louise Cothern Huggins. He was raised in Nashville and attended David Lipscomb Grammar School and graduated from David Lipscomb High School in 1955.

After one year at David Lipscomb College, Joe transferred to Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, where he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1959.

Shortly after graduation, Joe moved to Memphis to start work. Attending church at Union Avenue Church of Christ, he was captivated by a young woman, Malinda Jones, from rural western Kentucky. The two were married in April 1960 in Memphis, then relocated to Knoxville where Joe went to work for TVA. In 1965, Joe changed jobs again, moving to the Oak Ridge National Lab, where he worked until retiring in 1997.

After retirement, Joe enjoyed traveling with his family, taking his first trip a few weeks after leaving ORNL. In July 1997, Joe flew from Knoxville to Moscow, Russia, with two of his sons and spent a week visiting Red Square, Lenin's Tomb, the Battle of Borodino Museum, and other tourist attractions. Next, the three took the Trans-Mongolian train across Russia, through Mongolia, and into Asia stopping in Beijing, China. After visiting Beijing and Qingdao, Joe returned to the United States via Korea, completing his first around-the-world adventure. In the following years, Joe traveled to Scotland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. In between international trips, Joe made several shorter visits to the western United States.

Joe and Malinda remained happily married for 40 years until Malinda died suddenly in December 2000. In 2003, Joe began dating Jennie Hopkins. After a whirlwind romance, they were married in February 2004. In their marriage vows, Jennie promised to care for Joe "in sickness and in health," a vow she has kept diligently to the comfort of Joe and his children.

Joe is survived by his three sons and their wives, David and Lisa of Marietta, Ga., Jonathan and Elizabeth of Baton Rogue, La., and Brent and Tomomi of Smyrna, Ga.; two grandsons, Kyle and Seth; and stepchildren, Theresa and Van White of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Pam Hopkins of Panama City Beach, Fla., Greg and Melissa Hopkins of Knoxville, and Judy and Rob Reed of Lenoir City, Tenn.; step-grandchildren, Lauren Luttrell, Lindsey Reed, Karah Hopkins, and Caleb Hopkins.

The family will receive friends at Claxton Church of Christ, 535 Old Edgemoor Lane, Powell, Tenn., on Tuesday, May 12, from 5 to 8 p.m., with the funeral following immediately. Internment at Oak Ridge Memorial Park will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13.