BBBTV12 Serving Anderson, Roane, and Morgan Counties
Charlotte Adair Gaither, age 81, passed away Sunday, April 30, 2023, at her home after a long illness. She was born in 1942 in Tupelo, Mississippi before moving to Sylacauga, Alabama, where her father was a chemical operator in the Dupont gunpowder factory. She moved to Oak Ridge into a B house on Cedar Road when her father began work at ORNL as an operator in 1944.
Charlotte grew up “behind the fence” and graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1960. Her classmates recall her as the author of the Oak Leaf must-read column “For Whom the Bells Toll” of clever anecdotes of the trials and tribulations of high school life. She graduated from the University of Chattanooga with a BS in Art Education and taught junior high school art in Chattanooga and Hamilton County. She held other various professional positions in Chattanooga before returning to Oak Ridge/Knoxville in 1978. She was the owner of the Art Works gallery in Cedar Springs Shopping Center in Knoxville before retiring in 1984. She and her husband moved into their beloved home in Rivers Run in 1990.
Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents Charles & Blanche Gaither, of Oak Ridge. Survivors include husband, Steve Turner; sister, Gwen Wallace of Knoxville; brother, Mike Gaither & wife, Donna of Maggie Valley, NC; and niece, Beth Gaither of Clyde, NC.
Charlotte expressed her sincere gratitude to her dear friend, Diane Fabricious M.D., and the staff at Family Doctors of Oak Ridge; the caring staff of UT Hospice Services; various emergency personnel, in particular, the firemen of ORFD Station 2; and the 3W medical staff at the Methodist Medical Center.
Per Charlotte’s request, a private family interment will be held. Online condolences may be left at weatherfordmortuary.com.
