Mabel Jean Lynch

Our much loved Mama and Nanny passed away on 2/9/2026 after a brief illness. Born and raised in Grainger County, Mabel graduated as valedictorian of her high school class of 1948. She then attended a teacher training program at Carson-Newman College and taught primary grades in a two-room school in the Buffalo community until her family relocated to Knoxville. Meeting the love of her life while working at the Magnolia Avenue White Store, Glenn and Jean (as Daddy always called her) married on 3/21/1952 and spent the next 63 years together until Glenn’s death in 2015.

Daughter Hope came along in 1959, which led to a work promotion for Glenn and a move to Jefferson City for the little family. Jean was a stay-at-home mom, sewing beautifully made clothing for Hope and herself. As a matter of fact, she tailored Hope’s suits for work for years and even taught grandson Sean to sew and tailor Civil War reproduction uniforms for re-enactments.

Jean rejoined the work force in the Treasurer’s Office at Carson-Newman College. She enjoyed her job and co-workers enough to retire once and go back to work a few years later to retire a second time on her 80th birthday.

Mabel loved to camp and her pre-trip preparations were legendary! She could pack a cooler like no one else and knew exactly what was in the camper at any given time. Nanny and Pap made trips with Sean and Bryan to Elkmont and Cades Cove fun and memorable. (Just ask them about her bicycle wreck and Sean’s whittling incident!) Lake Arrowhead camping trips with family and friends provided more fun and memories, as did winter trips to Florida as retirees.

Never one to have idle hands, Mabel loved to garden and definitely had a green thumb for roses and azaleas. She created award-winning quilts and even had a quilt featured in a magazine along the way. Every tiny hand quilted stitch was made with love.

Mabel loved to cook for family and friends. Sunday lunches, holiday dinners, birthday dinners, blackberry cobblers, apple pies, stack cakes, fried apple pies - just to name a few of her favorites to fix and share. Sean and Bryan learned to cook in her kitchen, standing in a chair beside Nanny as she made biscuits for breakfast.

After a fall and dislocated shoulder in 2019, Mabel Jean moved to Terrabella (formerly DeWitt Place) in Morristown where she lived in her beloved “room 150.” She made many friends, collected ink pens from staffers and earned many nicknames including Mean Jean the Jellybean Queen. Mabel relocated once more to LifeCare Jefferson City in 2025. She loved her caregivers and they loved her.

Preceded in death by husband Glenn, parents Hallie and Walter Hodge Sr, brother and sister-in-law Walter Jr and Virginia Hodge, Mabel is survived by her daughter Hope Lynch Cooper, grandsons Sean (Kristen) and Bryan Cooper, great-granddaughters Caleigh, Baylee and Sadie, brother Jerry (Marilyn) Hodge, several nieces and nephews.

We are so grateful for the care provided by Unit 2 at LifeCare. From the medical staff to nursing, CNA, dietary, transportation, maintenance and everyone else, Mama received nothing but the best loving care from everyone she met. Thank you for loving her so well over the last months of her long life.

There will be a time of visitation for family and friends on Thursday 2/12/2026 from 5-7 at Farrar Funeral Home in Jefferson City. Per her wishes, there will be no service and burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Carson-Newman University or a charity of your choice.