Funeral services for Anna C. Irwin

From the June 23, 2007, edition of The (Maryville, TN) Daily Times
Funeral services for Daily Times reporter Anna Irwin will be at 7 p.m. today at Smith Mortuary, West Chapel, with the Rev. Ernie Dorries officiating.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home. Interment will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at Sherwood Memorial Gardens. A funeral procession will meet at noon at Smith Mortuary to proceed to Sherwood Memorial Gardens.

Irwin, 64, of Maryville, died Thursday at Blount Memorial Hospital after a brief fight with cancer.

A Maryville native, she attended Hiwassee College in Madisonville. In 1966, she graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in journalism. She graduated first in her class.

Irwin came to work for The Daily Times in 1977 and excelled covering the crime and courts beats for 30 years. She won the Malcolm Law Memorial Award for Investigative Reporting, the Horace V. Wells Jr. Community Service Award and numerous awards from the East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Tennessee Press Association.

She was scheduled to receive a TPA award for Best News Reporting along with co-worker Iva Butler in July for a series on The Dragon.

Tributes to Irwin came from all over the community about her professional work ethic. Here are some of the comments:

Blount County Assistant District Attorney General Robert Headrick: “Anna was a clear and steady voice of Blount County. She will be sorely missed.”

State Rep. Doug Overbey: “To me, Anna had a big heart and a deep concern for people, especially those who couldn’t help themselves. She just had a big caring heart. She will be missed.”

Retired Judge Hugh E. “Ed” DeLozier Jr.: “Anna was always someone who would come over and talk. She was a person that held everything in confidence, even if it was newsworthy. We always had a good working relationship; I trusted her.”

Ed Bailey, who was a Blount County Assistant District Attorney for over 20 years: “We are very, very sad. I always had the very highest regard for Anna’s professionalism and the accuracy of her reporting and the candor with which she reported the news, some of which involved sensitive subjects. She was a good, personal friend.”

Blount County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Angie Thompson, supervisor of the Blount County Canine Unit: “Number one, we know she is going to be missed. Anytime she saw us at the office or out in the field, she always knew the names of all the dogs, asked about them and always had to pet them. She has been a huge supporter of us for the dogs through publicizing our fund-raisers and community-service days. Anytime we got a new dog, she did a story on that dog.”

Townsend Police Chief Ronnie Suttles: “I worked with her over the years. She was a super person, dedicated and fair.”

American Red Cross Blount County Executive Betty Hale: “She was one of the most giving, loving and kind people I’ve ever dealt with. We often had conversations late at night because of the things we had been working on. At the close of a conversation, she always wished me a good night and told me to make it a hot chocolate night. She talked of sharing hot chocolate with her daughter and told me to do the same with my daughter.”

Blount County Volunteer Rescue Squad Capt. Tony Bowers: “We worked with her at different accident scenes. She always helped us get our name out before the public, telling them what we were doing for the community. Our fund-raisers and money come from the people, and without their support we couldn’t operate. She showed the public what assistance we provided.”S

She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Paul Irwin of Maryville; son, Bill Irwin of Knoxville; daughter, Amanda “Mandy” Segers Blair of Maryville; Mother, Elizabeth Coltharp of Maryville; sister, Mary and husband Larry Miller of Maryville; nephews, Paul Faircloth and James Faircloth; niece, Jean Cooper; several great- and grand-nieces and nephews, all of Maryville; and several adopted children of the community.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Blount Memorial Hospital Cancer Center, ATTN: Carmen Haun, 907 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville TN 37804; New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center, 212 Cates St., Maryville TN 37801 or Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee Inc., P.O. Box 4276, Maryville TN 37802-4276.

A place for your thoughts on Anna ...

Anna C. Irwin, an iconic figure in Blount County journalism, died Thursday June 21, 2007, at Blount Memorial Hospital at age 64. She succumbed to a short bout with a quick-moving cancer.

During her 30-year tenure at The Daily Times, she rose to rule over the police beat, the court beat, and even served as medical reporter and photo editor. For Anna C. Irwin, those 30 years weren’t about just doing a job; they were a tour of duty.

She won many awards, including the Malcolm Law Award for Investigative Reporting. She sometimes shared awards with other reporters she worked together with on a story or a series. She always stepped back to let others bask in the glory. But everyone knew who put the backbone in those words people counted on when they wanted to know what was happening in Blount County.

She cared about people.

She cared about animals.

She cared about her community.

When she reported a story she served it straight up. With Anna C. Irwin, what you read was unembellished prose. If it was relevant, it was in the story. If it wasn’t, it never made newsprint.

This is a place to remember her courage, her compassion, her conviction, and her love for community.

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