Shirley Lucille Helton Lee, age 90, passed away peacefully on May 30, 2026.

Born January 31, 1936, in New Tazewell, Tennessee, Shirley was the daughter of the late John Lillard Helton and Ada Mae Reece Helton. When she was two years old, her family moved to Hamblen County, where she spent the remainder of her life.

Shirley grew up at Dover Cumberland Presbyterian Church and made a profession of faith at the age of twelve. That same year, she began playing the piano in church, a ministry she continued for 32 years at Dover Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Bethel Baptist Church and Montvue Baptist Church.

She graduated from Morristown Hamblen High School in 1954 and remained active in her graduating class for many years, serving on the reunion committee.

On July 30, 1955, she married Billy Dean “Bill” Lee. Together they shared nearly 60 years of marriage and built a loving family that became the center of Shirley’s life. Her greatest joys were the births of her children and watching them grow into strong men and women.

Among her fondest memories were welcoming home her uncles, Rua, Elvey, Ernest and Ellis, as they returned on furlough from military service during World War II, and hearing car horns throughout the community when the war ended. She also cherished childhood trips to Tazewell to visit her great grandmother and remembered traveling across the newly constructed roadway through what would later become Cherokee Lake before the area was covered by water.

Shirley worked for ten years in the Rayon Textile Laboratory at American Enka. She later served the Hamblen County School System for 28 years as a Title I Assistant at Union Heights School before retiring in 1998.

During her retirement years, Shirley enjoyed continuing the time-honored tradition of making hand stitched quilts for her children and grandchildren, creating treasured keepsakes that will be cherished for generations. She also devoted many years to visiting older family members, exploring cemeteries and collecting stories and photographs to preserve her family’s genealogy and history.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Bill Lee, her brother L.T. Helton and her grandson Andrew Lee.

She is survived by her children, Martha Ann Bell (Cliff), Rick Lee (Amy), Lisa Brown and Brian Lee; grandchildren, Beth Ann Bell, John Bell, Caroline Lee, Sarah Moore (Justin) and Hannah Brown; great grandchildren, Makayla Moore and Makenzie Moore; sisters in law, Sue Starnes and Laura Helton; and her special friend and neighbor of 67 years, Loraine Greene.

The family extends sincere appreciation to Morristown Hamblen EMS and Morristown Hamblen Healthcare System for the compassionate care they provided Shirley in her later years.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grace Baptist Church, 425 Lincoln Avenue, Morristown, Tennessee 37813.

Shirley will be remembered for her steadfast faith, devotion to family, servant’s heart and commitment to preserving the history and traditions she held dear. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched and in the family she loved so deeply.

The Family will receive friends from 10AM-11AM, Friday, June 5, 2026, in the East Chapel of Allen Funeral Home.  Funeral services will follow the visitation with James Williams officiating.  A funeral procession will follow to Hamblen Memory Gardens after the funeral services for a graveside service and interment.

Arrangements by Allen Funeral Home.

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