Daily Post Athenian
Sept. 7, 2017
Connie C. Akers, 66, of Athens, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, at Starr Regional Medical Center of Athens.
A native of Hillsville, Va., and a resident of McMinn County since 1974, Connie was a daughter of the late Tim and Lorene Hundley Clary. She attended First Baptist Church of Athens.
She was the recipient of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce's award for "Mother of the Year" for 2016. She was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and was very active in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and AYSO Soccer.
Connie was a school nurse for Athens City Schools, as well as Tennessee Weslyan College, and faithfully served The H.O.P.E. Center of Athens.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Ronnie Clary.
Survivors include her husband of 44 years, Steve Akers of Athens; three sons, Nicholas and Ai Akers of Sapporo, Japan, Nathan and Amanda Akers of Murfreesboro, and Zachary Akers and Bethany Reis of Brooklyn, N.Y.; one sister and brother-in-law, Diane and Tom Whitehead of Blacksburg, Va.; four brothers and sisters-in-law, Tim and Peggy Clary of Weyers Cave, Va., Hal and Kelli Clary of Huddleston, Va., Richard Clary and special friend, Paula Melton, of Hillsville, Va., and Micky and Jane Clary of Blacksburg, Va.; grandsons, Elias, Finley and Avian Akers; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at First Baptist Church of Athens with the Rev. Jason Clark officiating.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service at the church.
Laycock-Hobbs Funeral Home of Athens is in charge of arrangements.
Daily Post Athenian
May 12, 2017
Mother of the Year Connie Akers
Connie Akers may be Mother of the Year, but being a mother is a lifetime appointment.
"My mother said when I could first talk and was asked what I wanted to be, I would say, 'I want to be a mother, a nurse, and a bride,'" Akers said in January when she was presented with the 2016 Mother of the Year Award during the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. "She worked for years to make me get that in the correct order."
The Virginia native did just that, graduating from the Medical College of Virginia in 1973 with high honors and becoming a nurse.
The following year, she came to Athens with her husband, Steven, following his discharge from the military.
"He was going to attend Tennessee Wesleyan. It must have been fate that brought us, because he was going to start in January, so we went in December to register. While he was filling out his forms, Mildred Smith, the registrar, asked me what I was going to do. I told her I was a nurse and I would apply at the hospital, and she said, 'No, you won't,'" Akers said. "It turned out the college was looking for a nurse at that very time, and so I took the position and was there for about 20 years."
She later took a position with Tennessee Meiji Gakuin in Sweetwater for a year before former Ingleside School principal Ben Wilson called and asked if she would be interested in being the nurse for the Athens City School System.
"It's been my dream job," said Akers, who has served as the Athens City Schools nurse for 22 years. "It's minute to minute - never boring and never slow. But, I love working with kids - always have - and I call them all 'my babies.'"
When her sons - Nicholas (now 38), Nathan (now 34), and Zachary (30) - were old enough to join Boy Scouts, Akers became a den leader and continues to assist with Scouting as the Unaka District's program chairman.
She also enjoys working with young ladies through Tennessee Wesleyan's Sigma Kappa Sorority.
"I have five brothers, three sons, three grandsons, and a husband," Akers said, "so working with the sorority is how I get my girl fix."
While Akers said she claims numerous children as her "babies," she is most proud of the accomplishments of her three sons.
"They were always artistic and creative, and all three got degrees that are right-brained. Everyone said I was crazy for encouraging that, but I believe you let your children determine their own fates, then you give them the tools they need to get there. I always told my kids they could do anything they wanted as long as they did the work that was required. You have to find a passion. If you do, you can do anything, but you have to work at it and get the education you need to make it work," Akers said. "Finding that passion is the hard part. Zachary found his in middle school working with the school TV program, and he's now a successful filmmaker. Nicholas, even when he was two, had perfect pitch, so we knew music was his thing - now he works with the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. Nathan found his while studying at MTSU and works with computer graphics.
"They've all found success because we let them find their passion," Akers added. "What more can you ask as a mother than for your children to be happy?"
------------------------------------------
Full name and place of birth per Contributor: Denise Drake Horton 47089329
Sept. 7, 2017
Connie C. Akers, 66, of Athens, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, at Starr Regional Medical Center of Athens.
A native of Hillsville, Va., and a resident of McMinn County since 1974, Connie was a daughter of the late Tim and Lorene Hundley Clary. She attended First Baptist Church of Athens.
She was the recipient of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce's award for "Mother of the Year" for 2016. She was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and was very active in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and AYSO Soccer.
Connie was a school nurse for Athens City Schools, as well as Tennessee Weslyan College, and faithfully served The H.O.P.E. Center of Athens.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Ronnie Clary.
Survivors include her husband of 44 years, Steve Akers of Athens; three sons, Nicholas and Ai Akers of Sapporo, Japan, Nathan and Amanda Akers of Murfreesboro, and Zachary Akers and Bethany Reis of Brooklyn, N.Y.; one sister and brother-in-law, Diane and Tom Whitehead of Blacksburg, Va.; four brothers and sisters-in-law, Tim and Peggy Clary of Weyers Cave, Va., Hal and Kelli Clary of Huddleston, Va., Richard Clary and special friend, Paula Melton, of Hillsville, Va., and Micky and Jane Clary of Blacksburg, Va.; grandsons, Elias, Finley and Avian Akers; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at First Baptist Church of Athens with the Rev. Jason Clark officiating.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service at the church.
Laycock-Hobbs Funeral Home of Athens is in charge of arrangements.
Daily Post Athenian
May 12, 2017
Mother of the Year Connie Akers
Connie Akers may be Mother of the Year, but being a mother is a lifetime appointment.
"My mother said when I could first talk and was asked what I wanted to be, I would say, 'I want to be a mother, a nurse, and a bride,'" Akers said in January when she was presented with the 2016 Mother of the Year Award during the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. "She worked for years to make me get that in the correct order."
The Virginia native did just that, graduating from the Medical College of Virginia in 1973 with high honors and becoming a nurse.
The following year, she came to Athens with her husband, Steven, following his discharge from the military.
"He was going to attend Tennessee Wesleyan. It must have been fate that brought us, because he was going to start in January, so we went in December to register. While he was filling out his forms, Mildred Smith, the registrar, asked me what I was going to do. I told her I was a nurse and I would apply at the hospital, and she said, 'No, you won't,'" Akers said. "It turned out the college was looking for a nurse at that very time, and so I took the position and was there for about 20 years."
She later took a position with Tennessee Meiji Gakuin in Sweetwater for a year before former Ingleside School principal Ben Wilson called and asked if she would be interested in being the nurse for the Athens City School System.
"It's been my dream job," said Akers, who has served as the Athens City Schools nurse for 22 years. "It's minute to minute - never boring and never slow. But, I love working with kids - always have - and I call them all 'my babies.'"
When her sons - Nicholas (now 38), Nathan (now 34), and Zachary (30) - were old enough to join Boy Scouts, Akers became a den leader and continues to assist with Scouting as the Unaka District's program chairman.
She also enjoys working with young ladies through Tennessee Wesleyan's Sigma Kappa Sorority.
"I have five brothers, three sons, three grandsons, and a husband," Akers said, "so working with the sorority is how I get my girl fix."
While Akers said she claims numerous children as her "babies," she is most proud of the accomplishments of her three sons.
"They were always artistic and creative, and all three got degrees that are right-brained. Everyone said I was crazy for encouraging that, but I believe you let your children determine their own fates, then you give them the tools they need to get there. I always told my kids they could do anything they wanted as long as they did the work that was required. You have to find a passion. If you do, you can do anything, but you have to work at it and get the education you need to make it work," Akers said. "Finding that passion is the hard part. Zachary found his in middle school working with the school TV program, and he's now a successful filmmaker. Nicholas, even when he was two, had perfect pitch, so we knew music was his thing - now he works with the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. Nathan found his while studying at MTSU and works with computer graphics.
"They've all found success because we let them find their passion," Akers added. "What more can you ask as a mother than for your children to be happy?"
------------------------------------------
Full name and place of birth per Contributor: Denise Drake Horton 47089329
Daily Post Athenian
Sept. 7, 2017
Connie C. Akers, 66, of Athens, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, at Starr Regional Medical Center of Athens.
A native of Hillsville, Va., and a resident of McMinn County since 1974, Connie was a daughter of the late Tim and Lorene Hundley Clary. She attended First Baptist Church of Athens.
She was the recipient of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce's award for "Mother of the Year" for 2016. She was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and was very active in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and AYSO Soccer.
Connie was a school nurse for Athens City Schools, as well as Tennessee Weslyan College, and faithfully served The H.O.P.E. Center of Athens.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Ronnie Clary.
Survivors include her husband of 44 years, Steve Akers of Athens; three sons, Nicholas and Ai Akers of Sapporo, Japan, Nathan and Amanda Akers of Murfreesboro, and Zachary Akers and Bethany Reis of Brooklyn, N.Y.; one sister and brother-in-law, Diane and Tom Whitehead of Blacksburg, Va.; four brothers and sisters-in-law, Tim and Peggy Clary of Weyers Cave, Va., Hal and Kelli Clary of Huddleston, Va., Richard Clary and special friend, Paula Melton, of Hillsville, Va., and Micky and Jane Clary of Blacksburg, Va.; grandsons, Elias, Finley and Avian Akers; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at First Baptist Church of Athens with the Rev. Jason Clark officiating.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service at the church.
Laycock-Hobbs Funeral Home of Athens is in charge of arrangements.
Daily Post Athenian
May 12, 2017
Mother of the Year Connie Akers
Connie Akers may be Mother of the Year, but being a mother is a lifetime appointment.
"My mother said when I could first talk and was asked what I wanted to be, I would say, 'I want to be a mother, a nurse, and a bride,'" Akers said in January when she was presented with the 2016 Mother of the Year Award during the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. "She worked for years to make me get that in the correct order."
The Virginia native did just that, graduating from the Medical College of Virginia in 1973 with high honors and becoming a nurse.
The following year, she came to Athens with her husband, Steven, following his discharge from the military.
"He was going to attend Tennessee Wesleyan. It must have been fate that brought us, because he was going to start in January, so we went in December to register. While he was filling out his forms, Mildred Smith, the registrar, asked me what I was going to do. I told her I was a nurse and I would apply at the hospital, and she said, 'No, you won't,'" Akers said. "It turned out the college was looking for a nurse at that very time, and so I took the position and was there for about 20 years."
She later took a position with Tennessee Meiji Gakuin in Sweetwater for a year before former Ingleside School principal Ben Wilson called and asked if she would be interested in being the nurse for the Athens City School System.
"It's been my dream job," said Akers, who has served as the Athens City Schools nurse for 22 years. "It's minute to minute - never boring and never slow. But, I love working with kids - always have - and I call them all 'my babies.'"
When her sons - Nicholas (now 38), Nathan (now 34), and Zachary (30) - were old enough to join Boy Scouts, Akers became a den leader and continues to assist with Scouting as the Unaka District's program chairman.
She also enjoys working with young ladies through Tennessee Wesleyan's Sigma Kappa Sorority.
"I have five brothers, three sons, three grandsons, and a husband," Akers said, "so working with the sorority is how I get my girl fix."
While Akers said she claims numerous children as her "babies," she is most proud of the accomplishments of her three sons.
"They were always artistic and creative, and all three got degrees that are right-brained. Everyone said I was crazy for encouraging that, but I believe you let your children determine their own fates, then you give them the tools they need to get there. I always told my kids they could do anything they wanted as long as they did the work that was required. You have to find a passion. If you do, you can do anything, but you have to work at it and get the education you need to make it work," Akers said. "Finding that passion is the hard part. Zachary found his in middle school working with the school TV program, and he's now a successful filmmaker. Nicholas, even when he was two, had perfect pitch, so we knew music was his thing - now he works with the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. Nathan found his while studying at MTSU and works with computer graphics.
"They've all found success because we let them find their passion," Akers added. "What more can you ask as a mother than for your children to be happy?"
------------------------------------------
Full name and place of birth per Contributor: Denise Drake Horton 47089329
Sept. 7, 2017
Connie C. Akers, 66, of Athens, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, at Starr Regional Medical Center of Athens.
A native of Hillsville, Va., and a resident of McMinn County since 1974, Connie was a daughter of the late Tim and Lorene Hundley Clary. She attended First Baptist Church of Athens.
She was the recipient of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce's award for "Mother of the Year" for 2016. She was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and was very active in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and AYSO Soccer.
Connie was a school nurse for Athens City Schools, as well as Tennessee Weslyan College, and faithfully served The H.O.P.E. Center of Athens.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Ronnie Clary.
Survivors include her husband of 44 years, Steve Akers of Athens; three sons, Nicholas and Ai Akers of Sapporo, Japan, Nathan and Amanda Akers of Murfreesboro, and Zachary Akers and Bethany Reis of Brooklyn, N.Y.; one sister and brother-in-law, Diane and Tom Whitehead of Blacksburg, Va.; four brothers and sisters-in-law, Tim and Peggy Clary of Weyers Cave, Va., Hal and Kelli Clary of Huddleston, Va., Richard Clary and special friend, Paula Melton, of Hillsville, Va., and Micky and Jane Clary of Blacksburg, Va.; grandsons, Elias, Finley and Avian Akers; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at First Baptist Church of Athens with the Rev. Jason Clark officiating.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service at the church.
Laycock-Hobbs Funeral Home of Athens is in charge of arrangements.
Daily Post Athenian
May 12, 2017
Mother of the Year Connie Akers
Connie Akers may be Mother of the Year, but being a mother is a lifetime appointment.
"My mother said when I could first talk and was asked what I wanted to be, I would say, 'I want to be a mother, a nurse, and a bride,'" Akers said in January when she was presented with the 2016 Mother of the Year Award during the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. "She worked for years to make me get that in the correct order."
The Virginia native did just that, graduating from the Medical College of Virginia in 1973 with high honors and becoming a nurse.
The following year, she came to Athens with her husband, Steven, following his discharge from the military.
"He was going to attend Tennessee Wesleyan. It must have been fate that brought us, because he was going to start in January, so we went in December to register. While he was filling out his forms, Mildred Smith, the registrar, asked me what I was going to do. I told her I was a nurse and I would apply at the hospital, and she said, 'No, you won't,'" Akers said. "It turned out the college was looking for a nurse at that very time, and so I took the position and was there for about 20 years."
She later took a position with Tennessee Meiji Gakuin in Sweetwater for a year before former Ingleside School principal Ben Wilson called and asked if she would be interested in being the nurse for the Athens City School System.
"It's been my dream job," said Akers, who has served as the Athens City Schools nurse for 22 years. "It's minute to minute - never boring and never slow. But, I love working with kids - always have - and I call them all 'my babies.'"
When her sons - Nicholas (now 38), Nathan (now 34), and Zachary (30) - were old enough to join Boy Scouts, Akers became a den leader and continues to assist with Scouting as the Unaka District's program chairman.
She also enjoys working with young ladies through Tennessee Wesleyan's Sigma Kappa Sorority.
"I have five brothers, three sons, three grandsons, and a husband," Akers said, "so working with the sorority is how I get my girl fix."
While Akers said she claims numerous children as her "babies," she is most proud of the accomplishments of her three sons.
"They were always artistic and creative, and all three got degrees that are right-brained. Everyone said I was crazy for encouraging that, but I believe you let your children determine their own fates, then you give them the tools they need to get there. I always told my kids they could do anything they wanted as long as they did the work that was required. You have to find a passion. If you do, you can do anything, but you have to work at it and get the education you need to make it work," Akers said. "Finding that passion is the hard part. Zachary found his in middle school working with the school TV program, and he's now a successful filmmaker. Nicholas, even when he was two, had perfect pitch, so we knew music was his thing - now he works with the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. Nathan found his while studying at MTSU and works with computer graphics.
"They've all found success because we let them find their passion," Akers added. "What more can you ask as a mother than for your children to be happy?"
------------------------------------------
Full name and place of birth per Contributor: Denise Drake Horton 47089329
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