Mrs. Barbara J. Calhoun Sorah, 75, of Bristol, Va., went home to be with the Lord following a brief illness of cancer on Sunday, June 26, 2011, at her home. She was the daughter of the late Roy J. Campbell and Fina Simerly Campbell and was born in Carter County. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, Harlan C. Calhoun. Mrs. Sorah was a graduate of Elizabethton High School where she played in the Elizabethton High School Band. She was a member of Hampton Christian Church and worked as an inspector at Snap-on Tools.
Mrs. Sorah is survived by her husband, Jackie Sorah, of the home; a daughter, Kathy Thomason, Elizabethton; a son, Dwayne Calhoun and his wife, Anna Jean, Elizabethton; four grandchildren, Rebecca Lewis, Bristol, Va., William Thomason, Mary Calhoun and Hannah Calhoun, all of Elizabethton; two sisters, Maril Vines and Betty J. Powell, Elizabethton; a step-son, Jackie Sorah Jr. and his wife, Debbie, Bristol, Va.; a step-daughter, Cheri E. Cooper and her husband, Butch, Bluff City; three step-grandchildren, Lee and Austin Sorah and Cody Cooper; her special friends, Camille Watson and Lena Bell Collins; and her special puppy, Ringo. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
The funeral service for Mrs. Sorah will be conducted at 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, in the Chapel of Peace of Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, with Mr. Randall Johnson, minister, officiating. Music will be under the direction of Greg Odom, Ann Hurley, Gail Campbell and Joel Crisp. The family will receive friends in the funeral home chapel from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, prior to the service, and at the residence or at the homes of her son, Dwayne Calhoun, 102 Don Wilson Lane, Elizabethton, or her daughter, Kathy Thomason, 922 DeJarnette Street, Elizabethton. The committal and entombment service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, in the Mausoleum of Hope at Happy Valley Memorial Park. Active pallbearers will be selected from family and friends. Those wishing to attend are asked to meet at the funeral home at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday to go in procession to the cemetery. Those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers may make donations to the Hampton Christian Church Building fund, 810 Deerfield Lane, Hampton, TN 37658. The family wishes to extend a special thank you to Wellmont Hospice and Dr. Robert Allen for all the love and care shown to Mrs. Sorah and her family during her illness. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tetrickfuneralhome.com and signing the guestbook or by fax to (423) 542-9499. Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, is serving the Sorah family. Office: (423) 542-2232. Obituary Line: (423) 543-4917.