My aunt Ernie walked on last Saturday at the age of 85 (some three months shy of her 86th birthday). She was the last of eleven children of Papa Reeves, three and a half years younger than Mom, who walked on some six months ago).
Ernie’s younger son, my cousin Mark, wrote this obituary:
On November 14, 2020, Ernestine Reeves (Ernie) Plemmons drew her last breath on this earth. After six years, the disease of pulmonary fibrosis had robbed her lungs of the ability to sustain her earthly body, but her family rests easy in the knowledge that she now breathes freely in heaven.
Ernie’s 85-year life was marked with a love of God, family, chocolate, Braves baseball, her work, gospel music, laughter, serving others, practical jokes, Duke basketball and more chocolate.
After graduating from Blanton’s Business College in 1954, Ernie started working at French Broad Electric Membership Co-op as a teller. Over her 42-year career, she saw her job and the world change greatly. On her first day, one of her duties was to send a telegram to co-ops in eastern North Carolina to let them know that French Broad was sending help in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel. By the time of her retirement in 1996, she held the position of Director of Member Services and Public Relations, and she was responsible for publishing the monthly newsletter, The Electrifier, for French Broad Members. Long gone were the days of the telegraph; a desktop computer and publishing software had become the tools of her trade.
In 1957, Ernie married Cloice Plemmons. The two settled down in a new house they built a literal stone’s throw from the house where she was born in Walnut. The new home became a center of activity as Ernie mothered not only her two sons, Joey and Mark, but her nephews, Jerry and Michael Cody and Stevie Davis, as well as the any other boy who might wander through the doors.
Ernie’s love of God led her in the service of others. First at the Walnut United Methodist Church and later at the Walnut Presbyterian Church, Ernie was a church leader. She taught Sunday School, played the piano, sang in the choir and served as an Elder. In the community, Ernie gave of her time and energy to organizations like the American Cancer Society, Hospice of Madison, The Walnut Community Center, and the Hot Springs Health Program.
During all this time, for more than half a century, Ernie mixed her soprano voice with the alto voice and piano skills of her sister Dot. They sang at church services, revivals, family reunions, funerals and weddings. Thousands heard them sing through the years, and they now sing together once again in the choir of angels.
Ernie is survived by her husband of 63 years, W. Cloice Plemmons of Walnut NC; son Joey Jay Plemmons of Weaverville, NC; son Mark Cecil Plemmons and wife Kimberly Rudisill Plemmons of Kingsport, TN; granddaughter Amanda Plemmons Lively and husband Joshua Ryan Lively of Price, UT; granddaughter Hannah Plemmons Adams and husband Robert Joe Adams III of Dumfries, VA; and granddaughter Grace Wilson Plemmons of Greenville, SC.
Ernie is preceded in death by her parents Amos Stackhouse (Stack) Reeves and Charlotta (Lottie) Barnett Reeves as well as her 10 siblings Leta Reeves Ledford, Albert (Al) Reeves, Aubrey (Doc) Reeves, Evoline Reeves Baker, William (Bill) Reeves, Harold Reeves, Amos Kenneth (June) Reeves, James Dedrick (JD) Reeves, Joseph MacDonald (Joe or Mack) Reeves and Dorothy Lee ( Dot) Reeves Cody. As Ernie’s nephew Michael Cody put it, “I don’t pretend to know what Heaven is actually like, but if it is indeed a place of homecoming and reunion, then I love the image of the Reeves table being complete with the arrival of the youngest.”
Due to concerns about the spread of Covid-19, the family will be holding a private ceremony and will not be receiving friends. The family asks that you celebrate Ernie’s life with fond memories, smiles, a prayer, laughter and maybe even a piece of chocolate. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either the American Cancer Society or Hospice of Madison.
The online obit.
