Anita Louise Valentine

Anita Louise Valentine, Devoted Mother, Grandmother and Caregiver, Dies at 71 Anita Louise Valentine passed away peacefully on March 1, 2022, at the University of Tennessee Hospital after struggling with illness over the past months. Anita was a caring and compassionate lady whose capacity for empathy and sympathy was limitless. Her loving nature was grounded in her abiding faith and in her belief that one had to not only espouse the virtues of Christianity but live them. Throughout her life she was a caregiver who gave freely of her time and most importantly her love. She had an innate ability to connect with people, to feel their pain, and to understand their hardships and sorrow. This capacity, born from her personal experiences, enabled her to care for those without judgement. She provided support and care for many of her immediate and extended family members. She was always the first to give of her time or her limited resources. When her father, mother and brother Alvin were ill she spent hours providing them loving care, attempting to minimize their pain and suffering, all the while maintaining an inner strength as not to collapse into her own sorrow. Even into her sixties and seventies she cared for others including her nieces and nephews and friends of the family. She pained to see others suffering and tried with all her abilities to minimize it. Anita truly had a heart of gold. Anita was more than a compassionate and loving caregiver; she was also a devout Christian with a playful and joyful nature. With a love for singing, she would often serve on or direct the choir and had a great passion for Baptist hymns. Whether it be one of her favorite hymns or an old country song, she would sing joyously and often loudly. In fact, she was known to burst into song on any given occasion. Her support for her church extended far beyond the choir. She often volunteered to maintain and clean the churches. While she could not give much in treasure, she gave something much more valuable, her time. Some would be surprised to know that Anita was a nature lover. As a young woman, Anita loved camping with her family and spent many summer days around campfires and on the rivers in the parks in East Tennessee. She could often be found pitching horseshoes or roasting marshmallows on an open fire in her younger days and even throwing lawn darts on the rare occasion. Later in life, she trekked across the country with her family visiting sites at Mount Rushmore, the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and British Columbia, Canada. However, her two favorite places to visit were close at home: Cades Cove and Norris. She loved seeing animals in the wild and enjoyed many hours in mountains. Anita found joy and peace in nature and found solace in the quite still of a morning in the mountains. Anita saw the beauty in nature as a reflection of God’s love, and perhaps therefore she enjoyed these moments more deeply. Anita was preceded in death by her parents, Avis and Clarence Cox, as well as her brothers, Cecil, Bob and Alvin. She was also proceeded in death by her husband, Dennie Valentine. She is survived by her three children, Laura Patrick, Timothy Valentine, and Priscilla Valentine; her son-in-law Gary Patrick; her grandson Ethan Patrick; her sisters Faye Gibson, Mary Lou Newcomb, Peggy Pettiford, and Linda McCoy; and dozens of nieces and nephews. Family will receive friends from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Mynatt Funeral Home Fountain City Chapel, with a service to follow at 7:00 pm. Reverend Greg Garrett will officiate. Family and friends will meet at 12:45 pm on Monday, March 7, 2022, at Greenwood Cemetery for a 1:00 pm graveside service. In lieu of flowers, Anita requested that donations be made to the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries or Young Williams Animal Shelter. Online condolences can be expressed at www.mynattfh.com.