Blanche King Lacey

Blanche King Lacey passed away peacefully on March 10, 2026, surrounded by loved ones who will continue to honor her legacy.

Blanche was born on August 11, 1926, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to her parents, Oscar and Rodie “Rhoda” King. She was one of nine siblings: Ray, Mable, George, Otha, Riley, Roy, Faye, and Marie. She grew up in the Gatlinburg area, where she graduated from Pittman Center High School. Blanche was a devout Christian and member of St. John United Methodist Church in Maryville — always volunteering to serve meals and contribute to charities.

Blanche loved working with the public and excelled in customer service. She never met a stranger, and many in the community were blessed to experience her professional ethics at the Foothills Mall customer service booth or in the fitting rooms at TJ Maxx. Her warmth and kindness left a lasting impression on everyone she met.

For 99 years, Blanche showered the world with love, kindness, fairness, strength, and wisdom. She always said she would live to be 104, and she almost did. She may have been tiny, but she was mighty.

She believed in all things good and was a true blessing to her community, her church, her coworkers, and most importantly, her family. Blanche was a loving and devoted mother to Sandy, Peggie, and George. She doted on her children and loved to share stories about neighbors or even strangers who complimented them on how well-behaved and kind they were. She was so proud of them and missed them dearly when each preceded her in passing.

Blanche was a loving wife to Lonas Lacey, whom she remained incredibly proud of and never hesitated to boast about — always wearing her wedding ring and sharing stories of their many travels together. She took great pride in Lonas’s career at Alcoa and his dedicated service as a Shriner.

Blanche also played a significant role in raising and caring for her grandchildren. Morgan shared a very special bond with Nanna, and Nanna always appreciated Morgan’s love for choir and music — never missing an opportunity to take her to practice.

Carrie remembers that she and her friends were always welcomed after school with a healthy snack. She also cherishes memories of Nanna reading Goldilocks and other books and always letting her win at Old Maid.

Lindsey fondly recalls Nanna stepping in as babysitter whenever their mom, Peggie, had to work overtime or weekends, especially during inventory at Proffitt’s Department Store. Nanna was always there to help raise her grandchildren, going above and beyond to provide the care, comfort, and stability they needed.

After the heartbreaking loss of her own children, Blanche poured that same maternal love into the greatest joys of her life — her great-grandchildren Lennon, Marley, and Sutton. Marley and Sutton share warm recollections of visiting the same booth at McDonald’s regularly with Nanna. One of Lennon’s favorite memories is the day Nanna took him to church to be re-baptized. Her dedication to her family’s spiritual life exemplified her deep faith and belief in love and community.

She also really enjoyed being a “Mimi” to her grandson-in-law, Anthony, as they shared shopping interests and often spent time together piddling around local thrift stores just to look at everything.

Blanche cherished every moment spent with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, always reminding them that they were loved and that they made her day.

Blanche was preceded in death by her parents and siblings; her beloved husband, Lonas Lacey; and her beloved children, Sandra Hutson, Peggie Marks, and George Knell; as well as her grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and many cousins.

She is survived by her beloved granddaughters, Morgan Locke, Allie Knell, Lindsey Marks, and Carrie Davis; her grandsons-in-law, Anthony Locke and Reid Davis; her great-grandchildren, Lennon (Haleigh) Breazeale, Marley Kyle, Sutton Davis, Jason Hutson, and Colin Hutson; her daughter-in-law, Martha Knell; and her grandsons, Patrick Hutson and Gabriel (April) Hutson.

A proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Blanche especially adored her great-grandchildren more than anything. The world won’t be the same without her, but Heaven gained the sweetest angel.

The family will receive friends from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Saturday, March 14th at McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home and a service will follow at 1:00 PM with Rev. Riley King, Jr. officiating.  The interment will immediately follow at Clarks Grove Cemetery.

As Nanna loved to support charitable causes, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ReLAUNCH in her memory.