Billie Jean Dean Bingham

Billie Jean Dean Bingham, 86, of Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away in Knoxville on Monday, December 26, 2016. Billie was born in Tinsley (Bell County), Kentucky, on January 28, 1930, to Edgar and Myrtle Mills Dean. She married Glenn D. Bingham on November 25, 1954, and they were devoted to each other for 59 years until his death on July 26, 1994. They had two children, Glenna Beth Bingham Light and David M. Bingham. Until 1986, Billie lived in Tinsley, Kentucky, where she attended East Jellico Baptist Church. She worked at Lone Jack Elementary School in the 1960's, first as school secretary and later as librarian. After leaving Lone Jack, she kept books for Glenn's business. Billie and Glenn moved to Knoxville, TN, in 1986 to be near their children. Billie loved music. She played the piano, and she and her daughter Beth sang in the East Jellico Baptist Church choir for many years. Some of her fondest memories were of the Easter and Christmas cantatas the choir would perform each year at East Jellico and other churches in the area. Billie also had a soft spot for cats. She took in many stray cats when she lived in Kentucky, and fed and cared for neighborhood strays around her Knoxville home. Her much-loved Persian Kenzie kept her company and lifted her spirits for 14 years after Glenn passed away. She and her son David, who lived with and cared for her for the past four years, shared their home with three cats that Billie adored. She also enjoyed the antics of her three 'grandcats,' belonging to her daughter Beth and son-in-law Ben Light. Billie was preceded in death by her parents, Edgar and Myrtle Dean, husband, Glenn Bingham, sister Annabel Dean Ellis and brother-in-law Porter Ellis, brother Charles Dean, nephew Richard Dean, and beloved grandmother Belle Tinsley Dean, who greatly influenced Billie in so many ways. She is survived by her son David Bingham, daughter Beth Bingham Light and son-in-law Ben Light, sister-in-law Roberta Dean, niece Susan Ellis Hance and nephews Larry Ellis and Mike Dean and their families, special cousins Becky Dean Rotan, Judy Dean Mills, Danny Dean, Gerial Mills Slusher, and Betty Jo Mills Boone and their families, and the many nieces and nephews of her extended Bingham family. Billie's wish was to be cremated and to have a memorial with family and friends at the church that was her spiritual home for most of her life. A Gathering of Friends and Family will be from 1:00 until the Services at 2:00 PM on Saturday, January 21, 2017 with Dr. William Boyd Bingham. Music will be by Mearl Risner. Private interment with immediate family will be at Pineville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to East Jellico Baptist Church, PO Box 120, Ingram, KY 40955 or to the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley, PO Box 51723, Knoxville, TN 37950 Arnett & Steele Funeral Home and Cremation Center is honored to serve the Bingham Family. Cemetery Details Pineville Memorial Cemetery Pineville, KY 40977 Gathering of Friends

JAN 21. 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (EST)

East Jellico Baptist Church

Four Mile, KY 40939

JAN 21. 2:00 PM (EST)

East Jellico Baptist Church

Four Mile, KY 40939